RAPSA Community Sponsorship Program

What is the RAPSA Community Sponsorship Program
Investing in children is a sound investment for our future. Students who drop out of school lack the skills needed to succeed in today's complex workforce. Young adults with low education and skill levels are more likely to live in poverty and to receive government assistance.¹ With your support and resources, education professionals, schools, coaches, service programs, and volunteers can work together to empower students to stay in school.

So that everyone interested may have the opportunity to learn valuable strategies to help keep students in school, we formed the RAPSA Community Sponsorship program. Since the program's inception, more than 88 education professionals have received complimentary registrations to the conference.

"We are a public high school within our own district so we lack funding to attend conferences such as these. If sponsored I’d like to take what I learn and apply it to my own advisory (class) as an advisor while also sharing the information and techniques with my colleagues in the hopes that our entire school community would ultimately improve and trickle down to our students and their work."
                                                                  -Brittany Reid-Harden,Learning Specialist
                                                                    and 2010 Sponsorship Recipient

The RAPSA Community Sponsorship program enables generous foundations, corporations, and individuals like you the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of at-promise students through the enhanced education of their teachers and community support system. The cost of just one latte a day will equip an educator with the skills to keep dozens of at-risk students in school and able to realize their full potential.

Who Should Become a Sponsor
Anyone interested in helping keep the at-promise students in school. This may include corporations, community associations, foundations, trade organizations, boards of directors, youth associations, small businesses, and other groups or individuals who value education professionals and volunteers working with at-promise students.

¹Laird, L., Lew, S., Debell, M., and Chapman, C.D. (2001). Dropout Rates in the United States: 2002,2003. NCES 2006-062. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006062.pdf Boisjoly, J., Harris, K., and Duncan, G., 1998. "Initial Welfare Spells: Trends, Events, and Duration," Social Service Review, 72 (4), 466 - 492; Moore, K., Glei, D., Driscoll, A., Zaslow, M., and Redd, Z. (in press). "Poverty and Welfare Patterns: Implications for Children," Journal of Social Policy.