Higher Achievement: Learning & Out of School Time

Time to celebrate 20 years of the Freddie Mac Foundation!

2011-10-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

Higher Achievement, D.C. Metro has a lot to celebrate this week. In recognition of the Freddie Mac Foundation’s 20- year anniversary, Higher Achievement created a video to highlight the investments made in the organization since 2000.

Over the years, Higher Achievement has grown in many ways thanks to the strong partnership with the Freddie Mac Foundation. In 2000, Higher Achievement’s operating budget was a small 200,000 dollars, and the Freddie Mac Foundation invested 13,000 dollars to impact 50 scholars. Eleven years later, Higher Achievement, D.C. Metro has grown to a 2.6 million dollar organization impacting over 500 scholars.

Thank you, to the Freddie Mac Foundation for positively impacting the lives of our scholars and the organization since 2000. Congratulations on 20 years!

Groundbreaking Study Proves Impact of Higher Achievement

2011-10-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

About the study

Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) and Dr. Leigh Linden from The University of Texas at Austin recently conducted a groundbreaking summer study and 24-month preliminary evaluation (the study, in its entirety, will last 48 months) of Higher Achievement’s rigorous afterschool and summer academic program.

Key findings

The studies find that Higher Achievement's program signifcantly increases students' reading and math scores. Additionally, the findings point to an increase in students' desire to attend competitive high schools.

The longstanding Higher Achievement model is making a difference in the academic lives of motivated, at-risk students who could easily fall through the cracks.

Higher Achievement's intensive year-round program had a signifcant impact on youth's standardized reading and math test scores.

The study also shows that Higher Achievement regularly engages parents, with 64 percent of parents of children attending the program confirming at their first-year follow-up that they spoke to Higher Achievement staff about their child's progress at least once a month.

Looking ahead

Many recognize that there is not one all inclusive solution to improving student achievement, but these shorter-term results show positive momentum and concretely demonstrate the ongoing value of HigherAchievement - a program that warrants, and is undergoing, further research to demonstrate its effectiveness as youth transition from the program into high school.

Higher Achievement embarked on a national expansion in 2009 and currently operates in Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, Richmond, VA and will open operations in Pittsburgh, PA in 2011.

DC Metro GoingPlaces! Gala – Thank You, Sponsors!

2011-10-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

The DCMetro GoingPlaces! Gala is coming up on October 13. A big thank you and shout out to the amazing sponors who have made it possible!

If you’d like to purchase tickets or add your company’s name to this star-studded list, visit us by clicking here.

$25,000
First Potomac Realty Trust
Bates White Economic Consulting
Quadrangle Development Corporation
Vornado/Charles E. Smith
Freddie Mac Foundation
EagleBank
Annette M. & Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation

$15,000
Stephen B. Goldstein & Antonietta Corvasce
Clark Construction
Mollie and Sam Schear
Robert H. Smith Family Foundation
Robert & Arlene Kogod Family Foundation
Arnold & Porter

$10,000
Lehman Smith McLeish
Velsor Properties, LLC
The Jerry Taylor and Nancy Bryant Foundation
Metropolitan Properties
Building Maintenance Service
HFF, L.P.
Douglas Development
ADI Construction
HITT Contracting
Eastern Waterproofing and Restoration, Inc
Artemis Real Estate Partners
Altria
Ratner Companies

$7,500
Mayer Brown
Turner Construction Company
Eastdil Secured/Wells Fargo
Sameer and Nimisha Bhargava
Schindler Elevator Corporation
Otis Elevator
Noblis

$5,000
John and Carol Boochever
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Unifor
Williams & Connolly LLP
OTJ Architects
KPMG
SIGAL Construction Corporation
Red Coats, Inc.
Cushman & Wakefield
US Bank
Holland & Knight
EvensonBest/Knoll
Raymond & Anne Ritchey
Balfour Beatty Construction
Tom & Alison Cassels
The John Akridge Company
Cassidy Turley
Admiral Security Services
Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company - Commercial Services, Washington DC
Mark G. Anderson Consultants
Tishman Speyer
Securitas Security Services
Offit Kurman
Arent Fox LLP
GHT Limited
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architechts
The JBG Companies
Harmon Inc
VIKA Incorporated
Eng Garcia Properties, LLC
USAA Real Estate Company
Forest City Washington
The Kaplan, Small, & Gewirz Families
WDG Architecture
Wilkes Artis, Chartered
Venable LLP
Noblis
Hartman Design Group, Inc.
Burns & Associates
Restoration East, Inc
The Bresler Family Foundation
Bowman Consulting Group
Kastle Systems International, LLC
Angelo, Gordon & Co.
Western Development
Capital One
Cooper Carey
KeyBank MA
The Eisen Group
Federal Realty Investment Trust
CB Richard Ellis
StructureTone
Kettler Inc.
Donatelli Development
Perseus, LLC
James G. Davis Construction Corporation
Pickard Chilton
Steven Roth

$2,500
Scott & Jamie Hoffman
Ernie & Julie Wittich
Tadjer Cohen Edelson
Laurie Kramer & Family
Events DC

$1,000
Art Display
Edge Construction
International Limousine
ECS Mid-Atlantic
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
SK&A
CresaPartners
JP Morgan
Bender Foundation/Blake Real Estate
Atlantic Services Group
Anna Flores
Bohler Engineering
Mitch Bonanno
Federal Capital Partners
The Ezra Company
Ted Billies
Brendan & Delphine Owen
Bruce McNair
Tracy & Adam Bernstein
Shalom Baranes Associates, P.C
Michael E. Kelley
Ober Kaler
Goldman Sachs
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Global Impact Funding Trust, Inc.
Paul Sowter
Bruce McNair

The Power of Higher Achievement Mentors

2011-10-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Christa making ice cream with her three scholars, Abby, Alvir and Ryan, during mentoring at Higher Achievement.

Higher Achievement mentors are making things happen! This week, a partnership between Georgetown Cupcake and Higher Achievement was born thanks to the hard work of one dedicated Alexandria mentor.

Christa Koskosky, an Assistant Manager at Georgetown Cupcake, started mentoring at the Alexandria Achievement Center in 2010 and successfully mobilized her company to donate over 1,000 personalized Georgetown Cupcakes for three of Higher Achievement DC Metro’s regional events this year.

“As you can imagine, my scholars were excited to learn that I worked at Georgetown Cupcake and the good news quickly spread throughout Center! I had other scholars asking me if I could bring in cupcakes for their birthday or their mom's birthday or their brother's birthday--it was pretty adorable,” said Christa when asked about her inspiration behind her idea.

“I realized that I couldn't meet all these needs, so I decided to approach the management at Georgetown Cupcake to see if they would be interested in supporting Higher Achievement. Needless to say, they were eager to support an employee who works with such an upstanding and wonderful organization.”

Higher Achievement creates lasting change – putting individual students on a path to success, breaking the cycle of poverty for families, and strengthening the social fabric of communities. A champion of Higher Achievement’s mission, Christa builds awareness around education and middle school youth by mobilizing her personal network in support of Higher Achievement’s mission, always looking for ways to support the organization and its middle school scholars.

Since opening in 2008, Georgetown Cupcake has donated tens of thousands of cupcakes to charitable causes. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter, and check their community page regularly for information on exciting upcoming fundraisers and events.

Thank you Christa and thank you Georgetown Cupcake!

Five Higher Achievement Scholars Attend International Leadership Camp in Rhode Island

2011-09-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

On July 17th, five Higher Achievement scholars departed Washington, DC for Providence, Rhode Island to attend the weeklong Youth United for Global Action and Awareness (YUGA) Leadership Camp. The YUGA Leadership Camp is a peer education program designed to help youth build their leadership skills and gain in-depth knowledge on issues affecting youth around the world. The opportunity was made possible through the generous support of Plan International USA, who reserved five spots for Higher Achievement at no cost to the program or our families.

Johnnie (Ward 6), Destyni (Ward 6), Gabby (Ward 4), Zavier (Ward 1), and Olaoluwa (Ward 1), were chosen for the experience as strong representatives of Higher Achievement and their fellow scholars. Together, these five scholars participated in youth-led workshops on a variety of topics, such as: religious acceptance, HIV/AIDS, and the earthquake in Haiti. In the afternoon, scholars had their choice of more typical camp activities like kayaking, hiking, and arts and crafts.

For many scholars this was a week of firsts: first time away from their family, the first time flying on an airplane, the first time they had to worry about ticks! Although there was uncertainty about what camp would be like, they each returned with smiles on their faces and appreciation for the experience. “I did not think the camp was going to be that fun. I thought we would just sit in a classroom and learn like at school,” said Olaoluwa. “I was so wrong. Camp was amazing and we got to do fun stuff and learn in an interactive way”.

YUGA was more than just a cool experience for these scholars; it truly expanded the lenses through which they view their world: “Camp not only showed me that many people have less than I do, but that I can do many things in my own area to help others”.

At Higher Achievement, we work with scholars to be global citizens who are active participants in their community. The partnership with Plan International USA allowed our scholars to engage more fully in this process, helping them to embark on a great journey of self discovery, pushing them to think about the world outside of their own communities.

Baltimore Scholars visit Ober|Kaler Law Offices

2011-08-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

This summer, a group of Higher Achievement scholars received a unique opportunity to visit OberKaler Law Offices in Baltimore. Over the summer, sixth grade scholars studied the Bill of Rights as a part of Higher Achievement’s social studies curriculum. Scholars were quick to respond to the lawyer’s questions and impressed the professionals with their knowledge of the law.

Jordan Grissett, a sixth grade scholar from East Baltimore, shared her knowledge of the Eighth Amendment by confidently providing the group an example of cruel and unusual punishment. “It would be like if I stole a candy bar and then got sentenced to 20 years in prison.” Throughout the tour scholars asked lawyers questions about everything from their choice of career path, to their college experiences, to the day-to-day responsibilities at OberKaler.

Scholars received warm welcomes from employees in every department at the law firm as they toured the building. Particularly impressive to the scholars were the massive library, the company’s computer server which took up a full room and the views from individual employee’s offices. At the end of the tour, several scholars expressed interest in exploring law as a future career. One scholar, however, who always thought he wanted to be a lawyer, indicated that the tour had actually made him realize he wanted to pursue another career path.

Sometimes, learning what you don’t want to do can be just as valuable as learning what you do want to do. Higher Achievement exposes scholars to opportunities that ignite their interest and allow them to be thoughtful about their futures.

Higher Achievement Scholars visit Pennsylvania State University

2011-08-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Extensive research shows that more than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be attributed to unequal access to summer learning opportunities. Higher Achievement seeks to close this gap through rigorous, high-quality learning opportunities year-round. The program culminates in a three-day, two-night college trip where scholars attend college classes and stay overnight in student dorms.

