Over the past 10 years The Leander Educational Excellence Foundation (LEEF) has invested nearly $500,000 to give every Leander ISD student the opportunity to attend college or find the career path that suits them. Part of this investment is funding Advanced Placement (AP) tests and dual-credit textbooks specifically for those students who identified as economically disadvantaged. LEEF has invested $150,000 in these 2 initiatives over the past 10 years and supported over 2,000 high school students.
Why invest in dual-credit and AP tests for our students? Dual credit opportunities allow qualified high school students to enroll in college coursework and receive both high school and college credit reflected on both transcripts. The classes are free, but the textbooks are not. Many of our students participating in the dual credit program are first-generation college and economically disadvantaged and these courses give them an opportunity to earn college credits before graduating high school. With the rising costs of college tuition earning college credits from AP tests and dual-credit courses has given many of Leander ISD students the opportunity to attend college and finish in less than 4 years.
One of the strategic initiatives of the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation (LEEF) is to increase the postsecondary success of Leander ISD students. Aligned in our mission is Dr. Chris Stansbury of Wired Orthodontics who in 2014 was LEEF’s initial investor in the AP tests. He funded this program for $10,000 annually for many years until LEEF was in a position to absorb the costs into our budget long-term and increase the funding as the need from students increased.
LEEF believes that providing equitable opportunities for students to receive college credit from AP tests and dual credit coursework while in high school prepares students with the required skill for persistence after high school toward completion of a postsecondary degree, certificate, and/ or industry certification, enabling students to be contributing members of our thriving community.
Want to help LEEF continue to support our amazing LISD staff and students? Join our Monthly Giving Campaign where 100% of the proceeds goes towards funding our 3x annual teaching grants: