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To help students better understand the demands of today’s work environment and postsecondary education, individuals from a variety of business organizations carve time out from their demanding careers in order to spend time with students to encourage them to take rigorous high school courses that exceed basic state requirements.
Leaders within the Massachusetts business community are committed to the future of our youth.
Embarking on business-like challenges now will empower students to reach beyond traditional expectations and perceived boundaries later. Opportunities are limitless.
Why State Scholars?
Today’s students face tough competition. Finding the job they want and preparing for the jobs that will exist in the future begins with what students accomplish in high school.
By pursuing the State Scholars Core Course of Study, students are making the choice to prepare themselves to succeed in college and to meet the demands of today’s dynamic and competitive workforce. Massachusetts State Scholars are recognized for completing a more demanding curriculum and are afforded the opportunity to qualify for unique college scholarships and award opportunities.
The Massachusetts State Scholars Initiative is based on research that proves a strong link between the academic rigor of a student’s high school course of study and postsecondary degree completion. The rigor of academic courses completed has proved to be a better predictor of success in postsecondary education than a student's grade point average or class rank. Hearing and understanding this message from business volunteers resonates with students and has a much stronger impact than the traditional advice and counsel that parents or educators provide.
Massachusetts State Scholars
Universities, colleges, technical schools and most important – employers – care about an applicant's overall education – not just a number that represents a grade point average. They choose students who have completed a demanding and competitive course of study in high school based on the Initiative’s impressive track record of success. The business world is more competitive now than ever – companies have choices in who they hire, and the competition is stiff. The Massachusetts State Scholar’s Initiative prepares students now for a lifetime of future leadership.
Students completing the State Scholars Course of Study will:
- Acquire advanced academic skills
- Develop sound decision making and critical thinking skills
- Prepare properly for college and are less likely to need costly remedial courses
- Emerge as stronger candidates for certain types of financial aid and scholarships
- Enhance their opportunities for placement and future advancement with local and international employers.
Scholarships and Incentives
The Massachusetts State Scholars Initiative recognizes students for their hard work taking a challenging course of study – and succeeding – in high school.
Students completing the State Scholars Course of Study will:
- Meet the academic rigor requirements for the new Federal Student Aid Academic Competitiveness Grant if they meet the other qualifications below. http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness/ac-smart2.html
- Qualify for an Academic Competitiveness Grant that provides up to $750.00 for the first year of undergraduate study and up to $1,300.00 for the second year of undergraduate study to full-time students who are U.S citizens, eligible for a Federal Pell Grant and who have successfully completed a rigorous high school program of study.
- Additional information about this grant and other student aid opportunities at www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov
- Be eligible to receive local incentives at individual schools for students who take and complete the courses required to be a State Scholar.
- Meet the academic course admission requirements for Massachusetts four-year colleges and the University of Massachusetts campuses.
Massachusetts State Scholars Partners
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Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE)
The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) has been a leader in education reform – developing the conceptual framework for the 1993 Education Reform Act. MBAE believes their reform vision is compelling – all students can, and must, be better educated. Schools must meet higher standards and be held accountable for performance. Today, school reform in Massachusetts is incomplete. There has been real progress, but there is much more to be done. As part of their efforts to assure every child a quality education that will prepare them for the demands of a 21st century workplace, MBAE has assumed the role of state director for the State Scholars Initiative.
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Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association (MSSAA)
The Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators’ Association (MSSAA) serves the needs of middle level and high school administrators by supporting the best possible educational opportunities for students throughout Massachusetts. This is accomplished by initiating leadership training and providing services designed to improve administration and instruction. The Association takes positions on significant statewide educational matters. The Association provides extensive professional development opportunities for its members to enhance their ability to function successfully as educational leaders, and to provide procedural information to them in matters of professional status. MSSAA is also the fiscal agent for the Massachusetts State Scholars Initiative.
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Massachusetts Department of Education
The mission of the Student Support, Career and Education Services Center at the Department of Education is to help schools provide all children with the knowledge, skills and values needed to graduate from high school college-ready and well prepared for a career and citizenship. Based on awareness of the relationship between cognitive development and physical, emotional and social well being as fundamental to a quality educational environment, the units within this Center assist schools, students, parents, the business sector and communities in identifying, and promoting strategies to address the barriers to learning that many children and youth face today. The Department is an active partner of the Massachusetts State Scholars Initiative and is responsible for collecting data to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.
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For more information, to volunteer, or to offer student incentives, please contact the State Scholars Initiative at state_scholars@mbae.org
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