Here & Now

$1.2 Million Grant Will Help Madison Youth Go To College

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW TO EDUCATION NEWS. GOOD NEWS FOR THE MADISON AND VERONA AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS WEEK THE GREAT LAKES HIGHER EDUCATION GUARANTY CORPORATION AWARDED GRANTS TO THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF DANE COUNTY. $1.2 MILLION WORTH OF GRANTS THAT WILL LARGELY GO TO BOOSTING THE SO-CALLED TOPS/AVID PROGRAMS. THOSE ARE SERVICES THAT PROVIDE ACADEMIC TUTORING FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS. THE AWARD WAS MADE TUESDAY AT MADISON EAST HIGH SCHOOL. MICHAEL JOHNSON IS THE CEO OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF DANE COUNTY. HE’S JOINED BY THE VICE PRESIDENT OF GREAT LAKES HIGHER ED, AMY KERWIN. AND THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU FOR BEING HERE.

MICHAEL JOHNSON, AMY KERWIN:

THANK YOU.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THIS TRULY IS GOOD NEWS. AMY, HOW DO THESE COMBINED GRANTS COMPARE TO OTHERS THAT YOU’VE MADE?

AMY KERWIN:

THEY’RE UNUSUAL IN THE FACT THAT NUMBER ONE, THEY’RE A THREE-YEAR GRANT. WE VERY RARELY MAKE THREE-YEAR GRANTS. AND THEY’RE ALSO UNUSUAL IN THAT THEY’RE CONTINUATION GRANTS. THE REASON THAT WE MADE THESE IS REALLY BECAUSE OF THE RESULTS THAT MICHAEL AND HIS TEAM HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE AND THE RESULTS THAT ARE NOT ONLY INDICATED IN THEIR REPORTS TO US, BUT THEY’VE BEEN VALIDATED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN BY RESEARCH EVALUATION THAT COMPARES THE RESULTS OF THE STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM TO THE STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL WHO ARE NOT PARTICIPATING.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO MICHAEL, WHAT WILL THE GRANTS MEAN FOR YOUR WORK AT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB AND FOR THESE STUDENTS?

MICHAEL JOHNSON:

IT’S A GAME-CHANGER. IT’S AN INVESTMENT IN THESE KIDS’ LIVES. THE FACT THAT WE CAN INVEST RESOURCES AND CLASSROOMS TO SUPPORT OUR KIDS IS JUST ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE. WE BELIEVE THIS IS THE LARGEST GRANT EVER GIVEN TO BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS BY A LOCAL BUSINESS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO YOU ARE ALSO A PARTNER IN THIS COLLEGE-READY SCHOLARS PROGRAM OUT OF VERONA. WHAT IS THAT?

MICHAEL JOHNSON:

YEAH. WE WANT TO PROVIDE TUTORIAL SUPPORT FOR KIDS OF COLOR AND LOW INCOME KIDS AT VERONA HIGH SCHOOL. SO OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THOSE KIDS GET GOOD GRADES. THAT THEY PURSIST. GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND ULTIMATELY GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND THE AVID/TOPS, DESCRIBE WHAT THAT IS.

MICHAEL JOHNSON:

IT’S THE SAME THING. THAT PROGRAM IS A LITTLE BIT MORE ROBUST. WE HAVE CLOSE TO 100 TUTORS AND VOLUNTEERS THAT WORK IN CLASSROOMS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY TO WORK WITH OUR KIDS. ON THE TOPS SIDE WE PROVIDE MENTORING, TUTORING. WE PROVIDE PAID INTERNSHIPS FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. AND THEN AVID IS A NATIONAL CURRICULUM THAT THESE KIDS PARTICIPATE IN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AMY, YOU KEEP TRACK OF THE SUCCESS THAT THESE PROGRAMS HAVE. AND HOW SO?

AMY KERWIN:

ABSOLUTELY. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GRANT PERIOD WE ASK MICHAEL AND HIS TEAM TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK THEY CAN DO DURING THE GRANT PERIOD. AND THEN THEY PROVIDE REPORTS TO US ON AN ONGOING BASIS EVERY SIX MONTHS AND WE SIT DOWN WITH THEM WHEN WE GET A REPORT AND COMPARE WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD DO WITH WHAT THEY’RE ACTUALLY DOING. AND SOMETIMES HAVE CONVERSATIONS WHEN THEY’RE NOT ABLE TO ACHIEVE THOSE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND WHAT IF THEY’RE NOT ABLE TO ACHIEVE THEM?

AMY KERWIN:

IN SOME CASES IT’S BECAUSE MICHAEL TELLS ME THAT HIS INITIAL ESTIMATES WERE TOO HIGH AND WE’LL MODERATE AND COME DOWN AND MEET IN THE MIDDLE. IN OTHER CASES WE’LL SAY I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DIDN’T MEET THEM. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NEXT YEAR?

