Project STAY (Success Training For At-risk Youth) was created by the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, in 1986, in response to the State of Wisconsin's then-newly-passed at-risk legislation. It therefore has a curriculum specifically designed for high school students who are behind in basic skills and/or in units earned, and also includes vocational training and work experience components. Its capacity is 100 students.
The school has been expanded twice since 1986: once to add services for seniors who fail to graduate from traditional schools ("The Project STAY Senior Institute" with a capacity of 175 students), and once to provide educational services for school-age inmates in the Milwaukee County Jail ("The Milwaukee County Youth Education Center" with a capacity of 50 students). In 1997, the Artistic Alternatives Art Gallery was created as a Junior Achievement Student Company, and the school building was modified to showcase student art work during public gallery events.
It's location is perfect -- downtown, across the street from the downtown public library, close to the Milwaukee Area Technical College, close to the federal building and the county courthouse, close to numerous job opportunities, and very easy to get to by bus or by car.
Mission
Project STAY is a one-year alternative high school for 100 high school students, ages 16 to 21, who are at risk of dropping out of school. The mission of Project Stay is to change failure into success by helping students make positive connections with school, vocational training, employers and work, mentors and tutors, families, and our community.
Curriculum Modifications
There is a counselor and four teachers on the staff of Project STAY. Teachers and the counselor work in teams to ensure that each student takes advantage of the four major activities in Project STAY:
personal development,
academic skills remediation and acceleration in areas such as English and math,
vocational skills training in an area such as nursing assistant,
and employment.
Some of these activities take place in a "one room school" atmosphere, where students punch in and punch out just as if they were at a job. Students spend 2 hours and 15 minutes a day at Project STAY, and an equivalent amount of time at a vocational education site and/or on the job. Because all assessments, academic assignments, and school prescriptions are completely individualized, students can enroll at any time during a school year, and can always work at their own pace. Guest speakers, field trips, small group sessions, formal classes, and other educational opportunities are offered as appropriate. Because Project STAY is relatively small, the staff is able to create and maintain a family-like atmosphere.
There is also an educational assistant on the staff, who conducts vocational assessments of all students and assists counselors and teachers in a variety of ways.
Supportive Services
Teachers and counselors meet with their students on a regular basis to determine how things are going, and to discuss progress on short and long term goals. Additional academic, vocational, and counseling services are used to provide the best possible support for each student. All staff members are counselors and mentors for students in the school.
Student Eligibility
Teacher/counselor teams conduct initial interviews to determine how well Project STAY might meet each applicant's needs. There are no academic barriers to enrollment, but the school is not staffed to enroll students who have exceptional educational needs. Students must like what the school offers -- an entry level job and self-paced learning, for example -- in order to be enrolled.
Students and parents are encouraged to visit the school to complete an application. Applications can also be mailed in from any other MPS school.
Prerequisites for Admission
Students must be 16-21 years old, at risk of not finishing high school, and interested in what Project STAY has to offer in order to enroll in the program.
Procedures to Determine Eligibility
Students must complete an Alternative Program Application Form, with parental/guardian permission, so that verification of "at risk" status can be made. Students and their parents or guardians must attend an interview. During the interview, school staff members determine if Project STAY might meet the applicant's needs.
Use of Screening Instruments
A student interest inventory is completed during the initial interview to help determine if what Project STAY offers is what an applicant wants.
Reasons for Possible Refusal
Students will be denied admission into the school if they are not "at risk," or if they do not like what the school offers. If the school is full, applicant's names are placed on a waiting list (which commonly exceeds 125 names).
