Central will receive five more years of funding from the U.S. Department of Education for the college’s Educational Talent Search (ETS) program. The award, contingent on annual congressional appropriations, is expected to total $1.8 million.
The nationwide Talent Search program, part of the U.S Department of Education, prepares middle school and high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed in higher education. ETS has been one of the pre-college programs at Central College since 1980.
The continued funding of ETS will allow five coordinators to serve a minimum of 900 students from six south central Iowa high schools and eight feeder middle schools. The students come from Des Moines, Eddyville-Blakesburg, Oskaloosa and Saydel Schools. Two-thirds of the program participants must qualify as both low-income and/or potential first-generation college graduates.
ETS coordinators meet with participating students once or twice a month in their schools. In addition to tutoring students and providing academic advising and career-planning services, ETS teaches financial literacy, test-taking skills, relationship skills and conflict resolution. Coordinators also take students on college visits and to various cultural activities.
In addition to funding these services, the recent award will allow coordinators to complete more in-depth monitoring of academic performance—tracking students all the way through their college years. The award will also allow ETS to provide a new mentoring component, which they anticipate will be an opportunity to involve Central students.
“ETS embodies a huge part of the Central identity — the notion of service and community engagement,” says Dr. Louise Esveld, director of pre-college programs. “This is an important form of community service to surrounding areas.”
ETS is one of seven Federal TRIO Programs that provide educational services to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Three other TRIO programs are also administered by Central College: Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math & Science and Student Support Services.