MICHAEL JOHNSON:

I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY WE HAVE TO SET THE BAR EXTREMELY HIGH FOR OUR KIDS. YOU SET THE BAR HIGH, OUR KIDS WILL ACHIEVE. IN OUR AGENCY WE HAVE ONE GOAL. THAT 90% OF OUR KIDS GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND BE COLLEGE OR CAREER-READY. AND THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE THAT SAID LOW-INCOME KIDS, KIDS OF COLOR, POOR WHITE KIDS CAN’T HIT THOSE KINDS OF NUMBERS. AND WE’VE BEEN DOING IT. AND IT’S VALIDATED BY THE THIRD-PARTY RESEARCH.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO AMY WHY NOT JUST GIVE THE GRANTS, LET THE PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY DO? WHY THE BIG INVOLVEMENT?

AMY KERWIN:

I THINK PUSHING EACH OTHER ULTIMATELY ENDS UP IN BETTER SUCCESS. IT HELPS US AS A GRANT MAKER, WHEN WE MAKE GRANTS TO OTHER ENTITIES. AND I THINK IT HELPS PROGRAMS HAVE AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE THAT CAN ENCOURAGE THEM TO ACHIEVE EVEN MORE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MICHAEL, GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE SUCCESS STORIES FROM AVID.

MICHAEL JOHNSON:

I THINK ABOUT A YOUNG LADY WE JUST AWARDED A $100,000 SCHOLARSHIP TO. HER NAME WAS CRYSTAL BELL MARTINEZ. CRYSTAL BELL IS A STUDENT AT WEST HIGH SCHOOL. WORKS TWO JOBS. HAS A 3.5 GPA AND SHE GOT ACCEPTED INTO UW-MADISON. ONE OF OUR DONORS WAS SO INSPIRED BY OUR AVID/TOPS PROGRAM THAT HIS FAMILY WANTED TO PROVIDE THIS $100,000 SCHOLARSHIP. ANOTHER SUCCESS IS WE HAVE HAD 32 BUSINESSES, INCLUDING GREAT LAKES, HIRE OVER 200 OF OUR KIDS THIS SUMMER PUTTING THEM INTO PAID INTERNSHIPS IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. THAT’S A GAME CHANGER FOR A LOT OF OUR KIDS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AMY, WHEN YOU HEAR THOSE KINDS OF STORIES AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE INVOLVED IN HELPING MAKE THIS HAPPEN, WHAT’S THAT LIKE?

AMY KERWIN:

IT’S FANTASTIC AND IT’S FANTASTIC FOR ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES. HAVING AN INTERN, WE GET AS MUCH OUT OF THAT INTERN AS WE THINK THE INTERN GETS OUT OF HAVING A JOB AT GREAT LAKES. IT’S INCREDIBLY REWARDING.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT MESSAGE DOES ALL OF THIS SUPPORT SEND TO THE STUDENTS WHO NEED THIS HELP COMING INTO HIGH SCHOOL AND THEN MOVING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL INTO COLLEGE?

MICHAEL JOHNSON:

ONLY ABOUT 70% OF PEOPLE IN AMERICA HAS — 70% OF PEOPLE IN AMERICA DON’T HAVE COLLEGE DEGREES. BUT- AND WE KNOW KIDS IN MADISON, DANE COUNTY AND WISCONSIN, EVERY KID WON’T GO TO COLLEGE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERY KID IS READY FOR COLLEGE. THAT’S WHY WE DESIGNED THIS PROGRAM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONNECT KIDS TO CAREERS. BY THE END OF THE DAY THAT OUR KIDS CAN READ, THEY CAN WRITE AND THEY’RE PREPARED TO GO TO COLLEGE NOW. IF IT WAS UP TO ME, I WANT ALL MY KIDS GOING TO COLLEGE. LAST YEAR THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF GREAT LAKES AND THE BURKE FOUNDATION AND SO MANY OTHERS, OUT OF THE 113 OF OUR SENIORS, 112 OF THEM GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY’RE GOING TO COLLEGE THIS SEMESTER. COLLEGE IS A GREAT THING, BUT CAREERS IS ALSO ANOTHER GOOD THING. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GIVE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT EXPOSURE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO, AMY, WHEN YOU HAVE SOME OF THESE STUDENTS AS INTERNS IN YOUR COMPANY, WHAT IS THEIR RESPONSE AND REACTION TO THE GENEROSITY KIND OF ALL AROUND THEM?

AMY KERWIN:

I THINK THEY FEEL SUPPORTED AND THEY SEE THAT IT’S NOT JUST THEIR TEACHER. IT’S NOT JUST THEIR COUNSELOR. IT’S NOT JUST THEIR BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB TUTOR. BUT INSTEAD IT’S THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE THAT’S INVESTING IN THEIR SUCCESS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. WELL, THIS IS GREAT STUFF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AMY KERWIN:

THANK YOU.

MICHAEL JOHNSON:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.