The Excellence Without Excuse (E-WE) Community Computer Arts Lab and Learning Center was established by P.E.C. to meet the needs of children in the Eatonville community.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Excellence Without Excuse (E-WE) Community Computer Arts Lab & Learning Center is the nucleus of P.E.C.’s educational excellence thrust. E-WE’s mission is to help students be successful in school and in life. Since its beginning in February 1997, experienced, professionally trained staff have rendered approximately 80,000 hours in identifying and addressing learning needs of more than 3,500 students in grades pre-K – 12.
After school and summer programs are designed to assist students with school work when such help may not be available to them; to help students reach at least their appropriate grade level in reading, math, science, and writing skills; to provide them needed access to reliable technology; and to help students retain and build on what they have learned in school.
3.5K
STUDENTS GRADES PRE-K-12, SERVED SINCE OPENING IN FEBRUARY 1997.
80K
HOURS OF STAFF RESEARCH IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING LEARNING NEEDS IN THE EATONVILLE COMMUNITY.
3.5K
STUDENTS SERVED BY THE LAB ARE CHARACTERIZED AS BEING OF LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE COMPUTER LAB
- Highly visible, easily accessible location
- Staff comprised of professionally trained educators, assisted by mature para-professionals and volunteers
- One-on-one, personalized assistance available
- Communication/collaboration with students’ teachers
COMMUNITY ISSUES ADDRESSED BY THE PROGRAM:
- Low reading levels of students in grades pre-K-12;
- Difficulty in achieving satisfactory academic progress in school work;
- Lack of access to computer technology in the home and limited access in the neighborhood school;
- Limited proficiency in such basic life skills as telling time, counting money, and public speaking
UNIQUE CLIENT CIRCUMSTANCES
The clients that present for services at the computer lab generally have the following characteristics:
- The primary clients served are students in grades Pre-K – 12; at least 90% are elementary grade students.
- Approximately 95% of them are African American; the additional 5% are Hispanic, Haitian, Caucasian, or mixed-race.
- More than 75% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch; thus, their families can be characterized as of low socio-economic status.
- At least 50% of them begin the school year reading below grade level and struggle to pass the required standardized tests in reading, writing, science, and mathematics.
- The majority of parents lack the time, interest, and/or ability to provide meaningful academic assistance.
- Approximately one-half of our clients have a computer in their home, but only half of those have internet access.
- A significant percentage of students leaving the neighborhood school struggle academically and socially during the upper school years.