Ivy League Study Skills, the premiere provider of critical thinking and student leadership skills training, announces the debut of its Learning and Leadership Institute for high school and college students this summer in select cities, including New York, San Francisco, and Houston.
The two-day Institute provides students with tools to help them excel in school and within their communities and encourages students to apply their knowledge to make a positive difference in the world.
"An epidemic is devastating our academic community. This stems from our inability as adults to teach our children how to think for themselves and to become authentic leaders," says Peter Tan Keo, Co-Founder and Vice President of Ivy League Study Skills. "What we have, instead, is a sea full of students unprepared to navigate the real world."
Researchers have found that a large proportion of college students are academically unprepared for college-level courses and do not graduate within five to six years at four-year universities. In addition, a growing number of parents aggressively lead the college admissions process for their children, causing frustration among college admissions officers.
"Having gone through the process, we think parents, tutoring services, and test prep services are grossly underselling their children when they focus only on grades, SAT scores, and acceptance into an elite college," says Keo. "We provide the antidote to this epidemic by teaching a combination of critical learning and leadership skills."
The Institute's theory of change combines learning and leadership because it considers the two skills to be complementary.
"Leadership skills are relevant and applicable in an academic environment, and they make students more likely to be successful in all areas of their lives," says Seng-Dao Yang, Co-Founder and President of Ivy League Study Skills.
Topics and skills covered at the Institute are based on best practices and include how to communicate and write effectively, time and stress management, reading comprehension, decision-making, leadership styles, team-building, and networking.
"Based on my own experiences, students need much more than just high grades or a high SAT score to be successful, happy, or even competitive in college today," says Yang. "We provide critical elements missing in most schools and tutoring services, and that's what makes our service innovative and useful to students."
Ivy League Study Skills provides Star Scholarships to students from low-income families. The founders believe that all students, irrespective of parental income, should have access to high-quality life building skills. The company also encourages participants to reinvest their knowledge back into their community by funding and offering Critical Thinking Leaders Awards. These awards enable students to initiate and manage service projects to effect positive change in their schools and communities.
"This isn't just a business for us, it's a way of life," says Yang. "We want to inspire and empower a new generation of leaders who make a real difference in our communities."
By Summer 2009, Ivy League Study Skills will offer full scholarships to low-income students in 20 major cities.
Ivy League Study Skills is cutting-edge because it combines best practices from student leadership conferences with effective learning techniques. What separates this company from others is the importance placed on nurturing young minds and creating a generation of authentic leaders.
Summer 2008 locations and dates of the Learning and Leadership Institute can be found at www.ivyleaguestudyskills.com.
About Ivy League Study Skills:
Ivy League Study Skills provides high-quality training in learning and leadership skills to students who seek to excel in college and beyond. Delivered by an experienced team of Ivy League educated educators, the Learning and Leadership Institute aims to develop students to their fullest potential and inspire them to make positive contributions to society. For more information, please visit www.ivyleaguestudyskills.com.