The Mayor's Intern Fellows is the third of Tom Leppert's efforts to help improve DISD, according to the DMN, and it's another winner on both the PR and practical fronts. The program will place "more than 100" sophomores and juniors from four of DISD's high schools (Adamson, Carter, Madison and North Dallas) with about 30 major corporations that have agreed to accept and fund up to five students for a paid, eight-week summer internship program. Among the companies identified as participatingL AT&T, Texas Instruments, Coca Cola and Chase Bank. The students will be paid $9 per hour for a 40-hour work week, so they can earn about $2,880 during the program.
The only negative: By requiring participating corporations to pay the students, a number of other companies that would otherwise participate simply can't afford to do so. Another interesting point: DISD already offers a similar internship program for seniors at various high schools, but that program also requires companies to pay the students. As a result, many great learning experiences are never made available to students, even though there are plenty of companies out there that would be willing to give the program — sans stipend — a go.
Meanwhile, the Richardson Independent School District (RISD) offers its seniors a chance to intern with companies, but that school district makes the program part of the curriculum, gives the student a credit for participating, and doesn't require the company to provide payment — only a decent opportunity for the student to learn something practical in a field that interests him or her. By making it part of the program, RISD opens up the playing field to all kinds of companies, big and small (hey, even we're in this one), allows all high schools and students to participate (not just the poorest ones), and boosts the number of students who can participate.
Just something for the mayor to think about for initiative number 4.
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