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- The Challenge Program provides financial incentives for students in grades 10, 11, and 12 to succeed in high school. Four $250 awards per grade are issued each spring in the following areas: Academic Excellence, Academic Improvement, Community Service, and Attendance.
- The program demonstrates to students that one can achieve whatever he or she desires by working hard and becoming goal-oriented. This drive can come through either self-motivation or motivation from others. Another important goal of the program is to show students that there are many career opportunities for them in their local communities. We hope that by exposing students to these opportunities while they are in high school, they will remain in or return to the area to pursue a career after their formal education is completed. This is why the business ambassador partnership is so important to students.
- There is no catch. The Challenge Program prides itself on being a straightforward program that recognizes students' achievement by providing cash awards directly to the students. Students can use the cash awards for whatever they want; there are no strings attached.
- There are no costs for participating schools or school districts. The Challenge Program raises funds from individuals, businesses, and foundations to cover its expenses.
- No. The Challenge Program recruits local businesses to sponsor schools and donate $3,000 for the school's awards. We have received support from a wide range of businesses, such as manufacturing plants, hospitals, mining companies, engineering firms, and banks.
- For many of our business ambassadors, this is the first time that they have contributed to the schools in their communities. For other businesses, their donations in support of The Challenge Program have allowed them an additional way to support local high schools. We do not know of any cases where businesses have withdrawn direct support to schools in order to participate in The Challenge Program.
- Twice. We visit schools in the fall to introduce the program (a 45-minute assembly to introduce the program and the school's business ambassador) and again in the spring to personally award the checks. The spring presentation can take place during a school's award assembly or during a specially arranged assembly time.
- School administrators make all of the decisions about the award recipients, using the process that works best for them. Neither The Challenge Program nor the business ambassador has input during the process.
- During the 2006-2007 school year, 102 schools from western Pennsylvania and Delaware participated in the program. We anticipate that we will reach well over 100 schools for the 2007-2008 school year.
- Each year, TCP receives hundreds of letters from award winners who share the impact TCP has had on them, and it is these individual success stories that we view as our major accomplishments.
In addition, The Challenge Program, Inc. has undergone two independent, third-party evaluations to assess the impact of the program. The report concluded that schools participating in the program had math and reading gains that exceeded gains in the state means for each year of program involvement. In addition, attendance rates and graduation rates were higher than comparison schools.
For more information about The Challenge Program, Inc.’s impact, check out our NEWS page and our TESTIMONIALS page, featuring endorsements from educators, students, and business leaders.
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I have found that going to school every day helps me. It prepares me for the working world where businesses count on their employees each day.
