Pleasantville is an urban area that has a population comprised of primarily African-Americans (who make up 58% of the population) and Hispanics (22% of the population).The percentage of college students in Pleasantville is below the state average, and the percentage of the population who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher is significantly below the state average. The College Bound Initiative Program(CBIP) was created in order to reverse this trend and help a generation of young people reach their full potential and make their dreams a reality.

The mission of the College Bound Initiative Program is to increase the number of first-generation college-bound students and college graduates. The program serves:
* Sixth through twelfth grade students who are underserved first generation college-bound student.
* Low-income individuals or students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree.
* Students who have a need for academic support in order to successfully enroll in and complete a post-secondary education.

Our strategy is to give our students the tools necessary to succeed academically and achieve their goals. Our goal is to equip the students with skills that will enable them to become successful adults by means of using early college preparation and awareness activities.

The program focuses on each individual student and his or her needs. One of the highlights of the CBIP is the Personal Academic Plan (PAP), which is based on each student’s skills, needs, goals and motivation. These criteria are used to customize a plan which will serve as a roadmap to success and will track the student’s progress toward his or her academic goals. The program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their pre-college performance and, ultimately, in higher education pursuits.

Each student will be assigned a Personal Education Advocate (PEA), a college mentor who will meet with the student every week to help with schoolwork, answer questions, and discuss any concerns the student has. The PEA will also share his or her college experience with the student and help with the college preparation process.

Students need to realize the 5 P’s, “Proper Planning Promotes Positive Performance.” In order to make any goal a reality, they must plan and make decisions that will move towards making that plan a reality. Our goal is to assist them with their 5 P’s.

Goals

• To encourage more youth to have high academic expectations.
• To have participant’s complete secondary school.
• To have students enroll in and complete post secondary education/college.
• To have students compete the FAFSA, financial aid education, & application assistance
  have students develop a sense of financial literacy
• To focus on non-cognitive evaluation and not the philosophy of not relying on the "numbers"
• To prepare students for college through mentoring/advising
• To begin working with students in the 6th grade
• To develop meetings/programs with students and their PEA several times during the academic school year
• To discourage gang involvement, and drugs and alcohol abuse among our youth

• To assess the academic and personal needs of 100% of the students relative to their academic skills and motivation for success and to develop a Personal Academic Plan (PAP) based on assessed and academic personal needs.
• To provide academic advising and counseling to 100% of the participants.
• To provide a mentoring experience (Personal Education Advocate) to 100% of the students through their involvement with professionals in a variety of career areas prior to completing their senior year.
• To implement a family involvement program, including a parent association, parent orientation programs, parent/student conferences and parent volunteer programs, resulting in 80% of the parents participating.
• 75% of the participants complete the necessary academic courses, and complete college admission and financial applications to at least three institutions such that 80% of the program participants enroll in a program of post-secondary education.
• To implement a tracking and follow-up system to monitor post-secondary progress of all students placed in post-secondary programs.
• To create positive student behavior through character education
• To implement an ongoing evaluation system employing both formative and summative measures, which provides data to determine the effectiveness of the program in meeting the objectives, impact of services on students, and the progress of students in developing the skills necessary for success in secondary and post-secondary programs of study.
• Development of a pre-college curriculum in school districts for the elementary schools through high-school
• The summer component: During the summer vacations from school, students will continue to work towards their goals by participating in the following:
  • College and University Tours
  • Cultural and educational experiences
  • Writing skills, math and science classes; and
  • Academic Advising

• Tutoring
• Test Preparation
• Academic Counseling
• Financial Aid Workshops
• College Application and Essay
• WorkshopsCollege Tours/College Fair
• Job Shadowing
• Career Awareness
• Resume and Interview
• WorkshopsCommunity Service
• Personal Education Advocates
• Cultural Outings
• Collaboration with Colleges and
• Universities
• Character Education
• Financial Literacy
• The Criminal Justice System/Gang, Alcohol and Drug Abuse
• Leadership Activities
• Business Etiquette
• Teen Strategies
• Conferences/Workshops
• Athlete Mentor Program