Wake Education Partnership has been awarded a grant from the Public Education Network (PEN) to implement the Middle Schools Skills for Life Initiative with the Wake County Public School System, Communities in Schools of Wake County and other community-based organizations.
The $500,000 grant, renewable for three years, provides for a public engagement initiative to increase the capacity of schools and communities to support middle school students in becoming healthy, productive adults.
The Skills for Life initiative brings a specific, research-based curriculum - LifeSkills TM Training - into the classroom, and amplifies its impact across the school, family and community contexts through proven public engagement strategies.
"This grant offers our community a strategic opportunity to strengthen our network of supports for positive youth development," said W. Robert Saffold, president of Wake Education Partnership.
"The Skills for Life initiative gives us concrete tools to engage school and community partners in a coordinated effort to ensure that our middle school youth are prepared for successful transition to high school."
With national estimates showing that only four out of ten young people are "ready" by the time they reach adulthood - meaning working or attending college, in good health, and active in their communities - the need for comprehensive solutions is clear.
"By blurring the lines between school and community spaces as well as school and out-of-school time, this program will bring teachers, parents, youth-serving organizations and young people together around the goal of helping youth prepare for the future," said Dana Diesel Wallace, senior director of middle school programs for the Wake County Public School System.
Public Education Network (PEN) is a national organization of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to improve public schools and build citizen support for quality public education in low-income communities across the nation.
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