Published Date: February 28, 2003
Eight Cincinnati inner-city Catholic elementary schools face a daunting challenge -- two-thirds of their 1,380 students live at or below the poverty level and the average cost of a year's education is $2,900 per student.
Against big odds, the schools are succeeding ... an amazing 96% of their students graduate from high school, and many go on to college.
With many parents wanting their children to attend a CISE school but unable to afford all or part of the tuition, funding from other sources must make up the difference.
Recent Dater Foundation grants have supported the purchase of accelerated reading and math software. Prior funding included support of a summer arts program, a science enrichment program, transportation for field tips and tuition reimbursement.(/p>
The student body at the eight CISE schools is 71% minority and 33% Catholic/67% non-Catholic.
CISE is the Catholic Inner-City Schools Education Fund that supports St. Boniface, Corryville Catholic, St. Francis de Sales, St. Francis Seraph, Holy Family, St. Joseph, St. Mark and Resurrection.
The Dater Foundation has supported specific CISE Fund programs since 1995.