Scholarship awards showcase Alliance's
commitment to a college-ready education and its scholars' drive to
get to and through college.
LOS
ANGELES, May 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In
celebration of National Charter School Week, May
12-18, Alliance College-Ready
Public Schools is proud to announce over $500,000 in college scholarship awards to 40
deserving high school seniors out of a competitive pool of over 400
applicants. This initiative underscores Alliance's unwavering
commitment to educational equity, demonstrating their ongoing
mission to prepare scholars for college success and to cultivate
lifelong learners and leaders within local school communities.
For nearly two decades, Alliance has taken a transformative
presence in historically underserved neighborhoods across
Los Angeles County. All 26
Alliance charter public schools deliver high-quality instruction
that significantly boosts high school graduation and college
attendance rates.
While a majority of students enter an Alliance school 3 or more
grade levels behind, 95% of Alliance scholars graduate from high
school and 96% of those graduates are accepted to college. In
addition, Alliance scholars are 3.5 times more likely to graduate
from college compared to their peers from similar backgrounds.
According to the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities,
college graduates are half as likely to be unemployed as their
peers with only high school degrees. And on average, they also make
more $1.2 million more over their
lifetime.
"As Alliance prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary this
coming school year, we have made remarkable strides in preparing
our scholars for college and their overall futures," says Alliance
CEO Pablo Villavicencio. "We remain
committed to building upon past successes and finding innovative
ways to teach, learn, and engage with our school communities to
reach our vision of all Alliance scholars graduating from a
four-year college or university because we still know this matters
in long-term life outcomes for our scholars and their
communities."
In a 2023 published National Charter School Study, the
Stanford University Center for Research
on Education Outcomes (CREDO) confirmed that students attending
public charter schools nationwide are making greater academic
strides compared to their peers in traditional public schools.
Alliance schools in particular have become nationally ranked, and
recognized for their excellent work by the U.S. Department of
Education, the California Department of Education, U.S. News &
World Report, and named by CREDO as a "gap busting" school system.
In fact, in 2023, Alliance scholars proved to be 10-15% more
proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and math than more
affluent L.A. County and California public school students.
In partnership with the Alliance Foundation's Scholar Success
Board and approximately 300 individual supporters, 40 graduating
scholars have received a total of $545,000 in scholarships, ranging from
$2,500 to $20,000.
As Kattie Hayes, an Alliance Judy
Ivie Burton Technology Academy High School 2024 class graduate, and
Johnny Caron Foundation scholarship recipients reflects, "One's
gender should not define their opportunities in the professional
world, particularly in STEM fields. Initially, the disparity was a
fear, but now it's a challenge I'm willing to take. Looking ahead,
I envision myself as an aerospace engineer, fulfilling the dreams
of my ten-year-old self and showing her, "¡Lo hice!" – and I did it
as a Latina woman." Hayes matriculates to UCLA this fall, Class of 2028. A complete
list of 2024 awardees can be found here.
"These scholarships are more than just financial aid; they are
gateways to equity, allowing students from all backgrounds to
access the high-quality education they rightfully deserve. This
commitment to inclusivity is at the heart of what we do at
Alliance," adds Alliance CEO Pablo
Villavicencio. "We believe that every scholar, regardless of
their socioeconomic status, has the potential to achieve greatness,
and our mission is to empower them to unlock that potential."
98% of Alliance scholars live in the heart of Los Angeles' Latinx, Black, and recent
immigrant communities. 13% are English Learners, 65% speak a
language other than English at home, and a majority of scholars are
the first in their families to attend college.
About Alliance
Alliance
College-Ready Public Schools is one of the largest and
most successful nonprofit public charter school networks in the
nation, operating 26 high-performing, middle and high schools that
educate nearly 13,000 scholars who make up the heart of
Los Angeles' Latinx, Black, and
recent immigrant communities. Alliance schools have been recognized
as among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World
Report, Newsweek, the U.S. Department of Education, and
the California Department of Education. Since opening our first
school in 2004, 95% of Alliance scholars have graduated from high
school. We strive to uplift our scholars and their communities by
fostering unparalleled educational opportunities that encourage
scholarly thought, resilient learning, powerful communication,
mind-body wellness, and community advocacy. To learn more, connect
with Alliance: laalliance.org, X (formally Twitter), Facebook,
Instagram, LinkedIn.
Contact: Jass Stewart,
jstewart@laalliance.org
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SOURCE Alliance College-Ready Public
Schools