About Us
In 1998, the Montgomery County Commissioners established a task force to examine an alarming trend—nearly 5,600 area youth had dropped out of school (22% of all high school enrollments). Sinclair Community College provided critical leadership for the team that conducted a two-year study and published a report indicating:
--69% of Montgomery County's budget was spent on criminal justice and human services
--Dropouts are 2.5 times more likely to receive public assistance than high school graduates
Based on this research, Sinclair established the Fast Forward Center in 2001 to develop and maintain a comprehensive network of alternative schools and programs that serve out-of-school youth.
The Fast Forward Center partners with three alternative high schools that specifically serve dropouts, and other Dayton-based alternative education programs to serve the needs of out-of-school youth. All of these programs are student-driven allowing students to work at their own pace and earn credits in a school geared toward credit recovery. The Fast Forward Center has made the process for any Montgomery County student wishing to return to school easy. The student simply calls 512-FAST. Once a call is received, an appointment is scheduled where the student is assessed in Math and Reading, and presented with school options. After the student chooses which school they would like to attend, the Fast Forward Center compiles a folder containing assessment results and contact information. The Fast Forward Center then refers the student to the school of their choice.
The Fast Forward Center serves youth, ages 16-21, who have previously dropped out of, or are not regularly attending, high school. The goal of the Fast Forward Center is to return the youth to high school, help them achieve proficiency, earn a high school diploma, and have a positive placement upon graduation (employment, military, or postsecondary education). The Fast Forward program is one of the few (if not the only) county-wide out-of-school youth initiatives in the country that encourages and allows students 16-21 to earn a high school diploma. GED is only recommended if the student is of the age where obtaining a high school diploma is not feasible (Ohio law allows high schools to be reimbursed for a child’s education until that child is 22 years of age).
At of the end of the 2010-2011 academic year, the Fast Forward Center had served over 5,300 out-of-school youth. Of those students served, 2,422 earned a high school diploma, and 467 earned a GED.
Recognition
In October 2005, the Fast Forward Center was presented with the prestigious Crystal Star Program Award of Excellence in Dropout Recovery, Intervention, and Prevention. This annual award is distributed by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N) which is based at Clemson University. NDPC/N is the national authoritative entity on dropout recovery and intervention programs.
In addition to receiving the national award, NDPC/N has also named the Fast Forward Center as a model program in Career and Technical Education (Research Report: Fifteen Effective Strategies for Improving Student Attendance and Truancy Prevention).
NDPC/N also has named the Fast Forward Center a model program that has "Strong Evidence of Effectiveness," the highest distinction within the NDPC/N model program database.
The Montgomery County Out-of-School Youth Initiative/Fast Forward Center was one of twelve community programs selected to be prominently featured in an April 2006 report entitled Whatever it Takes: How Twelve Communities are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth by the American Youth Policy Forum which is located in Washington, D.C.
The Fast Forward Center was also featured in the National Education Association/Youth Development and Research Fund publication Answering the Call: Addressing the Dropout Trend.
The Criminal Justice Institute, University of Arkansas System, Safe Schools Inititative Division has highlighted the Fast Forward Center as an effective dropout prevention program.
The Fast Forward Center was a 2010 Bellwether Award Finalist. The Bellwether Award recognizes innovative and trendsetting community college programs in the areas of workforce development, planning governance and finance, and instructional programs and services. The Institute of Higher Education, which is housed in the College of Education, University of Florida, sponsors the Bellwether Award.
Taylor Scholarships
In January 2007, John N. and Connie Taylor graciously established a scholarship program that will allow graduates of Fast Forward Center partner schools to continue their education at Sinclair Community College. Qualifying partner high school students will receive a scholarship, providing each recipient the opportunity to earn an associate degree or certificate in any academic program offered at Sinclair.
National and State Presentations
Fast Forward Center staff has presented at the following conferences and forums:
National Dropout Prevention Center/Network Annual Conference
2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
National Conference on Urban Education and Conference for Students At-Risk
2000, 2003, 2005
National Forum for Black Public Administrators Annual Conference
2006, 2010
State of Ohio Supporting Student Success Summit
2008
Annual At-Risk Youth National Forum
2004, 2009
Technical Assistance
The Fast Forward Center has provided guidance and technical assistance to leaders and programs from the following cities:
· Indianapolis, IN
· Evansville, IN
· Jackson, MS
· Itta Bena, MS
· San Bernardino, CA
· Columbus, OH
· Cincinnati, OH
· Toledo, OH
· San Antonio, TX
· Philadelphia, PA
· San Francisco, CA
· Monroe, GA
· Albany, NY
· Kennewick, WA
· Chicago, IL
