EDUCATIONAL TALENT SEARCH
Educational Talent Search is a postsecondary outreach program designed to motivate middle and high school level students to stay in school while encouraging their pursuit of postsecondary education. This program provides academic, career, financial and personal counseling to 583 eligible participants attending eight targeted schools in the DeKalb County Public School System. Educational Talent Search also serves interested secondary school dropouts in DeKalb County by referring them to local agencies that specialize in assisting them in re-entering the educational system to complete their education.
-Albert Einstein
-Mahatma Gandhi
-Elon Nordegren
-Nelson Mandela
Get the Support You Need to Pursue College
You are eligible if:
- You are 11-27 years old
- You have a need for project services
- You are a citizen of the United States
- You are either enrolled in a targeted DeKalb County middle/high school or a non student (under 27) with a strong desire to renew their education
- You are a potential first generation college student and/or low income student status
Target schools in DeKalb County:
- Columbia Middle School/Columbia High School
- Miller Grove Middle School/Miller Grove High School
- Ronald E. McNair Middle School/Ronald E. McNair High School
- Stone Mountain Middle School/Stone Mountain High School
Services
The Educational Talent Search (ETS) outreach staff conducts a variety of grade-specific academic advisement workshops, including early awareness educational activities for sixth, seventh and eighth graders; course selection; college pre-enrollment academic admission requirements for high school level participants; academic advisement workshops for the families of participants; high school and college adjustment seminars; and standardized test administration procedures. In addition, the staff makes referrals to other academic or community-based dropout prevention educational programs (i.e., mentoring programs, tutorial services and homework hotlines).
The ETS program administers the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) to inform its participants on how they learn and study and how they feel about learning and studying. The program's staff uses this information with the participant's academic transcript to assess the student's educational need for program services.
The ETS outreach staff conducts career exploration, career counseling and achievement assessment for all target school participants. Staff utilizes Naviance and collaborates with school counselors to assist students in identifying and evaluating their career interests.
The ETS program provides college fee application waivers and assistance in preparing its high school-level participants for standardized college entrance exams. The ETS program provides target school participants with free standardized test preparation workshops at all its target schools and provides test information presentations for interested parents.
The ETS outreach staff provides information on postsecondary education and college financial aid assistance. The staff also assists target school participants and their parents in completing college admissions and financial aid applications. This assistance is designed to increase the number of ETS participants who apply for college financial aid and successfully enroll in a postsecondary education program.
The ETS program provides field trips for middle and high school participants attending ETS target schools to expose them to college campuses and cultural sites and for career investigations at local industries and businesses. ETS field trips are designed to motivate participants to stay in school, graduate and then enroll in postsecondary education by showing the benefits of college campus life and increasing their awareness of the potential of higher education in successfully enriching their future lives.
The ETS outreach staff conducts any academic, financial or career counseling for which its participants may express or demonstrate a need to increase their chances of staying in school and successfully enrolling in postsecondary education. In addition, the staff will make referrals to other supportive and social services-type programs (i.e., community, government, EOC, mentoring programs and tutorial services).
FAQs
If you are a student at one of our target schools, you can contact your school counselor for an application or contact your ETS counselor.
All participants must be U.S. Citizens, attend one of the target middle or high schools listed above, be in the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade, meet both the first-generation college student of low-income guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Education and have a desire to go to college. All applicants and their parents/guardians must attend the required ETS orientation.
All interviews will be conducted either via phone or video conferencing.
We strongly encourage all students, parents and guardians to participate in all program services. To ensure students are adequately serviced, ETS outreach staff will hold at least one monthly virtual meeting for all participants and weekly in-school services.