Students at Waterfront Elementary School, Futures Academy, East High School, and Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts are served by the Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) for the purposes of dropout prevention. Staff have engaged at-risk students in grades 5-12 with research-based interventions, including growth mindset/brainology and student success skills curricula, both designed to bolster students’ soft skills and increase academic achievement. As a result of these multifaceted interventions, overall GPAs and standardized test scores have increased, and students’ levels of risk, in terms of dropout, have also decreased across the board. As a partner with Buffalo Public Schools, LPP has established a pronounced and effective presence in the schools and continues to connect students to resources available at UB.
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College Success Centers
In 2012, we launched the college success center at PS 200 Bennett High School to assist counselors as they worked with high school students on the college choice process. The center was designed to achieve three goals: (1) free counselors from the administrative burden of college choice, (2) serve as a conduit between the school and local community partners doing college and career readiness work, and (3) contribute to the creation of a college-going culture in the school. The center at Bennett is now in its fourth year and has served as many as 3,200 students in a given year on a range of activities from career exploration and campus visits to SAT registration, college applications and the financial aid application process. We opened the second center at PS 198 The International Preparatory School in 2014 and we are in our second year of operation at that location. For more information: “College Success Centers open the world of higher education to those who could be left behind“
Dentistry Smiles on Veterans
In collaboration with the Eighth District Dental Society, the School of Dental Medicine participated in the first “Dentistry Smiles on Veterans” program. The kick-off event took place Saturday, April 18, 2015, in the UB Squire Hall Clinic, South Campus. On that day, veterans from area Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFWs) and other veterans’ organizations were invited to the dental school for a comprehensive dental examination and treatment plan. To be eligible, they must have separated from the military in or after 2005. The goal was to provide dental services to much deserving veterans who do not qualify for Veterans Affairs (VA) provided dental treatment. This program gave special recognition to veterans and expressed gratitude for their personal sacrifices on behalf of their fellow Americans.