Mason, Prince William County Public Schools expand EIP collaboration

A shared approach to improving individual student outcomes and leaving lasting positive impacts on families, communities and society at large is what initially brought George Mason University and Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) together for the Early Identification Program.

Additional funding secured by SPARK, the education foundation for PWCS, will expand that life-changing collaboration and fully support an additional 20 EIP students from Prince William County starting this spring, said EIP Executive Director Khaseem Davis.

“As a public school system, they really value EIP,” he said.

Prince William County Public School representatives were on hand along with Mason officials at Merten Hall on the Fairfax Campus on Jan. 27 to welcome the newest members of the EIP community.

EIP, which has produced more than 2,000 graduates since its inception in 1987, provides access to educational resources for middle and high school students seeking to become the first in their families to attend college.

Services include free SAT prep, afterschool tutoring, mentoring, help with college essays, exposure to various careers, and a three-week summer academy.

A $55,000 grant from the Tides Foundation to SPARK funded additional PWCS student participants. The Tides Foundation is a San Francisco-based nonprofit and philanthropic organization.

As a result, there are now 153 EIP students in the PWCS system, and just under 800 in the overall program, with plans to expand further.

Carol Flenard, the deputy superintendent for PWCS, lauded EIP for being a “beacon of hope and opportunity” that empowers first-generation students to dream of higher education and to achieve it with distinction.

“This program is more than an academic pathway,” Flenard said. “It is a commitment to closing the opportunity gaps that often challenge motivated, talented first-generation students.”

“They really gave me so much support, and they didn’t give up on me,” said Ian Solano, an EIP alum who is now a freshman international security and law major in the Schar School of Policy and Government at Mason. “I learned that I have more potential than I ever realized. I don’t know where I’d be without EIP.”

EIP receives support from Mason’s corporate alliances and individual donors, as well as its collaboration with seven local public school systems in Prince William County, Fairfax County, Falls Church City, Manassas City, Manassas Park City, Arlington, and the City of Alexandria.

The program’s year-round academic enrichment, personal and social development, civic engagement, and leadership training opportunities prepare students for higher education and more productive lives afterward.

“A lot of people don’t get to work in a job where they get to see the direct impact they can make,” Davis said. “Being part of EIP, you see that impact, and the impact is profound.”

Of the 127 EIP students who graduated from high school last spring, 125 went on to college. Of those, 93 were admitted to Mason, with 37 of those enrolling. Most of those who did enroll received partial or full academic scholarships.

There are currently more than 200 EIP alums attending Mason.