Westbury, NY -- October 30, 2003 MPowering Kids™, a non-profit charitable organization that provides tutoring, mentoring, and cultural enrichment programs for promising students in under-served communities, announced today that participating students achieved major academic gains after just one year in the MPowering Kids program.

The inaugural group of fourth graders that entered the after-school program in the 2002-2003 school year have shown marked improvements in their grades. After their first year in the MPowering Kids program, 81% of last year's fourth-graders improved their grades in both reading and math over their third-grade scores, while 75% improved their grades in writing. These improvements in reading, math and writing grades should foreshadow improvements in their New York standardized test scores.

“The MPowering Kids organization is gratified by the immediate impact we’ve had on helping our students improve their grades so dramatically in such a short amount of time,” said Susan Marshall, founder and president. “This dramatic success is due in great part to the uncompromising support we’ve received from the teachers, the Westbury School District administration and the families of our students.”

Founded in 2002, MPowering Kids works intensively with students over a nine year period, beginning in their fourth-grade year and following them through their high school graduation. Each year, a new group of fourth graders is admitted into the program, growing the overall number of students participating in MPowering Kids exponentially. 

Dr. Constance Clark, the Superintendent of the Westbury School District, noted that “MPowering Kids provides a valuable service to our students and our community. The impressive results of the students participating in the MPowering Kids program prove that after-school programs that complement the curriculum in the classroom and that provide one-on one attention can make a big difference in a student’s academic achievements.” 

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Westbury School District as we continue to expand the breadth and depth of the program each year,” said Susan Marshall. 

About MPowering Kids
MPowering Kids (www.mpoweringkids.org) is a non-profit charitable organization that provides after-school tutoring, mentoring, cultural enrichment, and community service programs for motivated students in under-served communities. The MPowering Kids staff and volunteers work closely with students from their fourth grade year through their high school graduation, offering nine years of programs and opportunities to acquire the skills, habits and attitudes necessary to succeed in college and in life. 

The MPowering Kids program is made possible through the generous support of individual and corporate sponsors. For additional information about MPowering Kids, please click on the About Us section or click on the Donations page to help support MPowering Kids.

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