Texas
University of Texas at Austin, Charles A. Dana Center
Office for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Type of Grant: TOP
Amount of Grant: $272,000
Non-Federal Support: $276,510
Date of Grant: October 1998-June 2001
Project Partners: Southwestern Bell Communications, Boundless Technologies, Microsoft Corporation, Quick Internet, Austin Independent School District Project HELP, and Region XIII Education Service Center
Contact: Tim Stahlke
Phone: (512) 475-9709
Email: tstahlke@mail.utexas.edu
In an effort to increase the educational achievement of students experiencing homelessness, the University of Texas Austin's Office for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (OEHCY) established the Support for Homeless Education: Linking Technology Resources to Shelters (SHELTRS) Project. With support from TOP and significant private funding they have been able to provide new technology resources to six homeless shelters and to expand existing technology resources at two homeless outreach/learning centers located in Austin. With computer centers at each of the eight locations, the project has provided personalized tutoring based on state-mandated curriculum to over 1300 students to date, and provides the students access to the same information and technology resources available to their peers who have computers at home.
Homework assignments requiring information that can only be obtained online are becoming more and more commonplace in schools, particularly at the high school level. By providing homeless students access to online resources they are given an opportunity to keep up with their studies and to use the critical tools they will need to prepare for higher education and the workforce.
The SHELTRS project received the prestigious Computerworld Smithsonian Award in 2000.
Texas
AdEdge, LLC
Type of Grant: CTC
Amount of Grant: $240,000
Non-Federal Support: $409,075
Date of Grant: 2001-2002
Project partners: Cisco Networking Academy Program, Career and Technology Advisory Committee (a partnership of business, industry and education in the El Paso area)
Contact: Dyana Chahda
Phone: (915) 351-8090
Email: dyanac@tcg-ep.com
With the support of a 2001 CTC grant, the AdEdge Community Technology Center in El Paso, Texas will work to improve the quality of life for its residents. Located within El Paso's Empowerment Zone Area, the population AdEdge serves is predominantly Hispanic, and has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the nation. Only 35% of its population has a high school diploma. AdEdge is a safety net for residents to receive a GED, learn to speak English, discover computer technology, and/or obtain computer technology certification with AdEdge's partner, Cisco Networking Academy.
Dyana Chada, AdEdge's project director, believes that unless El Paso's residents receive the education and workforce development training needed to give them the skills necessary to secure viable employment, they will be destined to a life of growing disadvantage. Many of those who come to AdEdge with hope of improving their quality of life do not qualify for other training and education programs because either their Workforce Commission benefits have expired, they are working but only earning poverty level wages, or have just "fallen through the cracks." Many people who would otherwise have no other option than to remain on welfare or continue in low-wage jobs have the opportunity to become self-sufficient and contribute to the El Paso economy.
Pilar Ruiz is a student enrolled in AdEdge's ESL/Citizenship course. "I feel the CTC offers a very good program and is preparing me well for passing the test. On top of that, I am also learning a lot about US History. The instructor is great and makes me feel that I am important and have value. I want to become a US citizen because I want to become successful, have a greater quality of life and be able to vote."
