BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
Utah Scholars is a simple, low-cost, high-impact program that motivates students to complete rigorous high school courses so they will be well prepared for college and employment. Current research demonstrates a direct correlation between challenging high school course work and success in the modern workforce, the Military, and postsecondary education.
The State Scholars Initiative has its roots in a program begun by business leaders in Longview, Texas in 1989. Concerned with the low literacy and math skills demonstrated by high school graduates entering the local workforce, the Greater Longview Organization of Business and Education created the GLOBE Scholars program to encourage East Texas high school students to take academically challenging courses all the way through their senior year. The program eventually was launched as a statewide initiative under the direction of the Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC) and is now being implemented in over 350 school districts across Texas. Based on the program's success in Texas, several other southern states, including Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, adopted similar programs in the early 1990s.
During his first term, President George W. Bush secured federal funding to create the State Scholars Initiative, a national program in which 22 states now participate. Details on the program at the national level can be found at the Web site of grant administrator, the Western Interstate Compact for Higher Education (WICHE), www.wiche.edu/statescholars.
Utah, along with eight other states, received a $300,000 State Scholars grant in March 2006 to pilot the program in four school districts (Granite, Jordan, Park City, and Davis) during the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 academic years. It is our hope that, through a combination of legislative funding, grants, and business support, we can generate the financial resources to sustain the program and roll it out across the state beginning with the 2008-2009 school year.
BASIC ELEMENTS OF UTAH SCHOLARS
Utah Scholars brings business and community leaders into junior high and high school classrooms to motivate students to complete a rigorous course of study in grades 9-12. Specifically, business and community leaders will be trained to give a short (30 to 40 minute) Powerpoint presentation in the classroom that is designed to educate students about the benefits of working hard in school. Among other things, the presentation focuses on the income potential students can expect if they complete a rigorous core in high school and then go on to complete either an associate's or a bachelor's degree. On average, a Utah adult with a high school diploma earns only $22,437, while an adult with an associate's degree earns $30,356 and an adult with a bachelor's degree earns $45,776.
However, the program does not end with the classroom presentation. Business and community leaders are invited to partner with educators and parents to provide ongoing academic and financial support to students in participating schools-everything from incentive programs for students, to mentoring and tutoring services, to scholarships and employment opportunities for students who obtain Utah Scholar status.
As a school partner in Utah Scholars, your school will realize numerous benefits, including:
- An opportunity to work with local businesses and school leaders to bring about increased student achievement
- Improved student opportunities for success in the workplace and higher education
- A more focused, disciplined, and accomplished student body
- Positive public relations for your school from your association with the program
THE UTAH SCHOLARS COURSE OF STUDY
Current research is conclusive that students who take and complete rigorous classes in high school are prepared to be successful after high school, whether in a two- or four-year college, an applied technology certificate program, a company training program, or the military. That is why the Utah K-16 Alliance, a coalition comprised of the Utah State Board of Regents, the Utah State Board of Education, the Office of the Governor, and the Utah Partnership, is encouraging all high school students to complete a defined course of study called the Utah Scholars program. The required courses include:
- 4 years of English
- 4 years of Mathematics (including Algebra II and an advanced course beyond Algebra II such as Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, Statistics, etc.)
- 3 years of Natural Science (with lab) (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)
- 3.5 years of Social Studies
- 2 years of the same Foreign Language
Students who complete this course of study will be eligible for incentives at the end of each grade level, and will also receive special honors as part of their high school graduation. Most importantly, they will be prepared to succeed no matter what path they pursue after high school-employment, college, or the military.
GOALS OF UTAH SCHOLARS
Utah Scholars is focused on achieving a small number of important goals, including:
- Increasing the literacy, math, and science skills of high school graduates
- Decreasing the high school drop-out rate in Utah
- Increasing the number of students who take and pass the ACT and SAT
- Increasing the scores of students who take the ACT and SAT
- Decreasing the number of students who have to take remedial courses in college
- Increasing the number of students who enroll in college
- Increasing the number of students who complete applied technology certificates, associate's degrees, and bachelor's degrees
- Increasing the quality of Utah's workforce
