LANSING, MI - Whitmore Lake High School is one of 11 high schools across the state recently awarded grant funding to support students as they prepare for college and future careers.
The Michigan College Access Network, a statewide initiative that aims to increase college readiness and completion among students, announced Wednesday, Nov. 29, the schools that will receive a total of more than $265,000 in grant funding.
Each school will receive up to $25,000, and Whitmore Lake High School plans to use the money to utilize Naviance, a new career development tool; to implement school-wide curriculum that covers career exploration, planning and development; and an enhanced education development plan process.
In the past two school years, fewer than one-third of Whitmore Lake students met college-readiness benchmarks on the SAT, according to data from the Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information.
The SAT defines college readiness as students having at least a 75 percent chance of earning at least a C in freshman college courses.
"The funds provided by the Reach Higher System Impact Grant program will provide the resources necessary for schools to implement bold changes to help their students prepare for a college education and future careers," said Brandy Johnson, executive director of the Michigan College Access Network, in a press release.
"In today's knowledge-based economy, it's imperative that we support students in their efforts to further their education," Johnson continued. "The Reach Higher System Impact Grants encourage high schools in our network to take their efforts beyond programming to drive systems change within their building."
Each of the 11 high schools selected to receive a Reach Higher System Impact Grant was a second year participant of the Michigan College Access Network's Reach Higher grant program.
Last year, 100 high schools across the state received more than $500,000 in grants as a part of the Reach Higher program.
Other grant recipients include: Allegan County Area Technical and Education Center, Bridgman High School, Comstock High School, Detroit School of Arts, Hartland High School, Hastings High School, Mancelona High School, Monroe High School, Muskegon High School and Plainwell High School.