This summer, our Alexandria and Ward 1 scholars visited Pennsylvania State University, where they experienced college- level chemistry firsthand. This amazing opportunity would not have been possible without the personal and financial support of Bob and Anne Marshall. Their investment in Higher Achievement has created the opportunities and resources necessary to ensure the success of our scholars – huge thanks to them for their commitment and passion!

Loud controlled explosions and colorful bright lights fill the room Mr. Todd and Mr. Phillip, two scientists from the university, demonstrate and explain a chemical reaction.

Budding scientists!

Richmond Unite - We Need Your Vote!

2011-08-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Higher Achievement is excited to be in the second round of the Richmond Unite effort to raise dollars for organizations that directly improve the future of Richmond youth. In order to continue moving through the process, we need your help!

We must receive 500 votes by September 8th. You can cast one vote once a day, every day! Votes can be cast by anyone anywhere in the world, so please forward to friends and family far and wide!

Here’s how it works:

Visit www.richmondunite.org/vote-now

The first time you visit the site, you must register to vote by providing your email address and a password.

You will receive a confirmation email then you will be able to login to the Richmond Unite website.

Select the Higher Achievement logo amidst the logos on the page. It will open our profile.

Click VOTE!

By receiving 500 votes by September 8th, we’ll receive critical local funds and recognition to propel our work.

Higher Achievement and Reach for College! Launch 9th Grade Institute

2011-07-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

This summer, Higher Achievement, in partnership with Reach for College!, piloted the first-ever 9th Grade Institute for rising 9th grade alumni. The program was intended to aid with the often-difficult transition to high school for students attending schools without a summer bridge program. “This program gives students an early start at looking at their progression to the ninth grade and helps them build an understanding of the academic choices that exist beyond high school,” says Kenneth Parker, Director of Programs, Reach for College!

A small group of alumni were in the first pilot group, which involved team-building activities and three modules or courses: Achievement in High School, Basics of the Collegiate Experience, and Career Exploration. The curriculum, written by Higher Achievement and Reach for College! staff, was intended to be hands-on and interactive. Achievement in High School involved student-written and performed skits on peer pressure, a Q & A session with Higher Achievement alumni currently in high school, and goal-setting lessons. Some of the goals scholars articulated for their first year of high school included “I will be more open and social in high school by joining at least 2 clubs and making 3 new friends by November” and “to get the honor roll in all 4 quarters in my first year in high school.” Scholars spent much of the Basics of the Collegiate Experience course researching information about 4-year colleges and universities. They then designed their own colleges and acted as the Admissions Committee, reviewing mock applications and accepting, rejecting, or waitlisting those candidates. In Career Exploration, scholars learned career advice that they can both put into use immediately when applying for summer jobs, as well as things that they will use once out of college and in the career world. They learned about informational interviews, how to write a resume, and participated in mock interviews, where they were evaluated and given feedback about how to improve. In addition, scholars were able to participate in Career Shadow Days at the Department of Fine Arts at the George Washington University and at the Office of Civil Rights at the US Department of State. The pilot program was enthusiastically reviewed by scholars and staff, in the words of Paris, “the most important thing I learned was asking for help and not to be afraid of asking questions. I will make the best of my time in high school by prioritizing.”Higher Achievement staff will follow through with program participants in their 9th grade year.

Princess: “I learned to be more social and not isolate myself but to also keep my options open and not limit myself. I was scared about meeting new people and making friends, but now I know to just be myself and I’ll find the right group.”

21st CCLLC Summer Institute

2011-07-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Throughout the 21st CCLC Summer Institute this week there has been lots of discussion around the convergence of afterschool programs and extended learning initiatives, in parallel with the government's efforts to address ESEA. There are several key issues that remain at the core of these discussions:

The need for schools and community-based organizations to effectively partner so students can experience more learning but not more of the same.

The need to leverage the power of communities to bring additional talented, caring, and committed adults into our schools and supporting our youth

The need to ensure that afterschool or extended supports meet the needs and demands of individual students and don't force families and youth into programs they don't want or need.

The need to look creatively at funding sources, both public and private, so that schools and CBOs can weave together dollars and programs that reach every student

The need to continue driving school improvement through high-quality support programs, and ensuring that student performance data is shared with all partners toward that end.

Rachel Gwaltney, Chief of Programs

Higher Achievement featured on USA9's Heros Segment

2011-07-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

Higher Achievement DC Metro was featured on WUSA9's Heroes segment - a spotlight on organizations and people in the DC region who are doing good work in the community. Thanks to WUSA9 for coming out to our Ward 7 center to film - our scholars loved meeting you and sharing their stories!

Higher Achievement Launches New After-School and Summer Learning Program in Richmond with Ribbon Cutting at Boushall Middle School

2011-07-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Program to help close the achievement gap for middle school youth in at-risk communities

The future for Richmond’s youth is brighter this summer. Higher Achievement, in partnership with Richmond Public Schools and with the support of Altria, has launched its nationally-recognized academic program in Richmond with two new achievement centers for middle school students on Richmond’s Northside and Southside. Today, Higher Achievement, Richmond Public Schools, and Altria celebrated the launch with a ribbon cutting at Thomas C. Boushall Middle School.

The ceremony featured remarks from Superintendent Dr. Yvonne W. Brandon, Altria Vice President for Corporate Affairs Jennifer Hunter, Community Leader James E. Ukrop, and Higher Achievement Richmond Executive Director Eleanor R. Kootsey. The program also featured a performance by the 120 new Higher Achievement Richmond scholars, remarks from 6th grade scholar Jose Campos about his choice to join the program, and remarks from Higher Achievement alumna Carmen Payne about the impact the program has had on her success in life and in college at Virginia State University.

“Higher Achievement scholars, in 5th and 6th grade, are making huge investments in their future. They’ve willingly committed to spend 650 hours per year – in addition to 900 hours in school – learning math, literature, science, and social studies,” said Eleanor R. Kootsey, Executive Director of Higher Achievement Richmond. “This is a stunning commitment, and it pays off in spades. We consistently see better grades, higher test scores, and increased attendance from scholars in our program, and once they’ve completed it, 95% of Higher Achievement scholars advance to top academic high schools, and 93% go on to college.”
Higher Achievement’s launch in Richmond was announced at a press conference in October 2010, and since that time, Higher Achievement has enrolled over 120 students into the program and is recruiting 120 volunteer academic mentors from the Richmond community to support it. The ribbon cutting ceremony marked the official opening of Higher Achievement Richmond, and celebrated Higher Achievement’s partnership with Richmond’s public schools, leaders, and community partners.

“In Richmond, we have focused much of our reform on the middle school years,” said Superintendent Brandon. “As part of that initiative, we have partnered with Higher Achievement and Altria to open after-school achievement centers at Boushall and Henderson middle schools. These centers will provide our students with a safe haven for homework assistance and other academic enrichment opportunities.”

“Higher Achievement has a proven program that will help prepare Richmond’s middle school students for top high schools and colleges,” said Jennifer Hunter, vice president of Corporate Affairs, Altria Client Services. “It is important for the Richmond community—including businesses—to get to know the great work that Higher Achievement is beginning here and support its efforts through giving their time and their resources.”

Over the past five years, Richmond Public Schools has experienced a 14% decrease in middle school enrollment. Nearly 90% of students attending Northside and Southside middle schools qualify for free and reduced meals. 92% are minority student populations, and 36% of the families live below the poverty line. Higher Achievement’s rigorous after-school and summer academic program gives youth from at-risk communities their best chance to succeed in middle school, and will help close the middle school achievement gap for Richmond’s young people living in underserved, low income neighborhoods.

“We know that we can help Richmond’s young people succeed. We also know we can’t do it alone,” said Kootsey. “Every member of this community has a role to play in improving education and increasing opportunities for our children. Whether you’re a parent, neighbor, or business leader, you can help – mentor, donate, or spread the word. I truly believe that together, we can help close the achievement gap for Richmond’s youth.”

One Thousand Dollar Grant from First Book for our Scholars

2011-07-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

We’re excited to share that First Book has provided Higher Achievement with a $1000 grant to buy books for our Washington, DC area centers. Among other things, we were able to get two sets of Encyclopedia Britannicas to be used as a prizes for our Olympics of the Mind competition later this summer.

First Book is an outstanding non-profit that is addressing the illiteracy among children in low-income families. To date, First Book has distributed more than 80 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving these children – and it continues to do so at a rate of 18,000 books a day.

First Book is uniquely positioned to become a leader in providing digital resources so that children in need don’t miss out. No matter how formats and technologies change, children from low-income families will still need access to rich and varied content. First Book is helping guide the publishing industry as it evolves so that all children can benefit from new technologies and flourish as readers.

President Truman said, "Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers."We believe all children deserve an education that will transform them into the leaders of tomorrow. Our thanks to First Book for sharing this vision and for partnering with us to make it a reality!

Happy Summer Learning Day!

2011-06-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Today is National Summer Learning Day - a time for communities across the nation to celebrate the importance of high-quality summer leanring opportunities in the lives of young poeple.

Why is this so important? A few facts:

Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months – and score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer. This is especially pronounced for disadvantaged students, who slip in both math and reading.

The cost of re-teaching material when students return from summer is more than $1,500 per child – more than $18,000 during their K-12 education.

More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.

Higher Achievement scholars are beating these odds, and we're proud to be a part of the summer learning revolution. Through our program, hundreds of young people in Washington DC, Baltimore, and Richmond won’t spend the summer in front of a TV or on the street. They'll learn math, science, literature, and art. They’ll take field trips. They’ll read books. They’ll stay overnight at a college – attending college classes and seeing, many for the first time, what options are available to them beyond high school. They will come back to their classrooms in the fall fully prepared and ready to excel in the year ahead.

In honor of Summer Learning Day, we put together this short video of Higher Achievement families talking about what our Summer Academy means to them. Enjoy - and help us spread the word!

Happy Summer!

The 5th Annual International Children’s Festival

2011-05-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Higher Achievement is thrilled to be a part of the 5th Annual International Children’s Festival! This will definitely be a great day for families, scholars, and staff and we hope you can join us!

Meridian International Center’s 5th Annual INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL Saturday, May 21, 2011 (10:00 AM - 03:00 PM)

Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton,
Honorary Patron
Sponsored by Meridian International Center and THIS for Diplomats in cooperation with Cultural Tourism DC and Higher Achievement.

A part of Cultural Tourism DC’s Passport DC program celebrating world-class culture in the Nation’s Capital throughout the month of May.

INCLUDES: Cultural activities, displays, and food tastings along with international dance, music, and storytelling performances.

