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, a charter middle school, 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 primarily serves youth, ages 15-21, 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 15-21 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 2007-2008 school year, the Fast Forward Center had served over 4,200 out-of-school youth. Of those students served, 1,619 earned a high school diploma, and 414 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 Network (NDPN) which is based at Clemson University. NDPN is the national authoritative entity on dropout recovery and intervention programs.
In addition to receiving the national award, NDPN 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).
The Fast Forward Center/Montgomery County Out-of-School Youth Initiative 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.
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.
