[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 53 (Monday, April 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3863-S3864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE ``STEPS AHEAD'' PROGRAM IN SEATTLE, WA

 Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, during this past recess, I had the 
pleasure of presenting my Innovation in Education Awards to two 
excellent recipients, one of which I would like to recognize now.
  One award was given to the ``Steps Ahead'' program from ``Community 
for Youth.'' Community for Youth is a local non-profit organization in 
Seattle whose Steps Ahead program provides adult mentors to youth at 
risk of academic or social failure. This program has been in existence 
for eight years and has demonstrated remarkable progress in 
transforming the lives of students who might otherwise fall through the 
cracks of our education system.
  Steps Ahead's curriculum focuses on five key factors for student 
behavior: (1) Building a positive self-image, (2) Expressing themselves 
assertively rather than passively or aggressively, (3) Accepting 
responsibility for their behavior rather than making excuses, (4) 
Setting and keeping realistic goals in life and (5) Making conscious 
decisions to solve problems rather than reactively letting the world 
pass them by. These may seem like exceedingly basic principles but, 
this focus has reaped great rewards with the students it has reached.
  The students involved in this program have, for whatever reason been 
labeled as ``at-risk.'' Fortunately, through the simple concept of 
restoring self-respect, accountability, and confidence, the Steps Ahead 
program has achieved outstanding results. Steps Ahead participants have 
fewer dropouts and fewer expulsions from school than their peers. The 
Steps Ahead students also have ten percent better classroom attendance, 
twenty-five percent fewer grades, and fifteen percent fewer dropouts, 
expulsions and long term suspensions--all this is the heart of 
metropolitan Seattle where the escourge of dropouts rates, poor 
attendance, and violent behavioral problems have traditionally been 
some of the worst in Washington state.
  Community for Youth's efforts thought the Steps Ahead program is just 
one piece of the puzzle of trying to improve the lives and education of 
troubled youth. More importantly, perhaps, Steps Ahead has accomplished 
these feats by teaming up with local business to provide funding and 
mentors and by teaming up with the Seattle School District to target 
school populations most in need of mentoring. This type of common-sense 
and community-oriented approach to solving a difficult education 
problem demonstrates the exact reason why I began this Innovation in 
Education Award program.
  I think any of my colleagues would be hard pressed to prove the kind 
of program I am talking about here today could come from the innovation 
of a bureaucrat here in Washington, DC. Rather, it is the hard work of 
the people that look into the eyes of our children every day, the 
parents, the teachers, the school administrators, and the volunteers 
like those at Steps Ahead, who make a difference in the lives of our 
children.
  I am pleased to have been able to recognize Steps Ahead and Community 
For Youth with an Innovation in Education Award. They represent the

[[Page S3864]]

ideals in education that deserve our support.

                          ____________________