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Planning to Achieve Collegiate Excellence [PACE]
PURPOSE
In the United States, we are facing a rapid decline in the high school graduation rate. If NSCS can enlist help from its 800,000+ members throughout the country, we can make a difference.
That’s why NSCS has created The Planning for Collegiate Excellence (PACE) Program. The program empowers chapters to create local mentoring and tutoring programs to encourage all students to graduate from high school and aspire to attend college.
THREE PACE COMPONENTS
Mentoring/Tutoring Program: NSCS chapters partner with local middle- and high-school age students (traditionally underserved populations) and meet with participants from those schools on a recurring basis to both encourage them to graduate high school
Assemblies: NSCS chapters host assemblies at partnering schools on various topics covering college preparedness, i.e. expectations; financial aid; helpful high school courses; etc.
March to College TM Day: NSCS chapters host PACE program participants on their campus for a day of activities to give them an example of what a day in the life of a college student can feel like.
EMBRACING PACE IN 2011
The University of Pittsburgh Chapter is furthering its scholastic partnership with the Obama Academy of International Studies through its new P.O. Letter Box Project . This initiative involves the passing of a “Pitt-ObamaLetter Box” between the schools as a pen pal program, allowing collegiate students to serve as mentors to the sixth graders via letters. After writing back and forth throughout the year, the participants will plan a meet-and-greet event with their mentees that will presumably take place either at the Obama Academy or on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
The American University chapter has a partnership with Westland Middle School up in Bethesda. There is an after school program that they will supplement with mentoring services. They are scheduled to go once every other week
The University of Washington PACE has set up a program at the local Northgate Elementary School in two 4th-5th grade class. They'll be "assisting the students with projects, learning games, answering student questions, teaching a lesson plan or two, or anything that the teacher needs help with.