ADMISSION: $10 per person, Children 12 years & under free(One adult chaperone required per every four children under 12. No strollers allowed in exhibit area.)

Participating Embassies: Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, China, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Nepal, Norway, Poland, Saudi Arabia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Turkey.

Performances by

Almaz Getahun

CapoeiraDC/Embassy of Brazil

El Tayrona

GALita Children’s Theatre/GALA Hispanic Theatre

Hora DC/Embassy of Israel

Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, DC

KO’ ETI Paraguayan Folk Dance/Paraguayan Cultural Center

Natyabhoomi School of Dance

Nomad Dancers

Raqs Jameel and Saffron Teen Belly Dance/Joy of Motion Dance Center

Rumah Gadang Group – USA/Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia

Silk Road Dance Company

Sri Lanka Youth Dance Group of Washington, DC

Sushmita Mazumdar

Umanda Weerasinghe

Wong People/Chinatown Community Cultural Center

Please purchase tickets in advance, quantity is limited.

Advocacy Day on the Hill #a4AChallenge

2011-05-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

There are so many champions of afterschool programs in Congress! Today I was able to talk about the importance of 21st CCLC funding for afterschool and summer programs with staff representing all of Higher Achievement's states: DC, Maryland, and Virginia. We are ready to see what happens with the next phase of ESEA reauthorization and the FY12 budget process, but we can all agree that:

--Afterschool and summer programs have proven positive effects on students (both academic and behavioral), and the supports they provide are especially critical for poor and minority youth.

--Partnerships between community-based organizations and schools bring the best of both worlds together! Students need lots of choices for learning and other activities that look and feel different from school.

--Now, more than ever, the federal government needs to invest in our youth. Nonprofit organizations leverage 21st CCLC dollars to bring more public and private dollars into schools and to the students that need them the most.

Great to see so many advocates out today - and exciting to hear about the impact this work is having across the country!

- Rachel Gwaltney

The Role of Research for OST Providers #a4aChallenge

2011-05-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Quick thoughts from today’s conference session on research.

Afterschool and summer programs make dramatic impacts on lives and communities – but its only through rigorous research and evaluation that we can make that case. Examples of benefits/outcomes that have been proven through research/evaluation:

- Proof of improved academic outcomes (grades, test scores)

- Analysis outlining that higher dosage of OST learning produces better results

- Youth with the greatest risks realize the greatest benefits of these programs

- Improved feelings, behaviors, safety, and in-school behavior

- Health and wellness benefits

- Productivity – working parents miss less work and work more hours when children are in programs. Saves $50-300 billion in lost productivity! Every dollar invested in afterschool saves taxpayers $3 in school-related costs – and even more when you include crime and other secondary costs!

Not only will solid research provide suggestions/lessons for program improvement based on the outcomes listed above, but it can allow your organization to advocate in a widespread way for afterschool programs – to make the case externally for the value of afterschool, and raise awareness about its impact.

Win win!

- Rachel Gwaltney

Middle School Innovation: Policy and Practice #a4aChallenge

2011-05-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

For all students, middle school is a time of extraordinary challenge. Students experience significant social and emotional changes as academic expectations increase. On average, grades and test scores plummet during the transition to middle school and continue to decline through 8th grade. Schools become more dangerous places, and students become more likely to disengage from family, experiment with unhealthy behaviors, and devalue education.

The challenges of middle school are exacerbated in at-risk communities, where students are more likely to lack quality schools, quality out-of-school-time activities, and positive role models — and where they are more likely to be surrounded by poverty, to encounter violence and gangs in their neighborhoods and schools, and to face significant barriers to learning.

This morning's Afterschool for All Challenge conference session, Middle School Innovation: Policy and Practice, was a great deep-dive into the unique issues facing OST middle school providers. Some takeaways for these providers:

- coordinate with city and school services with the goal of attaining a seamless integration with the principal and school

- learning should be hands-on and project-based - focused on real-world application active learning

- face the unique needs of middle school students head-on - provide peer learning and structured leadership opportunities that support middle school youth... ultimately giving youth a sense of belonging, a place where they matter.

- have diverse and authentic staff/volunteers who are passionate about what they do - people who young people want to be around and can look up to!

- devote attention to program culture - be deliberate here

- monitor quality and outcomes!

- expose youth to future possibilities/career/college aspirations beyond their own communities

Stay tuned for more from the conference!

- Rachel Gwaltney, Chief of Programs

The 2011 Green Apple Awards: Above and Beyond!

2011-04-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Green Apple Awards:

Above and Beyond!

On May 12th, Higher Achievement DC Metro will celebrate the graduation of 63 8th grade scholars at its 11th annual Green Apple Awards. The event will certainly be a night to remember as we honor the years of hard work and excellence that our scholars have spent on their quest for top high school placement. This year’s class was extremely successful in this quest with acceptances at: The School Without Walls, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, the Edmund Burke School, and Gonzaga College High School, just to name a few!

In addition to these accomplishments, this year we are honored to welcome James H. Shelton III, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, as our keynote speaker. Mr. Shelton, a former Higher Achievement scholar, will speak to the scholars about his path to success and the importance of working hard and setting high goals. We are also extremely proud to honor two local partners who have truly gone above and beyond in their dedication to Higher Achievement and its scholars: Noblis and Douglas Jordan.

DATE: May 12, 2011

TIME: 6:30-8:30

LOCATION: The Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U. St. NW

Why STEM is Vital for Out-of-School Time Programs

2011-04-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

After the disappointing results on PISA and NAEP, it’s no surprise that policy makers, educators, parents, and communities are talking about science in American classrooms. What’s often missing in these discussions is the important role of OST in teaching important academic skills and inspiring a passion for science. Higher Achievement is excited to see Education Week take on the subject in their recent report on Science Learning outside the Classroom.

Higher Achievement recognizes the need to create opportunities for substantive engagement with science both in and out of the classroom. We are responding to this need with a comprehensive approach by integrating STEM (an interdisciplinary approach to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) into our academic program. Through exciting afterschool seminars and summer curricula, we are implementing hands-on and inquiry-based learning of science curriculum across all grades. To support the integration of STEM curriculum, we are building staff development and volunteer trainings that ultimately help scholars develop skills related to scientific thinking and foster a passion for the subject.

This report is a must-read – and articulates much of what Higher Achievement believes about the vital role of out-of-school time programs in science learning. - Sophie Huntington Director of Curriculum and Instruction Higher Achievement

Join Higher Achievement for Global Youth Service Day

2011-04-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

Global Youth Service Day 2011

Sunday, April 17 from 9:00am - 12:00pm

Magruder Park, 3901 Hamilton St. Hyattsville, MD.

Higher Achievement will be partnering with the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) to take part in the 2011 Global Youth Service Day. Youth, families, mentors and staff will come together to clean up the Anacostia River by removing invasive plants surrounding the area on Magruder Park. The service project includes an educational component in where the AWS staff will talk about the watershed and the history and ecology of the area, and will be sure to point out interesting native plants and animals.

All youth participants under the age of 18 are required to fill out a permission form in order to participate in the project.

Directions: From Queens Chapel Rd. take Hamilton St., go by the Safeway on the right, pass 38th St., go about one block and the entrance to the park will be on your right. The closest Metro station is West Hyattsville (green line). From the station you can walk about 10 blocks down Hamilton St. and the park will be on your right.

We strongly recommend that you wear long pants and closed-toe shoes

Questions? Contact Amanda Babine at ababine@higherachievement.org

Make the Call Today to Save Service

2011-04-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

From Save Service:

The government is currently operating under a short-term resolution that will expire Friday, April 8th. As that deadline nears, House and Senate leadership have resumed high-level budget negotiations in hopes of drafting a FY11 budget bill that has enough support to pass both chambers and end the current legislative stalemate.

Right now Congress is deeply divided and the end-game is very uncertain. That’s why you need to pick up the phone today and ask your Senators to pass a year-long spending bill that funds the Corporation for National and Community Service. Remind them that these programs work in every state and have deep support in local communities.

Visit http://www.saveservice.org/ to find out how to call - they'll provide a number that links you directly with your Senator, background info on the bill, and detailed talking points for your call.

AmeriCorps and other community service organizations help make our work at Higher Achievement possible - please take a moment today to make your voice heard.

Save the Date - June 3!

2011-04-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

The First Annual Higher Achievement SUMMER FUNdraiser!

This event will be a salute to summer featuring good food, good friends and lots of FUN! The first Higher Achievement event of its kind, this extended Happy Hour is the perfect way to kick off a Friday night in the District. Stay tuned for a link to purchase tickets.

WHO: You and your friends, coworkers, neighbors – spread the word and bring them all!

WHAT: A good time for a good cause – Open bar and appetizers for $50!

WHEN: Friday, June 3, 2011 from 7:00-10:00pm

WHERE: STROGA Studios, in the heart of Adams Morgan at 18th & Columbia Streets, NW Check out more pictures of the beautiful venue, here: http://www.stroga.com/index.cfm

WHY: Two-thirds of a child’s learning loss takes place during the summer months. This summer, your $50 ticket purchase will provide ten Higher Achievement scholars with access to FUN academic opportunities like engaging electives, field trips and an overnight university experience, ensuring they return to school on track to graduate.

AFTER PARTY! $3 mixed drinks and domestic bottles down the street at Town Tavern! http://www.towntaverndc.com/

Meet some of the young people your donation will support by watching this video about LOVE that the scholars made for Valentine’s Day

Click here to purchase tickets!

Higher Achievement Triathletes!

2011-03-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

We're so inspired by our scholars' hard work and dedication that we're putting ours to the test - a team of Higher Achievement staff members and supporters have joined up to train for and complete the Kinetic Sprint Triathlon in Spotsylvania, VA on May 15th! The race will consist of a 750 meter swim, 18 mile bike ride, and 5 kilometer run. In addition to this physical challenge, team members are also charged with raising at least $100 each in support of Higher Achievement. This is the second year we've competed (pic from 2010 above), and we can't wait!

We're pretty tough (and we're getting even tougher by the day!) but we can't do it alone. Here's how you can help:

Join our Triathlon team

Are you looking for a fun way to meet your fitness goals and raise money for a great cause? Join us! The team will offer training and fundraising support for all members – and will even feature a few friendly competitions to inspire success on all fronts. If you are interested in participating (or completing just one of the events as part of a relay team) please email Mike Di Marco (mdimarco@higherachievement.org) for more information.

Help us reach our fundraising goal

Help us reach our fundraising goals (and make crossing the finish line on May 15 that much sweeter). Click here to donate online. To make sure your gift is counted towards our goal, please write “Triathlon” in the designation line.

