idealist.org

The mission of Beyond Talent is to empower non-traditional high school graduates to overcome barriers to higher education and employment so they can succeed, and start cycles of success in their communities. Our Peer Mentoring, College Readiness, and College & Career Counseling Programs provide critical support to non-traditional high school graduates who cannot access scholarship and other programs through the public school system. In the District, which has a high school dropout rate of more than 50 percent, GED and other alternative programs receive requests from their graduates for support during the transition to higher education; however, those programs are not equipped to provide the level of encouragement or the type of assistance their participants need. As an independent, central organization, Beyond Talent fills the gap.