[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3056-S3057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. Frist, Mr. Specter, Mr. 
        Alexander, Mr. DeWine, Mrs. Clinton, and Mrs. Hutchison):
  S. 676. A bill to provide for Project GRAD programs, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have introduced today the Graduation 
Really Achieves Dreams, GRAD, Act, which will help improve our nation's 
graduation rate by authorizing a program that has a proven track 
record--Project GRAD USA. I am joined by my colleagues, Senators Frist, 
Clinton, Alexander, DeWine, Hutchison and Specter.
  Currently in our Nation, we graduate only 70 percent of our students 
from high school. In high poverty urban districts, we often graduate 
fewer than half that many--one in three. In rural areas, where one-
third of American students are educated--only 58.8 percent of students 
attend colleges and

[[Page S3057]]

universities, compared with 68.2 percent in urban and suburban areas. 
The problem is especially acute in Alaska, where Alaska Natives are 
almost twice as likely as other students to drop out of high school.
  We must provide better support and resources for our most vulnerable 
students. Project GRAD USA is already doing that job in 12 sites 
nationwide, including one in my own State of Alaska.
  Project GRAD USA is a national program to increase the number of low-
income and at-risk students who attend college and earn degrees. Unlike 
other national programs, Project GRAD USA is a comprehensive non-profit 
K-12 education reform program. It serves at-risk students, beginning in 
kindergarten, and staying with them through college, by offering 
research-based programs in reading, math, classroom management, social 
services, and college preparation. Students who qualify then receive a 
four-year college scholarship. Scholarships are funded by private-
industry donations and foundation grants, as well as previously-
appropriated Federal dollars.
  In Alaska, Project GRAD established a program in the Kenai Peninsula 
and serves six K-12 schools and one K-10 school, reaching 600 students. 
Three schools serve small Alaska Native communities; three serve 
Russian Old Believer communities; and the seventh school serves a mixed 
community of Alaska Natives, Russians and other Caucasians. More than 
47 percent of the students Project GRAD Kenai serves are at poverty 
level, and 49.2 percent of Kenai students report that a language other 
than English is spoken at home. Project GRAD is committed to 
maintaining cultural relevance in each of the schools it serves and 
creating individualized components developed with community leaders, 
teachers and families.
  This legislation would provide funds so Project GRAD can continue to 
grow in the States where it now operates and expand its proven model 
elsewhere. It also requires the local sites to match federal funds it 
receives with local dollars and in-kind support. In this way, federal 
funds are leveraged to increase support for needed educational reform 
and enhancement.
  When I visit the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, I see first hand the 
impact Project GRAD has made on the students in this district as well 
as the significant economic impact to the overall Peninsula. In the 
first five years of the program, over $6 million will be invested in 
program development and implementation and nearly $250,000 will be 
awarded in scholarships.
  Project GRAD USA has proven its effectiveness nationwide and now 
serves over 133,000 students. High school graduation rates for long-
term participants have increased by 85 percent, and those who have gone 
on to college have earned college degrees at a rate of 89 percent above 
the national average. These results have not gone unnoticed as 
President Bush and Majority Leader Frist have both strongly supported 
the program. Further, Fortune magazine chose GRAD as its ``charity of 
choice'' for 2004.
  Proven education, retention and graduation initiatives aimed at our 
students most at-risk deserve every policy maker's attention as we aim 
to do the most good with limited resources. I am proud to support this 
legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to join me to ensure Project 
GRAD's continued success for our children.
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