One of the major social challenges facing the nation today is the plight of teenagers who drop out of high school before graduation. Every day, over 5,000 students drop out of high school in this country - 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 19 year old teens that are at risk of dropping out or that have already dropped out of high school. The program is open to all students, without regard to race, sex, religious affiliation or household income. The program requires a 17 1/2 month commitment and is divided into three phases: Pre-Challenge - a two week period where staff works with new teens to see if they have the right stuff to be come cadets. Phase Two is Challenge where cadets enter a 5 1/2 month residential stay in Sheffield, and Phase Three is where cadets are mentored over 12 months in their home communities after graduation.
Our academy is an accredited high school based on military practices. Young men and women throughout the state of Texas must be committed to completing the 17 1/2 month program. At TCA, we offer a second chance for success for the youth of 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.
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 is not a juvenile detention center. It is not a court-ordered boot camp. It is not affiliated with the Texas Department of Justice. It is not a drug or alcohol treatment center.
The Texas ChalleNGe Academy (TCA), formerly Seaborne ChalleNGe Corps, was an initiative of Texas A&M University at Galveston and is now operated by the Texas National Guard. The program now resides in Sheffield, Texas.
The Texas ChalleNGe Academy, now in its sixteenth year, was incorporated into the National Guard Bureau's National Youth ChalleNGe Program in July 1999 as the program's 26th state. Funding comes from the federal government, matching funds from the State of Texas, and private foundations.
