Up to 175 eighth-graders entering Western Hills High School next year can receive college scholarship money if they keep up their grades and attend college programs during the summer.

        Western Hills and four elementaries will coordinate efforts to reduce Cincinnati Public Schools' (CPS) 49 percent dropout rate as part of Project GRAD Cincinnati.

        Project GRAD, which began in Houston schools in 1993, targets urban students and guarantees college scholarship money for those who graduate from high school and meet other criteria.

PROJECT GRAD

• Stands for: Graduation Really Achieves Dreams.     • Targets: Elementary students, to emphasize a solid foundation in reading and math skills, as well as building self-discipline, providing resources for at-risk children and offering scholarship money to help students pay for college.     • Began in: Houston. The program is now in eight cities.     • Locally: Will be launched at Cincinnati's Whittier Elementary School, Heberle Elementary School, Millvale Elementary School, Taft Elementary School and Western Hills High School in fall 2002. Project GRAD Cincinnati is an independent nonprofit organization based on the national model.

        The program, to be kicked off at a pep rally today, focuses on high standards, early literacy and success for every student.

        “It changes their whole view about going to college because there's money for them in the picture,” said Chad Wick, president and CEO of the Cincinnati-based KnowledgeWorks Foundation.

        Tyrone and Constance Gilbert's fifth-grade son, Tyree, attends Heberle Elementary, one of the elementaries in the program.

        The West End residents are looking forward to the scholarship money their son could guarantee.

        “It would help us a lot because we're already paying for our daughter now,” Mr. Gilbert said.

        Daughter Camilla, a graduate of Western Hills, is a freshman at Central State University.

        “The idea is to work with people at a very young age and help them focus on going to college,” said Rosa Blackwell, CPS deputy superintendent.

        KnowledgeWorks brought the idea of Project GRAD to the attention of educators and businesses last fall and is committing about $500,000 to launch the project.

        That's in part for renewable scholarships of $1,000-$1,500 for students who pass the required high school proficiency tests for graduation, retain a 2.5 grade point average and attend college-based summer institutes.

        Staff at the five participating schools voted to accept the responsibilities of becoming a Project GRAD school. The district hopes to eventually coordinate a similar program on the east side.

        Patricia Stewart-Adams, executive director of Project GRAD Cincinnati, said many of the necessary GRAD programs are already in place at the participating schools. For example, the schools have intense reading and math programs, and they partner with social service agencies.        

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