Low-income families in Arkansas thrive with new K-12 scholarship

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., June 26, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- ACE Scholarships celebrates the completion of its first school year in Arkansas, where 299 students from low-income families were given access to a quality education that would have otherwise been unavailable to them.

"They have grown exponentially from the excellence in which they are taught and cared for," said Pat Miller, grandparent of two ACE scholars. "Here, they are safe and secure." Circumstances drove Pat and Robert Miller to take custody of their granddaughters in 2015. If not for the support of ACE Scholarships, the Millers would be forced to remove their granddaughters from Harvest Time Academy, which provides the safe environment necessary for them to flourish.

"The effects of expanded educational opportunity are profound," says Lupita Roy Rasheed, vice president of development for ACE Scholarships Arkansas. "Not only are we seeing our scholars make impressive academic gains; we are also seeing their families demonstrating increased social mobility–with parents of ACE scholars often going back to school themselves to pursue postsecondary degrees and certifications." Nationally, over 90% of ACE scholars graduate high school, and nearly twice as many ACE scholars graduate college than their low-income peers.

Higher educational attainment opens socioeconomic doors, enabling families to move out of the vicious cycle of poverty and into a virtuous cycle of opportunity. Yet, this year there are nearly 3,000 open desks going unused at private schools across Arkansas and too many parents yearning for educational options for their children. For Rasheed, this represents hope. "Our goal is to fill those open desks with kids from low-income families who are eager to learn," says Rasheed. "And our scholarships place a child in the partner school of the family's choice because we believe parents know what's best for their kids."

Rasheed's goal for ACE Scholarships in the coming school year is to raise $1 million in local donations. This will enable ACE Scholarships to sustain the 299 Arkansas students currently on scholarship, while providing access to quality education for even more local children. To learn more about the impact of ACE Scholarships please visit http://www.acescholarships.org.

SOURCE ACE Scholarships