Success of Study Technology Inner-City Projects Leads to Grant Award

In 2001 a grant was obtained from Memphis City
School Board by LEAP (Literacy, Education and
Ability Program), an Applied Scholastics group, for
a pilot program to introduce Study Technology to
the Memphis Schools. Additional funding from local
businessmen and community leaders was used to
purchase a set of Study Skills for Life books and
workbooks. The subjects were ninth-grade students
in a remedial English class. Many had a continuous
history of discipline problems, juvenile delinquency
and school failure. Approximately 80% fell at or
near the poverty level. As the project high school
was not achieving mandated State testing levels,
the school was under scrutiny by the State of
Tennessee Education Department as well as the
Memphis Board of Education. The school had
increased testing scores over the prior three years,
but still remained below the required testing levels.
Academic failure was commonplace. Teacher and
parent frustration was evident