Kathy Hall, program coordinator for DeKalb Early College Academy, talks to Marquis Griffin, a junior in the DECA program, at the Clarkston Campus library, as DECA senior Arely Lopez studies beside them. (Photo by Bill Roa)

DeKalb Early College Academy at Georgia Perimeter College recently received a $40,000 grant that will be used to increase college access and readiness for high school students.

The award, from the RGK Foundation in Austin, Texas, is part of GPC’s Complete College Georgia initiative. The RGK Foundation is an independent foundation established in 1966 by Ronya and George Kozmetsky.

DECA, which was named by the state Department of Education as a Georgia School of Excellence for the 2012-13 academic year, was among 28 schools in the state honored for showing the highest performance or highest progress. The academy was created in 2008 by a partnership between Georgia Perimeter College and the DeKalb County School System.

Students in DECA take classes at their high school for ninth and 10^th grades and take college-level classes at Georgia Perimeter for 11^th and 12^th grades.

“The grant will give DECA resources and tools to improve performances,” says Tracey Knight, GPC’s director of strategic partnerships. For example, in ninth grade, funds will be used for My Foundations Lab—a computer tutorial program—to increase passage rates on standardized tests and the college entry exam, she says.

The grant also will be used to provide training for teachers on how to incorporate My Foundations Lab into their curriculum, says Gina Gavin, GPC’s director of Early College Programs. “This will help students be prepared for college-level math,” she says.

The grant will assist ninth- and 10^th-graders in buying supplies for science projects, says DECA coordinator Kathy Hall.

“Teachers will reinforce what students learned in math by incorporating those lessons into science projects and curricula,” Hall explains. “Each student is expected to participate in a science fair to show analytical and deductive reasoning skills learned during the semester.”

Eleventh- and 12^th-graders, who take classes at GPC, will receive supplemental instruction in algebra and chemistry, two gateway courses to higher level classes and graduation, Knight says. In addition, the college will host the first statewide math competition among all 10 early college programs in the state, she says. The top five programs will compete next spring at GPC.

“Luckily, GPC has had a strong partnership with DeKalb County Schools for some time,” says Knight. “While we have seen tremendous successes, we know that the RGK grant will further strengthen the academics and success rate for DECA students.”