A new opportunity is available to give teens access to convenient and flexible driving education. The Jefferson County Educational Service Center (JCESC) is tackling this need by launching the Road to Success Driving School. According to JCESC Superintendent Dr. Chuck Kokiko, the issue of transportation had been discussed during a number of meetings and the Road to Success program was a great opportunity for the JCESC to work with member school districts to create a tool aimed at increasing students’ ability to earn a driver’s license.
“We are assembling a great team of instructors and continue to grow our capacity to serve area youth,” Kokiko said.
Program Director Dr. Nicole McDonald, JCESC Director of Grants, said learning to drive is a significant milestone for teens, but access to driving education often proves a challenge. The innovation of Road to Success is its partnership with local school districts to fit seamlessly into students’ busy lives. Young drivers can get their all-important time behind the wheel directly after school, after practices or during the weekends. McDonald said the driving instruction is as accessible as any other extracurricular activity. Students are picked up directly from their schools or needed location, removing the need for parents to manage transportation logistics.
“Driver’s education shouldn’t be a burden,” McDonald said. “We’re committed to making it easy for teens to develop the skills they need to become safe, confident drivers.”
Once students complete a 24-hour online course they are eligible for on-the-road instruction. Driving instructor and training manager Tom Mort, a teacher at Indian Creek High School, said 20 students have completed the program since instructors began taking them on the road in early August. Of these, 17 have taken their driving test and all have passed. Each teen spends eight hours behind the wheel in four two-hour sessions.
“We’ve put a lot of hours on the road so far.”
Road to Success operates in Buckeye Local, Steubenville City, Toronto, Indian Creek, Harrison City, Edison Local and Southern Local School Districts.
New drivers can begin behind-the-wheel lessons at age 15 years and six months.
“They have to have their permit for six months,” he said. “By the time their 16th birthday rolls around, they’ll be eligible to take their license.”
Students get experience navigating intersections, entering and exiting highways, driving at higher rates of speed and in other different situations including county roads and back roads. The routes were submitted to the state for approval.
“When we get in the car, our driving instructors always reference back to what they learned in the classroom,” Mort said. “Any scenario that comes up, they are going to learn it in the classroom, but you can’t beat hands-on. The kids really learn the most on the road.”
McDonald secured “seed money” through the Creating Opportunities for Driver Education (CODE) grant. This initiative was created to expand access to teen driving programs, addressing a shortage of available options in many communities.
JCESC and individual schools pitched in to purchase nine cars.
“Our concept was each school has participated in purchasing one of these cars,” McDonald said. “It’s the whole education community supporting this project.”
This cooperation strengthened the grant application.
There are currently three certified instructors and five more are in the process of being certified through the Ohio Department of Public Safety. The goal is to have an instructor from every participating school. The cars will also eventually be housed at the schools.
Mort anticipates Road to Success will be a popular program and excitement is spreading. He has driven with 15 students and all say they will tell their friends. The presence of a student driver car should also raise interest.
“Seeing that car in the parking lot, for those students walking into school every day, we think that’s going to be an incentive.”
Another element that sets Road to Success apart is the new drivers know and trust their instructors.
“The students like the fact that we are local,” he said. “The students just like the fact that they know their instructors. Their instructors are their high school teachers.”
Currently, instructors pick the teens up at their homes and drop them off after driving sessions. This affords instructors the opportunity to speak with the parents about the students’ progress.
Mike Haney, a certified driving instructor from Steubenville High School where he also teaches through the JCESC Virtual Learning Academy, was enthusiastic to join the Road to Success team. He had also noticed a need among students.
“A lot of the students know how to drive, but they never received a driver’s license,” he said. “It’s going to help a lot of students, especially the underprivileged students.”
Anyone interested in Road to Success can learn more at participating schools. They can also register at the JCESC website, https://www.jcesc.k12.oh.us/roadtosuccess.aspx.
