Texas ChalleNGe Academy

The Texas National Guard Youth ChalleNGe ProgramReclaiming the potential of at-risk teens through mentoring, education, training and volunteer service. One of the major social challenges facing the nation today is the plight of teenagers that drop out of high school before graduation. Every day, over 5,000 students drop out of high school in this c... ountry that amounts to more than one million dropouts every year. In May 2006, in a Time Magazine cover story, the editors deemed America a Drop-Out Nation. The Texas ChalleNGe Academy (TCA) is a volunteer program for 16 to 18 year-old teens that are at-risk of dropping out or that have already dropped out of high school. TCA offers a second chance for success to qualified students, without regard to race, sex, religious affiliation, or household income. TCA is an accredited high school through a partnership with the Rice Consolidated Independent School District in Eagle Lake, Texas. Cadets will work towards high school credit recovery, obtaining their G.E.D., and in some cases, Cadets may qualify to earn a high school diploma. The program of instruction is based on a military style training environment. Young men and women that volunteer to attend must be committed to completing the 5 1/2 month residential phase and the 12-month post-residential phase. It is important to know what the Texas ChalleNGe Academy is, but it is equally important to understand what TCA is not. There is no military obligation for the students. It is not a juvenile detention center. It is not a court ordered boot camp. It is not affiliated with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. It is not a drug or alcohol treatment center. To improve the education, life skills, and employment potential of youth who are disengaged from traditional educational settings. This is accomplished by providing military-based training, discipline, and structure, job readiness training, and alternative educational approaches through eight core components. These core components include assisting the participants ...Read More