Spread the word

Share this post with your networks. This is a super fun way to get involved in Higher Achievement, reach your fitness goals, and support our young people – and you definitely don’t have to be a triathlete to join us (although we’d love that too). All are welcome!

Throughout training, we’ll be posting pictures, updates, and news from the team on our blog and on Twitter (@HigherAchieve). Stay tuned!

ACTion Alexandria

2011-03-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

Our friends at ACT for Alexandria have launched a very exciting tool that empowers citizens to make positive change in their community.

From their website:

ACTion Alexandria is a web-based platform that brings together neighbors and local nonprofit organizations to exchange ideas, coordinate efforts, and solve problems in our community.

How does ACTion Alexandria work?

ACTion Alexandria works closely with local government and nonprofit organizations to collect and prioritize community needs and turn them into actions and challenges for citizens.
Each week, ACTion Alexandria features a new action that targets the need of a local nonprofit organization in the form of donations of goods, services,and/or funds.

Citizens can help solve large-scale community problems by submitting their solutions to challenges hosted on the site.

Visit http://www.actionalexandria.org/ to learm more about this fabulous initiative - and help us spread the word!

Maryland Out-of-School Time Network's Advocacy Night

2011-03-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Rashard, Zybriah, Del. Tarrant

Last week, our Higher Achievement Baltimore team attended the Maryland Out-of-School Time Network (MOST) advocacy night in Annapolis. MOST organized the event to bring together OST providers from across Maryland to highlight the importance of afterschool and summer programs – and to raise awareness and mobilize support for two pieces of legislation being considered by the Maryland General Assembly during this legislative session.

Ashburton 7th grade scholars Zybriah Murphy and Rashard Gilliard met with Delegate Shawn Tarrant (District 40) to discuss the importance of OST programs like Higher Achievement to youth in Maryland. Zybriah recalled that during one of her classes her teacher introduced a concept that Zybriah had already learned in Higher Achievement’s Summer Academy. She emphasized to the Delegate that students need extra support and opportunities to succeed during the critical middle school years. She also recognized that the hard work she does at Higher Achievement will pay off when she is ready to explore her high school options.

Rashard’s literature mentor, Mr. Andre Wood, was also on hand and described the rich discussion that Higher Achievement literature lessons have inspired between Rashard and his fellow scholars. He described the deep and sticky cultural issues that scholars might not have a chance to explore in school, such as the 19th century policy that took Indian children from their families and placed them in white schools in an attempt to assimilate them and destroy Indian culture. Mr. Andre, an employee of Constellation Energy, is one of 90 Baltimore citizens who have committed to one night a week of mentoring middle school scholars and supporting their academic enrichment in preparation for top high school programs.

Thanks for MOST for organizing the event and for their continued work advocating for OST programs – read more about their efforts and the upcoming legislation here.

DC Scholars Meet Rep. Norton!

2011-03-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

On Monday, six Higher Achievement scholars visited Capitol Hill to meet Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and take a tour of the Capitol building. Scholars from Wards 1, 4, 6, and 8 participated in the field trip, taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity during a day of no school for most other students in the District. Scholars were able to have a private meeting with the Congresswoman (thanks to Ward 6 mentor David Lyons for setting it up!) as well as a personal tour of the Capitol Rotunda and the Senate Floor Gallery. At the end of the visit, scholars rated the trip a 10 out of 10, even though they had to walk through the pouring rain just to make it on time!

Big thanks to Rep. Norton!

Join Us! Higher Achievement's Sixth Annual Literary Love Poetry Performance

2011-02-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

On February 23, twelve of our amazing scholars will perform original poetry at The Kennedy Center as part of our sixth annual Literary Love Poetry Performance! Because we just can’t wait to show you what our scholars are made of, here’s a sneak peek:

Hope you can join us on the 23rd!

The Family Theater
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
7:30-8:30pm
Doors open at 7pm
RSVP to Abigail Cohen at 202.375.7715 or acohen@higherachievement.org

National Service: An Investment We Can't Afford to Lose

2011-01-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

From The Chronicle for Philanthropy:

Nonprofit lobbyists will have their hands full in the new Congress. House Republican leaders have already said they want to bring a big chunk of federal spending this year back to 2008 levels.
But now a group of conservative Republicans says that’s not enough. The Republican Study Committee, a bloc of more than 165 members, unveiled a proposal Thursday that would end a range of federal programs that benefit charities and their clients.
Among its proposals:
* Eliminate AmeriCorps and other national-service programs.
* Abolish the Agency for International Development.
* Close the national endowments for the arts and humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
* End Department of Energy grants to help low-income people weatherize their homes.

National service programs like AmeriCorps are not a drain on our resources – quite the opposite. They provide support systems and opportunities that not only make our communities better, but that help our communities function – especially when economic times are tough. Higher Achievement has been fortunate enough to host several talented VISTA volunteers and AmeriCorps direct service members, and we see every day the impact that these tremendous programs have on community-based organizations, the youth and families we serve, and our communities at large.

Because of the expanded capacity made possible by VISTA volunteers over the past three years, we have: expanded and improved our volunteer recruitment, management, and retention practices (critical to securing long-term positive academic outcomes for scholars); developed and implemented new family engagement strategies based on best practices in the field; engaged new funders and champions to ensure sustainability; piloted an alumni engagement strategy to ease the transition to 9th grade; and developed programmatic partnerships that provide social services safety nets to our most at-risk scholars and their families.

Midway through our first year hosting direct service AmeriCorps members at our DC Achievement Centers we are already seeing them make great strides to improve our services to scholars and families, as well as deepening our school partnerships. One Member at our Ward 6 center, Ms. Amelia, embodies the impact of this program. Amelia noticed that a group of scholars in her study hall, who all had the same science teacher at school, were earning Cs in that class, even though she knew they had been very engaged in science over the summer at Higher Achievement. Amelia met with the teacher, and learned that the scholars had been completing their assignments incorrectly. She and the teacher worked together to identify improvement strategies, and she began working with those scholars in a special extended study hall, focused on their science assignments. By the time report cards were released, all of the scholars had increased their grades to an A. Without the expanded capacity at Center to drill down deeply on scholars’ individualized needs in the classroom, we would never have been able to help shepherd such dramatic improvement. The AmeriCorps program allows Higher Achievement to increase its full-time Center staffing by 50% at nominal cost to the organization, and our scholars are already reaping the rewards.

AmeriCorps and other national service programs are making a dramatic impact on the capacity of community-based organizations working in the most at-risk communities across the country. We know without a doubt that economic opportunity for our country begins in our schools, homes, and on our streets. If we are to see the reap the rewards tomorrow, we must invest in those places today.

- Richard Tagle
CEO, Higher Achievement

Higher Achievement Honors MLK Day!

2011-01-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement will be partnering with both Greater DC Cares and The DC AmeriCorps Leadership Council in recognition of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Brushes in hand, Higher Achievement staff will help paint the Family Health and Birth Center in Northeast DC, in order to help it meet health code regulations. The center provides services to hundreds of low income families around the DC area, insuring healthy deliveries and development of children and their families.

The Family Health and Birth Center’s mission is to provide family centered community based primary health care services with a focus on prevention. Additionally, the center provides maternity and birth care, health care services, integrated family development services and improvement of the health status of families in the surrounding community.

Get live updates and photos of the event by following @higherachieve on Twitter. There will be live tweets from Higher Achievement Staff on the progress of the project.

Tweet of the Day: What We're Thankful For

2010-12-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

@LLShots: Tonight my 7th grade scholar created a list of 15 things she was thankful 4 incl. mentors, freedom, HAP, love & Shakespeare.

Higher Achievement Thanks Fest: Ward 6 Style

2010-11-23T10:07:00.001-08:00

By Moraya Seeger-Jackson, Ward 6 ACD

Every year, Higher Achievement hosts region wide Thanks Fests at all Achievement Centers. This year, the Ward 6 Achievement Center welcomed over 200 families, mentors and scholars in celebration of the event. Thanks Fest, designed to provide a platform for sharing what we’re thankful for, was led by the Ward 6 Ambassador, Johnnie Kennybrew. Johnnie reflected on how Ward 6 scholars had given back to the larger community within the past few weeks: scholars wrote letters to soldiers thanking them for their services, and collected both food and money to be donated to families in DC.

During the program, parents and mentors had an opportunity to share what they were thankful for. For Ward 6 families, Thanks Fest was an opportunity to highlight that Higher Achievement is so much more then an academic enrichment program; it’s a family. A sixth grade parent spoke about what a positive influence Higher Achievement has had on her daughter as a person, not just on her grades.

After the program, the Ward 6 community shared in a Thanksgiving style feast, complete with plenty of family games and camaraderie. Mentors played chess, monopoly and spades with scholars and their siblings; 8th graders participated in a very intense double dutch competition; and parents simply enjoyed taking it all in. At the end of the night, everyone left happy, full, and with just enough energy to take a family photo on their way out.

See below for photos from our event.

Ms. Gwen, an 8th grade High School Placement mentor, shares her favorite fun dessert.

Scholars and mentors lead by AmeriCorps Fellow collected donations for families in D.C.

Scholars enjoy playing the game of life with siblings and mom.

A 7th grade scholar with her parents, whose father is also a 6th grade math mentor.

Alumni return to spend time with scholars.

Ms. Amy with her 7th grade mentoring group and their parents.

GoingPlaces! Benefit - A Night to Remember!

2010-11-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

In partnership with a team of DC business leaders, Higher Achievement presented its third annual GoingPlaces! Benefit on Thursday, October 14 at the Warner Theatre. The co-chair team included Mitchell N. Schear (Vornado/Charles E. Smith), Michael J. Glosserman (JBG Companies), and Edward L. Cohen, Mark D. Lerner & Robert K. Tanenbaum (Lerner Enterprises). Higher Achievement also honored Steve Goldstein at the event, longtime champion and supporter of Higher Achievement. The program featured poetry and step performances by Higher Achievement middle school scholars and a musical performance from the Austin, TX-based band, SKYROCKET. The event raised over $550,000 to support Higher Achievement's work with middle school scholars in the DC area.

See photo highlights below!

From left to right: Tariq West, Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Mark Lerner, Steve Goldstein, Michael Glosserman, Ed Cohen, and Mitchell Schear pause on stage after the program.

Ward 8 scholars open the evening with a moving step performance choreographed by Step Afrika!

Former Higher Achievement Executive Director, Maureen Holla, and CEO Richard Tagle enjoy a laugh in front of the camera.

Alumnus Tariq West shares a high-five with Ray Ritchie of Boston Properties after delivering a powerful address about Higher Achievement's impact on his life.

