"YLA/Project GRAD Final Evaluation at Shabazz High School"

The goal of the YLA/Project GRAD initiative was to enhance the life skills, motivation and educational achievement of the students who participated in the program in the areas of conflict resolution, health, educational planning and financial literacy.  The results demonstrated conclusively that students exposed to the YLA curriculum developed greater motivation and gained in pro-social behaviors as compared to a control group of students. As noted “the gains were both attitudinal and behavioral; and the greater the student exposure to YLA, the stronger the gains.  More importantly, YLA students performed better academically in their course work as evidenced by final grades than students in the comparison group.”

About the Partners:

The National Urban Technology Center (Urban Tech), a 501(c) (3) educational not-for-profit corporation, was founded in 1995 to “bridge the academic and digital divide” in disadvantaged communities by empowering youth with social and emotional learning, and computer and academic skills; and providing adults with the resources necessary for long-term employment and economic security.

Urban Tech’s YLA, for ages 10 to 19, is a reform effort which provides educational options to urban youth in a language that is culturally familiar and relevant. YLA engages the hardest to reach students by using animation, hip hop music and culturally sensitive scenarios to expand their social and emotional learning and life skills while building problem-solving and critical thinking around topics such as Community and Team Building, Healthy Living, STD and AIDS Awareness, Financial Literacy, Educational Planning and College Preparation. These web-based modules can be integrated into core academic subjects to make learning more relevant and give students accessible alternatives for academic success.

Project GRAD Newark was formed in 1998. It is improving the conditions, teaching methods and students' performance in 16 schools in the Newark Public School District historically regarded as the "lowest performing" schools in the district. Although more than 8,700 students are currently benefiting from Project GRAD in Newark, New Jersey, Project GRAD had not utilized technology as a strategy to improve educational outcomes before this project.

A $280,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation was awarded to Urban Tech for work with Project GRAD at Shabazz High School, in Newark New Jersey.

“We have forged partnerships and lent technological, financial and human resources to literacy programs, unlocking the potential [within all],” says Patrick Gaston, President of the Verizon Foundation. His words express the spirit of the partnership between Urban Tech, Project Grad and The Verizon Foundation, as all three organizations strive to provide young people with knowledge that builds strong lives and strong communities.

About the Researchers:

Elaine M. Walker, Ph.D., and Martin Finkelstein, Ph.D., are reseachers with Sametric Research an independent research firm in New Jersey.  Sametric Research conducts independent evaluations for schools systems, non-profit organizations and state institutions. Many of their evaluations are based on federal grants for model demonstration projects.