Summer program offers help to low-income high schoolers
Instead of working this summer, 44 local high school honor students from low-income families will study for six weeks at the University.The University Preparatory Program, a three-year program initiated last year by sociology professor Miguel Centeno, provides educational resources for Mercer County high school students from economically disadvantaged families.The program serves to help these students qualify for admission to top universities, where the competitive admissions process tends to favor students with financial advantages, Centeno said."The problem is that the competition for admission has become so intense that anyone from the working class or below is working at a very serious disadvantage because of the advantages that class provides," he said.This year 21 rising sophomores, chosen on the basis of socio-economic level and performance on the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment standardized test, will join the 23 rising juniors returning from last year.The students are taught by local high school teachers under the guidance of the University's teacher preparation program.