SAVE THE DATE!
The Literary Love Poetry Performance
February 23, 2011
at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Budget Cuts and Out-of-School Time Programs: Why We Can't Skimp Now

2010-10-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Out-of-school time (OST) programs are a critical component of educating all students - learning (whether formal or informal) doesn’t end at 3pm - yet when education funding tightens, these programs are often first on the chopping block. Sean Cavanagh at Education Week wrote today about a new report from the National Governors Association outlining the recession's impact on state education funding:

The lean era for education is also likely to last for at least a few years. State revenues aren't expected to return to pre-recession levels until at least 2013, the report states. The seriousness of state budget woes have led state officials in Texas and Florida to consider increasing class sizes. Maine officials consolidated school districts across the state two years ago, with the goal of saving $36.5 million. Other victims of budget shortfalls, identified by the NGA: after school programs, gifted-and-talented programs, and even state tests in some subjects. Expect more budgetary pain in the time ahead.

The impact of these cuts are even more significant for poor and minority students - even in a stable economy, high quality, positive learning opportunities for these students are scarce.

Schools, districts, and states can mitigate the need to cut funding for afterschool and summer programs by partnering with community-based providers that bring the know-how, the variety, and the private dollars into schools to provide these types of opportunities.

At Higher Achievement, "opportunities matter" is our mantra - we know that every single child possesses the talent and potential to achieve great things. When the economy is struggling, we have an even bigger obligation to pull together resources from all sectors - private, public, and non-profit - to make certain that our children have the opportunities they deserve.

With today’s awards from the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities, four D.C. organizations in last two years have been nationally recognized

2010-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jenny Towns
Phone: 202-657-2595
Email: jtowns@higherachievement.org

With today’s awards from the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities, four DC organizations in the last two years have been nationally recognized for outstanding programs for the District’s youth

Washington, DC – The President’s Committee on Arts & Humanities announced this year’s award winners of The National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Awards (formerly known as the Coming Up Taller Awards) today, naming two more award winners from the Washington area; Mentors of Minorities in Education's Total Learning Cis-Tem (M.O.M.I.E.s TLC) and Young Playwrights’ Theater, following recognition of Sitar Arts Center and Higher Achievement in 2009. The award shines attention on outstanding programs across the country that are promoting the creativity of America's young people, providing them learning opportunities and the chance to contribute to their communities. Ed Spitzberg, Executive Director of Sitar Arts Center, said “The President’s Committee’s recognition of programs in one city – our nation’s capital – illustrates not only the great work done by afterschool arts and humanities programs in D.C., but also the great need for it.”

With over 170 awards given out nationally since 1998 and only three organizations in Washington, DC awarded during those first ten years, having four local organizations recognized in the last two years is notable. “We hope this award will draw attention to the documented fact that these DC-based programs are essential investments in the lives of our children and families,” said Chitra Subramanian Deputy Director for M.O.M.I.E’s TLC. All four awarded organizations are providing safe and productive after-school programs to young people in high-risk areas of the city where gang activity and violent crimes are high.

Higher Achievement’s rigorous after-school and summer academic programs give youth from at-risk communities their best opportunity to succeed in middle school – and in life. The program operates achievement centers in Washington, DC (Wards 1, 4, 6, 7, 8) and Alexandria, VA, and focuses on three key areas: academics, social skills, and leadership.
The mission of M.O.M.I.E's TLC is to nurture the genius of children through creative and culturally-relevant learning Programs. Focusing on early childhood and school-age children in Ward 1 and Ward 4, M.O.M.I.E’s offers year-round education Programs that uniquely integrate humanities and culture-based teaching.

Sitar Arts Center in Adams Morgan provides a vital after-school safe-haven at its multidisciplinary arts center where children and youth of all ages, 80% of whom come from low income households, can discover their inherent gifts in a nurturing, creative community.
Young Playwrights’ Theater in Columbia Heights teaches students to express themselves clearly and creatively, to understand the power of language and to realize their potential as both individuals and artists through the art of playwriting with interactive in-school and after-school programs.

With all four of these organizations operating within a mile and a half radius in the adjoining neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights, their programs in that area are serving the same population, with crossover among students and teachers, including some direct partnerships. In the past three years since the recession began, enrollment at Sitar Arts Center alone has increased by 72%, demonstrating the urgent need for these programs, which are providing positive choices for the students of our city. “All of DC’s young people deserve the opportunity to learn, grow, and excel, and we’re proud to be in the company of organizations doing such essential work to make that possible,” said Richard Tagle, CEO of Higher Achievement.

While on-going attempts have been made to reform the DC public schools over the past decade, all of these organizations have been working to fill the gap left by public school education for ten years or more: providing high expectations, caring adult mentors, education in the arts and humanities, and opportunities to build self-esteem and skills. "As school administrations come and go, our programs have been a constant in students' lives. We help students grow into active, well-rounded individuals who can engage the world with their ideas" said David Snider, Producing Artistic Director and CEO of Young Playwrights' Theater. These four organizations, as recognized by the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities, are providing exceptional and imperative programs, forming a safety net of services in Ward 1 where they are clustered, in addition to other areas across the city where similar services are needed.

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Real Estate Titans Team Up With Higher Achievement for 3rd Annual GoingPlaces! Benefit

2010-10-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

REAL ESTATE TITANS TEAM UP WITH HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT TO HELP DC YOUTH

Over $550,000 Raised for Middle School Academic Enrichment Program

(Washington, DC – October 12, 2010) In partnership with a team of DC business leaders, Higher Achievement (www.higherachievement.org) will present its third annual GoingPlaces! Benefit on Thursday, October 14 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC. The co-chair team includes Mitchell N. Schear (Vornado/Charles E. Smith), Michael J. Glosserman (JBG Companies), and Edward L. Cohen, Mark D. Lerner & Robert K. Tanenbaum (Lerner Enterprises). Higher Achievement will honor Steve Goldstein at the event, longtime champion and supporter of Higher Achievement. The program will also feature poetry and dance performances by Higher Achievement middle school scholars and a musical performance from the Austin, TX-based band, SKYROCKET!.

“The DC business community has shown a tremendous amount of support for Higher Achievement,” said Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Executive Director of Higher Achievement DC Metro. “This is the first time in the history of the GoingPlaces! Benefit that we’ve had five co-chairs, and it’s remarkable to see first-hand how their involvement impacts the lives of our scholars – everything from study supplies to field trips to special electives are possible because of support from our sponsors and guests.”

As a part of the event program, Higher Achievement will honor Steve Goldstein, retired Vice Chairman of Studley, former Chair of the DC Metro President’s Council and longtime supporter of Higher Achievement. “Steve has been actively involved with Higher Achievement for more than 25 years,” said Jeffries. “He has connected us with countless partners and donors, offered unconditional support and advice, and leveraged more than $1,000,000 in his time with us. Steve is a true believer in our scholars and a relentless champion of our work.”

The GoingPlaces! Benefit will begin with a cocktail reception at 6pm and a performance and award presentation featuring Higher Achievement scholars at 7pm. Dinner and dancing will follow.

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About Higher Achievement

Higher Achievement’s rigorous after-school and summer academic program gives youth from at-risk communities their best opportunity to succeed in middle school — and in life. Our research-based program challenges middle school students to meet their full potential in three key areas: academics, social skills, and leadership. When students get the skills and support they need to invest in their own success, they discover that they can be scholars. On average, 95% of Higher Achievement scholars who complete the program advance to top academic high schools and 93% advance to college. Higher Achievement currently operates achievement centers in Washington, DC, Alexandria, VA and Baltimore, and will launch two new centers in Richmond in 2011. www.higherachievement.org

Higher Achievement Partners with Up with People!

2010-10-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to long time supporters and board members Carlos Garcia and Bo Menkiti, Higher Achievement has been selected as one of three beneficiaries in the Washington, DC area who will partner with Up with People, a global education organization focused on bringing the world together through service and music. The Up with People cast members will share their talents in two showcases on October 22nd and 23rd, and the proceeds benefit Higher Achievement, D.C. Public Schools and Dance Place.

Up with People’s all-new production, “A Song for the World,” will take you on a tour around the world and back in time to the 50s, 60s and 70s. The show blends together original and popular songs ranging from traditional folk music, to hip-hop and rock. In between rehearsal times, Up with People will visit three Higher Achievement centers to engage scholars in activities such as diversity talks, geography trivia and a mini culture fair.

Tickets are on sale now at www.upwithpeople.org/dc! If you are interested in participating, but are unable to attend the show, please consider sponsoring a group of young people. For $120, you or your company can provide tickets for 10 students, giving them the chance to see Up with People, an international show that spreads a message of hope and possibility by encouraging and inspiring youth to do the same.
If you have questions, need more information or are interested in volunteering with Up with People on National Make a Difference Day, please contact Chelsey Panchot at 218.355.0239 or cpanchot@upwithpeople.org.

Event Details:

Who: Up with People
What: 'A Song for the World'—sponsored by Keller Williams Capital Properties
When: October 22, 2010 and October 23, 2010, 7:30 pm
Where: Columbia Heights Educational Campus - 3101 16th St NW, Washington, DC
Tickets: Adults-$20/$25 at the door
Kids- $15/$18 at the door
Beneficiaries: Higher Achievement, DC Public Schools, and Dance Place

OST Funding Threatens to Divide a Community

2010-10-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

In 2009, as part of a coalition for afterschool policy convened by the Afterschool Alliance, Higher Achievement signed onto a letter to President Barack Obama, asking for his support for an increase of $250 million in FY 2011 for funding of out-of-school time programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. Now, almost a year later, the requested $250 million dollar increase has leveled out at $100 million, and the out-of-school time community is divided on how the allotment of these new funds will affect overall programming of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). 21st CCLC are currently designated to support after-school, before-school and summer learning programs, but with revisions from the current administration, many are concerned that experimentation with an extended learning day will over shadow the aforementioned program components.

Considering all of this, Higher Achievement is hopeful that three key components will remain at the top of the discussion:

There is a clear need. According to the Afterschool Alliance report “America After 3pm,” 15 million children are left unsupervised after school. To ensure that young people are safe and engaged in meaningful activities after school, it is critical that communities are able to offer more opportunities that engage youth outside of the traditional school day and year. Higher Achievement calls on policymakers to carry out the Senate HELP committee’s proposed $100 million increase for the 21st CCLC funding stream to ensure greater access to programs and activities for youth.

High quality is essential. Opportunities provided to young people should be of the highest quality, built upon research-based best practices for serving youth, including research on serving particular populations, age ranges, program field characteristics, and more. Poor and minority students living in the most vulnerable communities particularly need rigorous programs of the highest quality to ensure they have the same chances for success as their more privileged peers. High quality programs also incorporate best practices around staff development and training and other internal organizational best practices.

It takes a community. Legislation should encourage collaboration between schools/districts and community-based providers, as they combine to meet the year-round needs of youth both in and out of school. Collaboration must be grounded in aligned common goals and mutual accountability to be effective.

Higher Achievement Alumna Responds to Obama's Recent Back-to-School Speech

2010-09-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

You see, excelling in school or in life isn’t mainly about being smarter than everybody else. It’s about working harder than everybody else. Don’t avoid new challenges – seek them out, step out of your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to ask for help; your teachers and family are there to guide you. Don’t feel discouraged or give up if you don’t succeed at something – try it again, and learn from your mistakes. Don’t feel threatened if your friends are doing well; be proud of them, and see what lessons you can draw from what they’re doing right.

That’s the kind of culture of excellence you promote here at Masterman; and that’s the kind of excellence we need to promote in all America’s schools. That’s why today, I’m announcing our second Commencement Challenge. If your school is the winner; if you show us how teachers, students, and parents are working together to prepare your kids for college and a career; if you show us how you’re giving back to your community and our country – I’ll congratulate you in person by speaking at your commencement.

- From President Obama’s back-to-school address delivered at Julia R.Masterman Magnet School in Philadelphia.

In President Obama’s recent address to Philadelphia middle and high school students, he stressed a few key components that, if you weren’t paying attention, could serve as carbon copies to Higher Achievement’s mission, values and goals. Obama passionately spoke to the importance of an overall culture of excellence for student achievement, where working hard, stepping up to challenge, and being a leader is essential. He also spoke to what it means to really be successful, and how strong citizenry is a characteristic of success. As a Higher Achievement alumna and current staff member, I, as well as the more than 10,000 Higher Achievement alumni understand the roles that each of these skills can play within the road to success.

What Obama calls a culture of excellence, Higher Achievement affectionately refers to as a culture of high expectation. As a young student, I remember how comfortable I was being in the background. If the teacher didn’t call on me, I wasn’t going out of my way to get his or her attention. However, after joining Higher Achievement, I found myself surrounded by staff who expected more out of us as students; but even better, I was among students who wanted more for themselves and their peers. My entire academic approach was transformed by something as simple as expectation. Once excellence was expected of me, I strived for it.

Of course, striving for excellence doesn’t always lend itself to immediately achieving it and that was another one of the many lessons that Higher Achievement taught me. Now that I had my academic attitude adjusted, it was time to work on my academic work ethic. For example, if I studied considerably hard for a test, spent an extra hour or two going over classroom material, got together with my friends to make sure I had the test concepts and still made a C on the test, that didn’t mean my efforts were in vain. Instead, that was my opportunity to review my efforts, see what I could have done differently, and apply the lessons learned to the next test. This, I learned, was the very essence of working hard.

It wouldn’t be in the spirit of Higher Achievement to stop at setting the expectation and working hard. Here, I also learned to step out side of my comfort zone. Once I mastered what I was great at, it was time to conquer what I was only good, or maybe even bad at. Higher Achievement pushed me aggressively to the next level, but simultaneously made me feel supported. I knew that if I were to misstep, Higher Achievement would be there to catch me before I fell, and put me right back on track.

It is a combination of setting the expectation, working hard and stepping up to challenge, that ultimately builds leaders. Some of the world’s greatest icons are those who think big, step outside of the box, and in turn give back to their communities. Since 1975, Higher Achievement has harvested the inner-leader in inner-city youth across the District. Now, in 2011, I am more than proud to be apart of the expansion efforts that will ultimately cultivate potential in young people, who like me, didn’t even know they had it. President Obama addressed the students of Masterman on what was sure to be a very special day for them; Higher Achievement addresses its scholars everyday about setting high expectations and changing not only academic outcomes, but the world.

Join us in Richmond this Saturday!

2010-09-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Higher Achievement Richmond staff is pleased to join our neighbors for Richmond Public Schools' Choice Campaign Kickoff in the 6th and 7th Districts on Saturday September 18, 2010. We'll be canvassing the community in support of educational excellence and spreading awareness of the new Higher Achievement Center opening on Richmond's Northside in June 2011. We believe that when an entire community bears the responsibility for educating our youth, our children succeed. We'd love for you to join us!

We're meeting Saturday, 10am, at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1000 Mosby Street. To learn more about our upcoming efforts in Richmond or to set up a specific time to meet us on Saturday (or anytime!), email Tyren Franzier at tfrazier@higherachievement.org.

- Eleanor Rouse
Executive Director, Richmond

Alumnus Tariq West Reflects

2010-09-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Richard,

I am writing you today to thank you. Thanks to you and Higher Achievement, I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed.

When I was eight years old, a wave of violence swept through my neighborhood. I went to sleep every night to the sound of gunfire.

The National Guard came with their humvees to set up huge banks of floodlights. For a week or more, the lights shone so bright that there was no night.

This was the backdrop of much of my childhood. Drugs and gangs were pervasive; in fact, it’s hard to even describe the sense of hopelessness that governed where I grew up.

I remember as a 10-year-old, a friend from my block asserting with utter confidence that we were never going to get out of the ghetto. “We were born broke and black,” he said, “and we’ll die that way.” Even as a child I understood how tragic a sentiment that was.

I struggled with what it meant to be a promising young person in a place where promise was crushed and squandered. How could I explain my ambitions to peers who had learned not to dream?

My parents were hard working, supportive and expected a lot of me, but their expectations were set against the powerful and destructive atmosphere that we lived in - mediocrity, failure, delinquency were the norms. It could have been all too easy to give up on my future.

Then I found Higher Achievement. It was the beginning of my coming into my own.

I just graduated from Stanford University. The day embodied the hard work and highest hopes of my parents and me. But we could not have done it alone. It was Higher Achievement that challenged and helped me grow at a pivotal point in my life.

Higher Achievement helped me opened doors in my life that I thought I could not have opened on my own. Now I know I can open those doors for myself, because Higher Achievement helped me build confidence, self-awareness and a sense of purpose in the world. Higher Achievement was a safe place for dreams.

Higher Achievement’s academic coaches and mentors helped me move beyond my struggles with mathematics, encouraged me to explore the world through the written word and helped me find my own voice. They believed in me and inspired in me a steadfast belief in my own ability.

Thanks to the skills and support I received at Higher Achievement, my grades improved dramatically. I attended a top-tier high school and studied alongside children who grew up in privileged environments. It was intimidating and alienating at times, but Higher Achievement had given me the tools I needed to succeed.

Now I’m a regular contributor to Higher Achievement and as I make the move back to the DC area I look forward to giving back as a mentor and as a friend of the program. My deepest hope now, and the reason I am writing to you today, is that I want children from all across the country to benefit from Higher Achievement as I did.

There is no question that Higher Achievement can make a difference. I am living proof.

The only question is how many children can be served. Thanks to the mentors and staff at Higher Achievement, I have accomplished things that once I couldn’t imagine. I feel compelled now to do everything I can to afford the same experience to every child who has dreams but lacks the means to achieve them.

Thank you, Richard, for your tireless faith in the promise of young people. Your commitment is inspiring and your vision of empowering youth is extremely necessary. Please let me know how I can help.

Sincerely,

Tariq West

P.S. I owe so much to Higher Achievement. The program met me in my neighborhood, among my peers and gave me the tools to achieve my dreams. While other kids hung out on the street, I’d begun the hard work of building my future.

Richard Tagle, CEO, On School Reform and Motivation.......

2010-09-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

On September 6, 2010, Robert Samuelson authored, School Reform’s Meager Results. The op-ed identified what Samuelson believes to be the two main reasons that school reform has failed. First, no one has effectively brought to scale a transformative reform approach, and second, students lack motivation.

I agree with the first reason and suggest that we are asking the wrong question about scaling reform. Perhaps reform approach itself is not a “scalable” element. What need to be scaled are practices that have proven to improve student performance. District hiring practices, interactive classrooms, and team-based approaches to professional development have brought positive outcomes not just in schools, but also in other institutions that require system-wide implementation. This country knows how to scale. We have more than doubled the number of people in prison, have more than 8 million children uninsured, and have more than 20 million of people out of jobs. We know how to scale. The real question is whether we have the will to scale those practices that bring about positive change.

On Samuelson’s second point – student motivation – Higher Achievement has been fostering student motivation for over 35 years. Each student in the program devotes more than 650 hours of rigorous academic work in addition to the 900 plus hours they spend in school. By providing solid opportunities to learn, excel and shine, Higher Achievement motivates students to work hard and to be engaged in their learning. Students become motivated when they know people are investing time, energy and resources in them. When we see them as assets and talent and not just assembly line widgets, they respond by proving that they are worth the investment. They rise up to high expectations and meet challenging demands. We have to believe in their promise and potential before we can ask them to exert effort. This “belief” is also something this nation should learn how to scale extremely well.

New Higher Achievement Centers Coming to Richmond

2010-08-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

We have some very exciting news to share – Higher Achievement, in partnership with Richmond Public Schools, will be opening two new achievement centers in Richmond in 2011! Our Richmond team will be led by Eleanor Rouse, who most recently served as National Development Director for Girls For A Change. We’re thrilled to have her on board.

We’ll be sharing more information for scholars, mentors, and community partners in this space soon. In the meantime, if you have questions or want more information, contact Eleanor directly at erouse@higherachievement.org or 804.921.8211.

Higher Achievement on MSNBC

2010-08-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, August 15th, Higher Achievement was featured on MSNBC's Making the Grade, which put national focus on the current state of education. Specifically, Higher Achievement was featured in the "Ending the 'Brain Drain'" segement, which spoke directly to summer learning loss.

Click here to see the complete list of videos.

Mentoring Monday - August 16th

2010-08-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Mentoring Monday - August 16th
Make a difference in a child's life

FOX 5 and Higher Achievement are calling on you to be a mentor...as part of our successful Mentoring Monday campaign.

On Monday, August 16th, 14 Mentoring organizations will be on hand at a phone bank to answer questions from viewers. Call 202-895-3307 between 6 and 10a.m. to learn how to get involved.

You can make a difference in a child's life by lending your time, attention, help with homework, just being there as a friend.

There are many young people in single parent or troubled households, who would benefit.

Click here for more information.

MSNBC to Feature Higher Achievement

2010-08-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

MSNBC AND EBONY MAGAZINE PARTNERSHIP TO TAKE ON EDUCATION ISSUES IN AUGUST

NEW YORK—July 28, 2010—MSNBC and Ebony Magazine are partnering up in August to put education issues in the forefront of the nation’s spotlight. Beginning August 9, MSNBC will feature twice-daily segments focusing on a variety of pertinent education issues, including the central challenges facing our public school systems today, the benefits of charter schools versus traditional public schools and how to improve the quality of our school systems on a national level.

