New Scholars Program Continues Kauffman Legacy
Two hundred students selected for inaugural class in a planned 19-year program.

By Linda Cruse

Two hundred seventh grade students are stepping under the wing of the Kauffman legacy as the inaugural class of Kauffman Scholars.

Launched in March 2003, the Kauffman Scholars program is a pioneering leadership and college prep initiative designed to provide support and guidance for urban children and help them complete both high school and college. An estimated 2,300 students will take part in the program throughout its planned 19-year existence. Approximately eight classes of seventh graders will be invited into the program, and will be supported through their middle, high school and college years.

Leadership training and development skills are included in the program, which is designed to foster leadership skills, encourage students to take responsibility for their lives and give back to their communities.

Bernard Franklin, Ph.D., executive director of the program, said it is designed to “surround young people with a nurturing atmosphere of growth and possibility, giving them permission to dream a bright future. It guides the development of the skills and abilities that can make their dreams a reality.”

Program Structure
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation provides the majority of program funding to Kaufman Scholars, Inc., which is an independent, nonprofit organization formed to operate the program. The Kauffman Foundation has made a $70 million commitment to the program over the next 19 years. This is the largest and most long-term commitment ever made by the foundation.

The Kauffman Scholars program begins earlier than other prep school programs. It provides the guidance and support necessary to place urban kids with potential—who are not currently high achievers and who face extreme financial circumstances—on a path toward completing high school and college.

Core Components
Academic enrichment, life coaching and leadership development are the program’s three core components.

Academic enrichment. Students will receive individual learning plans and participate in core academic enrichment activities focusing on reading, writing and mathematics. In addition, students may participate in supplemental classes such as study skills, college success seminars, computer and technology applications, decision-making skills, college planning, on-campus orientation, career exploration programs and educational field trips.

Life coaching. The program will match individual students with an adult “coach” who interacts with them as a guide throughout their 11-year involvement in the program. Life coaches will connect students and their families with community resources to best assist students in achieving success in the program.

Leadership training. Leadership training is designed to raise the aspirations of students and prepare them for future success. The training will also help prepare them to be the leaders and role models of the future.

“We hope the Kauffman Scholars will one day serve as role models for the young people who come behind them,” said Carl Schramm, Kauffman Foundation president and CEO. “The potential benefits of the program are multigenerational.”

Selection Process
Program staff received nearly 600 nominations for inaugural class members from 32 middle school principals in the Kansas City Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri school districts.

Review teams comprised of educators, program staff, foundation associates and graduates of the foundation’s Project Choice Program reviewed the nominations.

Parents of the selected students were required to sign a consent form and commit to support their children throughout the program. Parents and guardians are also required to attend regular parent meetings focusing on parenting issues.
    
Destined for Success
Program leaders said the program’s overall goal is to help students make positive life choices.

“Many of the young people we will serve through Kauffman Scholars are entering adolescence without the sense of security that allows them to successfully navigate the transition to adulthood,” said Franklin.

The Kauffman Scholars program will address the broader development needs of children that help ensure long-term success, he said. For more information about the program, visit www.kauffmanscholars.org.

Linda Cruse is managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly.