In early 2008, Nevada State College implemented Crossroads, a new program that teaches high-risk high school students the skills they need to become more engaged in school. Crossroads was initiated by Dr. Cantu and has become a success, as well as an adventure and learning experience for all involved.
The Crossroads program, designed specifically for high-risk seventh and eighth grade students in the southeast region of the Las Vegas Valley, re-engages students by having them see the value in their education. NSC’s faculty and students, plus the Clark County School District school counselors worked with the middle school students through playing activities and simulations. Crossroads teaches non-academic skills such as time and stress management and personal development skills such as motivation, resiliency, self-esteem and decision-making tactics.
On February 8, 2008, all students were given an entrance assessment, appropriately called, Revving Up, which consisted of 108 questions. When the program ended, an assessment titled, Moving On, was administered to students to document the progress made. The collected data indicated a large improvement in students resiliency ratings. The results concluded that 45% of participating at-risk students increased their confidence, 57% increased their perceived importance of education, and 55% increased their motivation.
Students who showed dramatic improvement in their confidence improved their ability to ask questions in class and participate in groups. Showing an increase in students perceived value in education enables them to better connect to short-term and long-term goals and envision future career opportunities as an outcome of success in secondary school. Finally, the area of motivation increased students’ belief that school is meaningful. Overall, this assessment shows that the identified students are engaging more in classroom and extracurricular activities and working toward demonstrating better school performance overall.
Crossroads is a program privately funded by Randy Garcia, founder and CEO of the Investment Counsel Company, an investment management consulting firm.
Dr. Cantu stated, I was happy to facilitate a link between Nevada State College and the community that aided the young people of Henderson, Nevada in their well-being and educational pursuits.
Crossroads will continue to help at-risk middle school students this fall 2008. For more information about Nevada State College, call 708-992-2000 or visit https://nsc.edu.
Katie Strittmatter
For more information on Nevada State College, call : 702.990.2000 or visit : nsc.edu.
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