Education Associates' Hands-on Kits – 10 Principle Benefits

Education Associates' programs meet the education and transition needs of all students. Highlights of the key strategies we address include:

  1. Research-Based Program that Utilizes Effective Teaching Strategies. Our program has received U.S. DOE Approval and Validation and is listed in the book entitled "Educational Programs That Work". (Researched and white paper written by Dr. Margo Izzo of Ohio State University on effectively addressing the needs of both regular and special education students).
  2. Academic Achievement and Integration. Case studies show that the program has positively impacted state standardized test results in areas such as reading, mathematics, writing and other subjects. "All" students learn academic skills while working with the hands-on kits. Through detailed information in each kit, students learn the academic levels of math, reading, and language arts needed to perform tasks.
  3. Relevant, Applied Instruction. In addition to addressing the academic standards, these kits are competency based and provide all students with relevance of education to their future. Guided by detailed student instructions, all students use the same tools, equipment and materials of trained workers in the field to perform specific job tasks as listed in the Dept. of Labor's Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
  4. Assessment and Evaluation. There are two forms of assessment provided in each kit. 1) Knowledge-based assessment (delivered through pre-and post-tests) 2) Performance/competency-based evaluation (delivered through Work Performance Benchmarks).
  5. Commitment to All Students. Our hands-on kits meet the education and transition needs of all students. Our kits are uniquely designed to address N.C.L.B and I.D.E.A. by providing one set of materials (tools, equipment, etc.), and two sets of instructions (regular and special education). Whether a school utilizes an inclusive learning environment or a self-contained classroom setting, our curriculum utilizes multiple implementation strategies to accommodate your approach.
  6. Customizable Instructions. All student instructions are provided in both print and electronic format. The CD Rom's make available to the instructors the ability to customize the instructions and activities within the kits. Teachers have the option to create more robust activities for the advanced students or tailor the instructions for specific learning disabilities.
  7. Promoting School Completion. Engaging students in school and learning is a key ingredient in dropout prevention. Our hands-on kits are listed as a Model Program by the National Dropout Prevention Center, located at Clemson University. While approximately one in eight students drop out per year, an average of 29% of student with disabilities drop out during the school year. Our program has proven to be effective with all student subgroups.
  8. Training and Support. Certified trainers come to your school for a day of implementation training for the staff and administrators. With a system-wide implementation, there is no charge for this service. Furthermore, many organizations charge for annual maintenance and support contracts.  EAI provides these at no additional charge. Even follow-up support phone calls can be made to our company toll free.
  9. Cost Effective and Sustainable Program. All instructions, student worksheets and forms are provided on CD Rom's so that schools can replicate them for each student. There are no workbook-like consumable costs. As with any hands-on program, there will be some items that need to be replenished, such as cleaning supplies, makeup, etc. However, these items average only 3% per cost of kit and many of the kits don't have any consumables!
  10. Recapturing Federal Funds and Your Students' Future. An investment in dropout prevention is a proactive step to save/recapture the federal monies that a school loses when a student drops out. Case studies show that our program has helped school districts recapture up to $643,500.00 of funding. Additionally, students' futures are positively impacted by remaining in school. The US Census Bureau states that high school graduates earn about $270,000.00 more over their work lives than high school dropouts.

"In this age of high standards and accountability, a program that facilitates gaining life skills and academic proficiency is invaluable. The teacher does not need to choose which to focus on; Education Associates' hands-on programs deliver both."

Izzo, Dr. Margo and Torres, Kristina. "Guide To Meeting the Education and Transition Needs of All Students with Project Discovery". The Ohio State University, 2005.