LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Historically
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are known for helping
students of color and opportunity youth access an affordable and
quality higher education. Realizing that high SAT scores and GPAs
aren't necessarily indicators of student success in college, HBCUs
instead focus on developing learners through personalized learning
and support. Learn4Life and FLEX High serve at-risk students and
share this approach to recover dropouts, and promote college
access, readiness and enrollment opportunities for its
students.
For National HBCU Week (Sept.
20-26), Lifelong Learning, a nonprofit educational
services organization that supports Learn4Life and FLEX High, is
celebrating a new partnership with the 1890 Universities
Foundation, that provides students opportunities for increased
exposure and acceptance to HBCUs, with support services to be
successful in college. The 1890 Universities Foundation serves a
network of nineteen universities in the
United States designated through the Morrill Land Grand Act
of 1890 as a historically black college or university.
Click to tweet: HBCUs, @FLEXHighSchool & @Learn4Life do
it right: develop learners through personalized learning &
one-on-one support to increases access and success for at-risk
students pursuing higher ed #HBCUWeek
FLEX High student Dreama
Swanigan, 18, has always wanted to go to college. Although
she had many struggles growing up – surviving cancer, the trauma of
losing a sister and even being homeless for a time – she was eager
to learn and determined to go to a university. At age 16, she
enrolled at Learn4Life which offered a flexible schedule so she
could take classes at a community college while earning her
diploma. Dreama just graduated with honors and has been accepted to
Central State University (CSU), an HBCU
in Ohio. Because of COVID-19,
Dreama will postpone going to CSU until the spring, and will
instead attend Columbus State Community
College for the Fall 2020 semester.
With this collaboration, students have access to 1890 Foundation
college representatives at events such as College Fairs and FAFSA
Nights (for federal student aid). Learn4Life and FLEX High help
students with applications, student aid programs, dual enrollment
and even provides transportation to exciting campus tours of their
preferred college. Each year, four Learn4Life and FLEX High
students will receive a $2500
scholarship to an 1890 Foundation member HBCU. Dreama is the first
FLEX High student to be awarded the scholarship.
Learn4Life and FLEX High serve more Black students and graduate
them at a higher rate than traditional public schools. Their model
provides personalized learning and one-on-one instruction, which is
highly effective for teens who need more attention and a program
that fits their learning style. A flexible schedule is ideal for
students who have fallen behind because they must deal with adult
responsibilities, like caring for a baby or needing to work. For
Dreama, she could adapt her high school schedule to include time
for dual enrollment college classes.
Although HBCUs were originally founded to provide higher
education opportunities for African Americans, they have enrolled
and graduated many students, regardless of their ethnicity, race or
income level. Recent alumni of Learn4Life and FLEX High are
enrolled in 10 HBCUs. For more information about the schools and
their partnership with the 1890 Foundation, visit
www.learn4life.org/hbcu-partnerships or
www.flexhighohio.org/hbcu-partnerships.
About Lifelong Learning
Lifelong Learning helps
schools and districts focus on what matters most – the students. We
are a nonprofit educational service organization dedicated to
providing schools an array of services tailored to their needs. We
work behind the scenes so they can concentrate on improving
educational outcomes. For more information, please visit
www.llac.org.
About Learn4Life
Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit
public schools that provides students personalized learning, career
training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled,
tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one
attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 49,000 students –
including full-time and intersession students – we help them
prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information,
please visit www.learn4life.org.
About FLEX High
FLEX High's mission is to empower
students to attain high academic achievement while empowering them
to reach their post-secondary dreams and goals. We fulfill this by
implementing a student-centered approach to personalized blended
and remote learning. With schools in Ohio and Michigan, FLEX High is focused on helping
students graduate to a better life beyond high school. For more
information, please visit www.flexhigh.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Ann
Abajian, Learn4Life
(844) 515-8186
PR@learn4life.org
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SOURCE Lifelong Learning