EUREKA! Education Underscores Rewards in Economic/Knowledge Attainment

With the expertise of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service and funding from Children, Youth and Families At Risk Program, two central Indiana charter schools were able to improve the education of at-risk youth in their school. From robotics to videography to hydroponics, the students experienced exciting hands-on classroom activities that gave them a break from the traditional classroom setting.

One example of this was a student who became very interested in the hydroponics unit. This student was not exceling in school, had poor attendance and was hardly on track to graduate with a diploma. He began working with the science teacher to construct a hydroponics unit in the classroom. After hours of research and construction conducted by this student, the school had a brand new hydroponics system for use in the school. After the initial semester of success he began interning with the science teacher to teach the next group of students about hydroponics. As he became more involved with the unit his attendance improved, his motivation to do well in classes increased, and a spark of interest was relit in him that motivated him to want to do more in the field of hydroponics. Because of this, the student enrolled in a dual-credit biology course at Ivy Tech Community College and participated in a summer science program at Purdue University.

To see what else the students are doing and what EUREKA! has provided, visit the individual project pages.