FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 15, 2010

URBAN LEAGUE PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHES COLLEGE PREP PROGRAM AT INNER CITY SCHOOL

The Louisville Urban League and Meyzeek Middle School have partnered together to offer an out-of-school time program for students and youth living in Louisville’s Smoketown and Shelby Park neighborhoods.  Project Ready, a program of the Louisville Urban League’s Youth Development and Education Department, is a middle/high school to college transition program whose mission is to engage students in individual goal planning, academic enrichment, cultural development and career exploration experiences.  The Project Ready/Meyzeek Middle School partnership is made possible by a generous lead grant of $50,000 from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.  Additional funding has been provided by Making Connections Network. 

“Education is the great equalizer and is key to our youth’s future.  We must develop a college going culture in our community to make this possible.  Project Ready is, for some, the first step in making a college education reality,” states Louisville Urban League President & CEO, Ben Richmond. 

"We are excited to see the Project Ready program at the Meyzeek Community School.  The program reaches the students that normally would not be targeted for a college preparation program and it is wonderful to see the students from several schools and backgrounds gather weekly to work on their academic development," says Chris Burba, Principal, Meyzeek Middle School.

“Chase is pleased to be the lead funder in the expansion of Project Ready to the Smoketown and Shelby Park neighborhoods.  Educational programs at the neighborhood level have been identified as a priority by the residents in recent planning,” states Tina Jo Walters, Vice President of Philanthropy, Indiana & Kentucky, JPMorgan Chase Foundation.

Project Ready has been offered at various locations including the Louisville Urban League’s West Broadway headquarters for four years.  Establishing a satellite location at Meyzeek Middle School creates an opportunity to reach approx. 50 at-risk middle/high school students who reside in one of Louisville’s poorest areas - the Smoketown and Shelby Park neighborhoods.  Demographically, Louisville’s Smoketown/Shelby Park neighborhood is high in African American and low-income resident concentration.  Thirty-seven percent (37%) of the 1062 student body at Meyzeek Middle School, for the 2009-2010 school year, were African American. However, African American students made up 70% of the school’s 226 student suspensions for the year.  Academically, African American students at Meyzeek are less than proficient in reading and math at rates of >55% and >60%, respectively (in comparison to only 23% and 25% for white students).

Integrating a robust Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) focus in its out-of-school-time (OST) curriculum, Project Ready prepares economically disadvantaged youth to graduate college ready to pursue a successful college and occupational career.  The projected program impact of Project Ready will result in academic improvement, increased school attendance, increased advanced placement courses taken, and decreased school suspensions/drop outs for the students we serve. The ultimate impact of the program will be a better educated workforce in our community that is prepared for economic challenges and opportunities presented by the new economy.  

The Project Ready/Meyzeek partnership compliments and supports a new education attainment initiative, 55,000 degrees, a local targeted plan to raise education levels in our community.

For more information on Project Ready call 502.566.3383 or email, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .