Twenty-five academically talented students from the Kansas City metropolitan area make up the pilot group for the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP).
A $550,000 Kauffman Foundation grant allows each Duke TIP Kansas City-Area Scholar to participate through 12th grade in the Next Generation Venture Fund (NGVF) program. It is designed to prepare a pipeline of high potential youth from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged populations to be competitive for admission to selective colleges and universities. The grant is one of many focused on advancing math, engineering, technology and science in area schools and programs, and making students realize their potential in these fields.
The Scholars were selected from eighth-grade students who reside in Clay, Jackson, Johnson, Platte or Wyandotte counties, and participated in the 2006 Duke TIP Seventh-Grade Talent Search. In addition, the students qualified to attend Duke TIP’s Summer Studies program by scoring as well or better than the average college-bound high school junior or senior on the ACT or SAT.
The NGVF program, operated by Duke TIP and Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth, provides a suite of services and opportunities geared toward preparing each student to be competitive at a top-tier college or university. The program includes a year-round Individualized Education Plan, intense academic counseling, parent training sessions, leadership development programs, corporate mentoring, rigorous residential summer programs on university campuses, distance education courses, college test preparation courses and college counseling.
Participants in the NGVF program have demonstrated that the program promotes gains in school achievement, increased GPA, enrollment in more honors and AP courses, an increased enthusiasm for academic pursuits, and an elevated commitment to educational goals and aspirations.
