DECATUR - In one room at Eisenhower High School, Principal April Hicklin huddles with teachers as they go over the game plan for the afternoon. In the cafeteria, sound equipment is set up for performances by local artists.

Shortly, students will be back to kick off the first day of what Decatur Superintendent Gloria Davis has dubbed "school after school," tutoring, a meal and recreation for students in Thomas Jefferson and Stephen Decatur middle schools and Eisenhower and MacArthur high schools. The program is paid for by a federal 21st Century grant.

The 21st Century program is designed provide academic enrichment opportunities for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education Web site.

Each of the four schools has its own program. Thomas Jefferson's program, "The Extra Mile," will meet Tuesday through Friday; Stephen Decatur's, "It's Cool to be After School," will meet Monday through Thursday; Eisenhower's is Monday through Thursday; and MacArthur's is Monday through Friday before school, Tuesday through Thursday after school and Saturday mornings. Saturday afternoons occasionally will be used for field trips.

"When you have someone that's a teacher or parent saying, 'I want you to do well in school' and really meaning that and offering to help them do well, I don't think they'll have any problem with the academics," said Tayisha Nelson, site coordinator for Eisenhower's program.

Of course, students have to show some effort and progress in the academic portion of the program to be allowed on trips, and parents have to give permission for a student's participation, she said. Also, once the program has begun for the day, students have to stay until the end, no ducking out, unless a parent has specifically requested early departure.

A big component in the organization of the program was what director of special projects Bobbi Williams calls "bottom-up" planning. That is, students weighed in with suggestions for what they wanted to do, and that's crucial to motivating them to stick with it.

The main goal of the program is increased academic achievement, Cromwell said, bringing kids up to speed who have fallen behind or are in danger of doing so. Increased graduation requirements and rigor in the curriculum are well and good, but if students can't keep up, they have to have help. That's what the after-school program is meant to do.

"The biggest thing is letting kids tell us what they want, with the focus being middle school and high school," Williams said. "The majority of after-school programs are elementary (school). There aren't a whole lot at middle and high schools that are successful."

Making Right Choices, a tutoring program that has existed since the 2002-03 school year, will continue in conjunction with the 21st Century program, Williams said. The two programs will complement each other.

Because a huge hurdle in many after-school programs is transportation, having transportation included in the 21st Century grant is a crucial factor.

"Everyone has transportation who needs it or wants it," Cromwell said. "(Lack of transportation) is a huge hindrance for many families."

At Thomas Jefferson, the kickoff party - a sock hop - was Friday, after four days of The Extra Mile. So far, students said, the after-school program is a hit.

"I just decided I'd raise my (math) grade," said Bailey Cook, a seventh-grader whose teacher already has told her she can see a difference.

Like Bailey, Mekal Belcher was having some trouble with math. He can see a difference, too. First thing, students do their homework, he said, and if that goes smoothly, they use computers for skill-building exercises.

"This is my first time being in tutoring," said Mekal, also a seventh-grader. "I thought this would be a good experience because I always used to have bad grades and stuff. I used to have problems in math, but it's getting better."

Valerie Wells can be reached at vwells@herald-review.com or 421-7982.