The partnership will culminate in a two-hour education special, “Making The Grade,” which will air on MSNBC on Sunday, August 15, beginning at noon ET.
The special will feature Higher Achievement.
Click here to read the entire press release.

Higher Achievement Goes to College!

2010-08-06T08:59:00.001-07:00

Click here to read the recent coverage on our recent visit to the University of Maryland, and what our scholars learned about healthy living.

Higher Achievement featured by WAMU and the Baltimore Sun!

2010-08-06T08:49:00.001-07:00

In the true spirit of summer learning, local media stations highlight Higher Achievement scholars returning home from their annual college trips.

Click here to read WAMU's article, "Program Exposes Underprivileged Kids To College Life."

And click here to read the Baltimore Sun's article, "City students get taste of college."

More Olympics of the Mind Coverage!

2010-08-03T07:06:00.001-07:00

Higher Achievement Baltimore hosted their Olympics of the Mind event on Monday, August 2, 2010, at Digital Harbor High School. The event was complete with academic judges, time keepers, score cards, and plenty of academic games to stimulate their 120 scholars.

Click here to see WJZ's coverage of Higher Achievement Baltimore Olympics of the Mind, and be sure to check out the video too!

Higher Achievement Parent a Guest on NPR

2010-08-02T11:55:00.001-07:00

Higher Achievement parent, Danni Tucker, was recently featured on NPR's Tell Me More during a segment called, "Summer Vacation or Summer Digression," which speaks to summer learning loss.

Ms. Tucker is a regularly featured guest on Michel Martin's Tell Me More segment, and can be heard every Tuesday morning at 11:15 am discussing various topics that affect parents and their children.

Higher Achievement partner, Ron Fairchild, of the National Summer Learning Association, was also featured in this news segment.

Click here to listen to the show.

Alexandrianews.org features Higher Achievement!

2010-08-02T09:09:00.001-07:00

Click here to read the article on this year's Olympics of the Mind!

Higher Achievement E-Newsletter, July 2010

2010-07-27T07:42:00.001-07:00

Check out Higher Achievement's latest e-newsletter here!

The More Time Spent on Learning, The More Students Learn

2010-07-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

KIPP should be commended for the academic results they generate by offering extended school days and longer school years for their students. The Mathematica Policy research on 22 KIPP schools across the country showed that regardless of race and class, students learn better when more time is devoted to learning and individual attention is given to students. Despite KIPP’s reality, the truth is that not all schools are structured or governed like KIPP.

Many traditional public schools are constrained by factors that limit their capacity and ability to provide a longer school day. This is where community-based programs, like Higher Achievement come into play. Public schools can and should tap into high quality and rigorous community programs that can become their extended learning time partners and help generate the academic results that schools, students, families and the community want. The culture of high expectations, excellence and learning should not just be within the school’s purview; it should be a culture to which every community institution contributes. Young people should experience academic rigor and a culture of high expectation not only in their schools from 8 am to 3 pm, but in their after-school programs, summer programs, museums, libraries, and ultimately in their homes.

Click here to see the Post article on KIPP.

Good News from DCPS!

2010-07-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

As you may have heard, a lot of good news is being generated from the District of Columbia Public School system and the Public Charter School Board, regarding the academic gains among the city’s high school students. While the upward trend in test scores is due to a myriad of strategies, we at Higher Achievement believe one of those strategies is better prepared middle-school students and more engaged families. With strong supports in middle-school, and placement in top high schools, we work to ensure that all of our children will be career and college ready.

In order for this upward trajectory of success to continue, it is imperative that the community rally behind DCPS and public charter schools. When success is attained, it is far too easy to become complacent. The latest test scores should be only a small glimpse into what is possible. Higher Achievement offers opportunities for community members, funders and future teachers to engage in this movement. By mentoring a child through middle-school, investing in our family and outreach services, and working as a Summer Teacher in an urban district, this glimpse of possibility turns into a sea of opportunity: opportunities to attend top high schools and achieve the academic success we are just starting to see; opportunities to attend college; opportunities to be successful in school – and in life.

DC Leaders Join Higher Achievement in Celebration of the Launch of the New Ward 8 Achievement Center

2010-07-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Higher Achievement celebrated the launch of its new Ward 8 Achievement Center with an official ribbon cutting ceremony. In addition to Higher Achievement’s first class of Ward 8 scholars and their families, community supporters, key program partners, funders, and several DC officials filled Savoy Elementary School’s gymnasium to show their support.

Guest speakers included Council Chairman Vincent Gray, Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry, and Alison Starling of WJLA. Additional speakers were Dr. Shawn Bender (Assistant Principal of Savoy), Jacque Patterson (Federal City Council and Ward 8 Democrats), Peggy O’Brien (Chief of Family and Public Engagement, DCPS) and Sarah Latterner (Executive Office of the Mayor).

The guest speakers collectively spoke to the promise of the Ward 8 community, and how excited they are to see Higher Achievement expand its boundaries in its flagship city. Chairman Gray spoke to the success that Higher Achievement has already seen east of the river at the Ward 7 Achievement Center, while Alison Starling marveled at how good it felt to shed positive light in the news realm.

Dominique Jones, an alumna of Higher Achievement, confidently took the podium and admitted that she was once afraid to show her academic savvy. “With Higher Achievement, I learned that being smart was ok. In fact, it was praised.” Moments before an explosion of applause, Dominique asserted that Ward 8’s new class of scholars were “catalysts for much needed change,” and that she, along with everyone else in the gymnasium, expected great things from the scholars adorned in their bright green Higher Achievement t-shirts.

The ceremony’s highlight was the energetic scholar performances led Higher Achievement staff. Ward 8 Center Director and 1982 Higher Achievement graduate Durya Durham spoke about her vision for the new Achievement Center, and promised that she was preparing scholars to make great academic gains.

Additional Higher Achievement supporters represented the following organizations: DC US Attorney’s Office, US Navy, DCPS, CYITC, Banyan Tree Foundation, Cafritz Foundation, Horning Family Fund, CityBridge Foundation, THE ARC, Local Initiatives Support Coalition and Freddie Mac.

Higher Achievement Baltimore a 2010 Ravens Plan In Motion Grant Recipient!

2010-07-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Baltimore Ravens Provide Nearly $100,000 in Grants to 20 Local Nonprofits Through
2010 Plan in Motion Project

The Ravens All Community Team Foundation (RACTF) has awarded nearly $100,000 in grants to 20 nonprofit organizations in the Baltimore metropolitan area. In its fourth year, the Ravens’ Plan in Motion project once again provided grants of up to $5,000 for initiating and/or growing programs or projects that promote physical fitness and nutritional education among youth.

The 2010 Plan in Motion grant funding will support a variety of programs, such as Tai Chi classes, Squash clubs, cooking instruction and after school intramurals, all working to encourage healthy youth activities. Projects that received grants for 2010 include: Funding of classes through Girls on the Run of Greater Chesapeake, which combined training for a 5K with self-esteem uplifting workouts; Continued support of the Patterson Area Elementary Soccer League for three Baltimore schools, which will double in size from 2009; Providing the Baltimore County Police Athletic League’s mountain biking program with funds to purchase new equipment for scheduled biking trips; Supporting the Baltimore Fitness Academy, which educates and mentors urban youth to become employed as certified fitness professionals and ambassadors of health in Baltimore; and, Providing scholarships for students to attend Camp Soveya, a summer program that addresses female childhood obesity in the Jewish community.

The Ravens All Community Team Foundation is dedicated to improving and facilitating the healthy development of youth in Baltimore and throughout the state of Maryland. The Plan in Motion project is designed to encourage healthy youth activities and promote the importance of nutrition and exercise for children. Across the 20 nonprofit organizations, close to 8,000 Baltimore-area youth will benefit from the RACTF grants in the coming year.

Other 2010 Ravens Plan in Motion Grant Recipients include:

Baltimore County PAL (Dundalk and Lansdowne)
Baltimore Fitness Academy
Baltimore Squash Wise
Boys and Girls Club of Harford County
Bridges at St. Paul’s School
Camp Fire USA Baltimore
Camp Soveya
Child First Authority
Dundalk High School
Girls on the Run of Greater Chesapeake
Monte Sanders FIT FAMILIES
Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital
Patterson Public Charter School
Playworks Baltimore
ReWired for Change
Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy
SEED School of Maryland
The Maryland School for the Blind
Wolfe Street Academy, under Baltimore Curriculum Project

Higher Achievement CEO Serves as Guest Speaker for the Aspen Institute!

2010-06-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Richard Tagle, Higher Achievement's CEO, will be participating as a guest speaker in the Aspen Institute's 2010 Ideas Festival from July 5th-11th.

Entering its sixth year, the Aspen Ideas Festival is a conversation-packed exploration of some of the most important ideas and pressing issues we face. Presented by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic magazine, the Festival strives to highlight the ideas of experts at the forefront of their fields and of leaders whose actions are changing the world.

From early in the morning until late at night, inspiring and provocative writers, public officials, artists, scientists, business executives, scholars, economists, foreign policy specialists, entrepreneurs, and leaders of all kinds — drawn from myriad fields, from across the country and from around the world — will gather to address audiences of people who want to be challenged and who are interested in learning about the world and the ideas that are shaping it. 

Check out more on the festival, and the featured speakers.

Higher Achievement CEO Joins Board of Local Non-profit

2010-06-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Higher Achievement CEO Richard Tagle was voted into the Nonprofit Roundtable for Greater Washington's board of directors to serve a 3-year term beginning this fall.

The Nonprofit Roundtable works to build the strength, visibility, and influence of the nonprofit community in order to create a more just and caring community in Greater Washington. Their membersinclude advocacy organizations, direct service providers, grantmakers, and corporate partners all working together to solve regional problems.

"I am excited to have this opportunity," Richard shared recently. "This brings us first-hand knowledge and access to issues both nonprofit and philanthopic entities are talking and concerned about, and also provides a great platform to highlight Higher Achievement's work to many colleagues, funders and champions."

To learn more about the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, click here.

Baltimore Scholar Testifies Before Congress!

2010-06-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

June 29, 2010 - Higher Achievement scholar, Ariea Hughes testified in support of the Congressional reauthorization of the summer breakfast and lunch program. Ariea delivered an impressive testimony and stole the show! Speaking in front of Senator Brown from Ohio, the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the director of Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Ariea participated on a panel with two other people and was the only young person to speak.

