Homestead Offers Scholarships to Worthy Students; Another First

Homestead Schools, Inc., located in Torrance, Calif., has announced an ambitious program of scholarships for the vocational nursing students. The school will offer 10% of its incoming class of students a scholarship that will defray the cost of tuition. The scholarship grant will be based upon academic performance, attendance record, clinical training, and faculty recommendations. The scholarship will be awarded at the end of each term (there being four terms to the school year) based upon student performance in that term, so it's possible that the same student may earn the scholarship for all four terms, but it also allows other students to excel during subsequent terms and compete for the award.

Of course, the idea behind the scholarship is to foster academic excellence by promoting healthy competition among students throughout the year. From its inception, the school has looked for hard-working, dedicated students to fill its vocational nursing classes and this policy has paid handsome dividends for its students. In 2008 the school had an aggregate pass rate of over 85% for the year, one of the best among private vocational nursing schools. In 2005, 74% pass rates and in 2010 its 70%.

The school wants to improve its pass rates. It goes without saying that everyone involved - students, their parents, faculty, school administrators - is making a huge investment of time and money in preparing these young individuals become qualified members of health care industry which plays an enormous role in our society. The school takes its responsibility to produce knowledgeable and well­trained nurses very seriously. The scholarship program just announced is a step toward fulfilling that mission.

The school believes that excellence should be rewarded. The scholarship program will provide an incentive to each student throughout the year to work hard and compile the best academic record among his or her classmates. The top 10% of the students from each class will receive the scholarship grant based on the criteria established. Since the awards are made each term, students will have the incentive to keep persevering during the entire school year.

As far as we know, no other school is offering such a program, but then Homestead Schools has been a trail blazer in many areas. This school is the only school that offers its students a laptop computer loaded with NCLEX-style questions so that students can hone their test-taking skills and exercise the application of the knowledge gained in the classroom while they're at home. In the classroom, each student has the use of a computer which the student uses for quizzes, term and final exams, and for Internet research.

Homestead also offers its students a 4-week NCLEX review at the end of the regular school year. Most schools offer perhaps a 3- or 4-day review class for which students are asked to pay extra money. Just these practices alone may explain why the school has maintained decent passing rate.