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For Immediate Release DANBURY STATE SCHOLARS PROGRAM RECEIVES BUSINESS
SUPPORT The Danbury State Scholars Program today received a $15,000 donation — $10,000 from GE Commercial Finance and $5,000 from Boehringer Ingelheim — for the creation of an academic enhancement lab at Danbury High School. The lab will support students who are taking more-rigorous courses through the Connecticut State Scholars initiative. The Connecticut State Scholars Program builds on the solid academic foundation that Danbury Public Schools has established. As part of the program, business leaders visit classrooms and encourage students to take more-challenging courses in high school. Students who complete more-rigorous classes in high school are more successful in college and in the workplace than those who simply meet minimum graduation requirements. Studies by the U.S. Department of Education have shown that seven out of 10 students graduate from high school without completing the courses needed to succeed in college or in the workplace. “Encouraging all students in Danbury to take tougher courses will help our students to be successful after high school,” said Dr. William Glass, associate superintendent of Danbury Public Schools. “The academic enhancement lab is essential to enable the students in the middle to succeed with this more-rigorous curriculum.” The lab will be used by more than 500 9th-grade students participating in the State Scholars program, who for the first time are taking more-challenging academic courses and will possibly need some extra assistance with the harder ones. “As more students are encouraged to take more-rigorous courses, some of them will find the course work difficult, and may need academic support intervention to succeed in the program and complete the four-year curriculum,” said Lauren Weisberg Kaufman, CBIA vice president of education and job training and executive director of the association’s Education Foundation. “The enhancement lab will support these students and help them succeed, achieve their goals and graduate from the program more prepared to enter the workforce or college.” While all students will benefit from the more rigorous coursework, the program is aimed at the majority of students in the middle of the class, those students who are not working up to their potential. The business community plays a critical role in the State Scholars initiative, both in support and encouragement. “GE Commercial Finance has been involved with State Scholars since
its inception in Connecticut last year to facilitate students’ understanding
that high school course work does matter to their future academic, career
and business success,” said Elizabeth Goehring, manager of community
relations, GE Commercial Finance. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s
future. We are excited to be part of a program that provides quality educational
programs which reflect the needs of the fast-changing world of the business
community,” said Goehring. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, almost two out of three job openings in Connecticut in the next five years will require education at the postsecondary level. “We want to make sure that Connecticut students are prepared for those higher-wage jobs,” said Arcario. The Connecticut State Scholars Program is open to students in the New Haven and Danbury public schools and Vinal Technical High School in Middletown. CBIA is one of just 12 statewide business organizations nationwide selected by the Center for State Scholars to receive a grant to start up a scholars program, which aligns with the national call for high school reform. CBIA is Connecticut’s largest business organization, with 10,000 members. ### For more information contact Nancy Andrews, CBIA media relations manager, at 860-244-1957 or andrewsn@cbia.com. 350 Church
Street · Hartford, CT 06103-1126 · cbia.com/newsroom
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