See below to read a portion of Ariea's testimony:

"The summer is a very important time because when it’s time for us to go to the next grade, we’ll be ahead. Higher Achievement and the Summer Food Program are important because they help me reach my goal and my goal is to get and finish my education. By providing me with breakfast and lunch each day, I get balanced meals that help me focus. By eating healthy foods, we do better in school. Each day we get a complete meal, which includes meat, vegetables, fruit, and a snack. The food is very nutritious and it feeds our brains and gives us energy. Higher Achievement also teaches us nutrition tips of the day about why we should eat healthy. I have learned a lot from these tips and feel good about myself for eating healthy foods."

Higher Achievement to Serve More Students East of the River!

2010-06-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Higher Achievement announced today that it will open a new Achievement Center in Ward 8 on June 28. The center, located at Savoy Elementary School, will be the organization’s sixth achievement center; the second of which established to serve students east of the river. To celebrate this new Center, Higher Achievement will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 20th, at the school from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Invited guests include Mayor Adrian Fenty, City Council Chairman Vincent Gray and Councilmember Yvette Alexander; news personality Alison Starling is scheduled to attend.

“The opportunity to ensure that young people have a fair chance to achieve academic success is important to Higher Achievement,” said Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Executive Director of Higher Achievement DC Metro. “We are excited to be able to bring Higher Achievement to the Ward 8 community, and we are grateful for the enthusiastic support we have received from city and educational leaders. We look forward to the success of our Ward 8 scholars.”

In 2009, Higher Achievement graduates saw a remarkable increase in their GPAs over their time in the program, from an average 2.5 to 3.1 by graduation. 95% of 2010 graduating scholars were placed in top high schools including Gonzaga, Banneker Academic High School, School Without Walls, and McKinley Tech.

Higher Achievement is a part of another AUDACIOUS IDEA!

2010-06-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

Audacious Ideas is a blog created to stimulate ideas and discussion about solutions to difficult problems in Baltimore. Each week, they ask individuals to think candidly and audaciously about what can be done to promote opportunity, achievement, health, and prosperity in our city.

Check out Higher Achievement's in this link!

The Wallace Foundation Partners with Higher Achievement in Support of Summer and Extended Learning

2010-06-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

Washington, DC June 22, 2010 – Higher Achievement announced today that the Wallace Foundation has made a landmark investment of $3 million in Higher Achievement over the next three years. Higher Achievement, one of only four service providers from across the country selected, is a part of the foundation’s initiative to provide disadvantaged urban students with more time for high-quality learning – both through improved summer learning opportunities, and through extending the school day and school year.

The foundation has joined with an initial group of partners to help build understanding and develop knowledge that districts, cities and states can use to take action. In addition to Higher Achievement, those partners include: The National Summer Learning Association, The National Center on Time and Learning, Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL), Horizons National, RAND, MDRC, and Child Trends.

“The support that we are receiving from the Wallace Foundation is revolutionary,” said Richard Tagle, Higher Achievement CEO. “We are honored to be part of a select group of organizations that are deemed to be doing high quality work as leaders in innovation and proven practices in the field. This grant will allow us to expand our capacity to serve more scholars, evaluate our summer academy, and improve the quality of our program.”

Wallace’s initiative comes amid increased interest and concern about what approaches are most effective in boosting student achievement:

In the area of summer learning, research shows that over the summer break common in most school districts, all children – but especially poor children – lose some of what they have learned during the school year. Despite this evidence of the problem, less is known about what measures might be effective to solve it, and what state and district policies would be needed to support those measures. Evaluations demonstrate that effective summer learning programs can reduce summer learning loss, but there are few instances of those programs being successfully applied across a district – something Wallace hopes to test with one or more district partners.

In the area of extended learning time, the evidence is unclear about what it takes for more time added to the school day, week or year to make a difference in students’ academic achievement. However, studies of extended learning time have shown positive effects on students’ school attendance, engagement and social and emotional development.

With an initial investment of $9 million, Wallace is focusing on three main strategies: 1) building awareness and understanding of the value of adding more time for high-quality learning, 2) supporting national organizations that do a good job of educating children in now-underutilized hours in order to help those groups reach more children, and 3) working with selected school districts, to test how programs to provide more high-quality learning time might be applied widely in a district to help disadvantaged children.

With the generous support from Wallace, Higher Achievement will be able to open a new affiliate in Richmond, Virginia, improve the operations of our national office, DC Metro affiliate and Baltimore affiliate, evaluate the effectiveness of its programs, and share best practices with the field.

This Week's I am a DCPS Graduate: Jasmina Rivas, Higher Achievement Alumna

2010-06-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Click here to read about the great things that our Alumna, Jasmina Rivas is up to!

OSI Audacious IDEA features Ashburton!

2010-06-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Click here to read the feature.

Lynsey Wood Jeffries as 1 of 12 NGen Fellows!

2010-06-08T14:33:00.001-07:00

Higher Achievement Executive Director Lynsey Wood Jeffries joins Independent Sector’s 2010 American Express NGen fellows! This selective program is part of IS’s NGen: Moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now initiative, which helps build the next generation of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders. Jeffries is one of 12 under-40 fellows.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to learn with this top-notch group of NGen Fellows,” Jeffries shared. “I’m thankful for the significant growth I’ve experienced in the past 5 years with Higher Achievement. Now, I look forward to continuing the cycle, mentoring the next generation of young leaders to become future Executive Directors.”

Click here to learn more about Independent Sector’s NGen initiative, and the professionals who make up this year’s class.

Higher Achievement Baltimore Gets Ready for Love.....

2010-05-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Higher Achievement Baltimore Presents, Love Out Loud!, the first annual Literary Love Poetry Performance

The event will feature the original work of ten scholar poets who claimed first place titles in Higher Achievement’s local poetry contests earlier this month. Patrice Harris, Fox 45 anchor, will be the guest speaker at this event.

You want to know what inspires our scholars to share their most initmate thoughts? Click here and get some inspiration of your own.

Event Details:

Who: Higher Achievement scholar poets
What: First Annual Literary Love Poetry Performance: Love Out Loud!
When: Thursday, May 20, 2010
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Where: Morgan State University Student Center Theater
1700 East Cold Spring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21251
We hope to see you there!

The First Lady Teams Up With Higher Achievement in a Day of Service

2010-04-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 30, 2009: First Lady Michelle Obama and Congressional spouses teamed up with Higher Achievement and the Sitar Arts Center for a service event yesterday at the Marie Reed Learning Center in the Adams Morgan community of northwest Washington, DC. The group painted a mural and planted a butterfly garden at the Center to help make the space more visually engaging and vibrant for the children and members of the community who make use of the Center’s programs and facilities.

The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities helped design the service project in collaboration with two winners of the Committee’s 2009 Coming Up Taller Award – Higher Achievement, a rigorous after-school and summer academic program that culminates into high school placement, and the Sitar Arts Center, an after-school visual and performing arts center in Adams Morgan providing a range of arts training to children and youth by professional artists.

Along with several other Higher Achievement staff members and scholar representatives, Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Executive Director of Higher Achievement DC Metro, was proud to participate in the day of service. “It was an honor to be in partnership with Sitar and the First Lady in this community service opportunity. Additionally, to see our scholars casually and confidently talking with the First Lady about Higher Achievement’s mentors and telling the Congressional spouses about their dreams to be architects and elementary school teachers was priceless.”

Community service is an important component of the Higher Achievement curriculum. Past service projects have included a trip to New Orleans to assist with the aftermath of Katrina, and participation in local food drives with the Capital Area Food Bank.

See the links below for more coverage on this event.

Washington Post

Michelle Obama Watch

Michelle Obama Blog

Huffington Post

Higher Achievement Testifies Before the Senate!

2010-04-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Executive Director of Higher Achievement DC Metro, will be testifying before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on the importance of meeting the needs of the whole student. She will speak specifically to Higher Achievement's model, alignment with school standards, summer and after-school instruction, and measurements of effectiveness.

Click here to find out more information and see live footage. Lynsey's testimony begins at the 46:30 mark.

About the HELP Committee

The committee is led by Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Mike Enzi. Under their leadership, the Committee is composed of three subcommittees, which have a broad jurisdiction over our country's health care, education, employment and retirement policies

Higher Achievement E-newsletter: April 2010

2010-04-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

The April 2010 edition of Higher Achievement's e-newsletter is ready for your review! Click here to check it out.

Higher Achievement Featured in the Washington Business Journal

2010-04-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Click here to read more.

The Cost of Quality? Priceless.

2010-04-07T07:32:00.001-07:00

I get excited when I talk about Higher Achievement. I often need to control myself and organize my thoughts as there are lots of ways I can talk about the work we do. I can talk about our rigorous curriculum, our culture of high expectations and hard work, our data-driven approach, our outcomes-based model, the professional development support we provide to staff, or the long term impact we see among Higher Achievement alumni.

But one question always stumps me: why do we cost so much?

So much in comparison to what? We spend between $4500 and $4800 a year per scholar to provide them with a full range of academic supports during the school year and in the summer. We take them on college trips, high school trips, provide them with learning mentors, and expand the opportunities for them to be placed in high schools that get them on track to college. We give them the opportunity to maximize their potential. Is that worth $4800? Broken down on a monthly basis, we provide these supports for $400 a month -- or $100 a week, or down to $7.80 an hour.

It seems to me a narrow measuring stick for effectiveness and efficiency when cost is considered by itself. In that same vein, many often look at overhead and general administrative rates to measure “efficiency” as if non-profit organizations could fully function with minimum back end support.

I often respond to the cost question with a short response: $4800; which is then followed by a long soliloquy on costs versus investments. We often look at dollars used for children’s issues as costs -- not investments in the kind of society we want to build in the future. As a society, we try to minimize spending now on things that we know children need to become productive, responsible and contributing adults: nutritious food, good shelters, solid education, safe communities, physical education, art appreciation, and the list goes on and on.

During a four-year stay at Higher Achievement, we would have invested almost $20,000 in a young person who will eventually go to college, earn a degree, get a job, raise a family and change the world. To me, it’s a very cheap price to pay for a society I want to live and grow old in.

CEO, Richard Tagle Reflects.......

2010-04-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

At Higher Achievement, funders, advocates and other champions often visit our Achievement Centers to see our program in action. These tours provide a glimpse of the rigor and high expectations all scholars experience every day and night at center.

During one particular tour, a communications expert had a chance to witness Community Meeting and see how scholars and mentors alike interact, speak out, share opinions and challenge each other’s views. After Community Meeting, he met with a small group of scholars for a roundtable discussion.

He asked as simple question: Why do you attend a program like Higher Achievement?

The responses varied from “I want to be challenged,” to “My friends come here.” One scholar claimed that, at first, it was her mom who told her to join, but now, after two years of being in the program, she could not imagine being any where else.

The guest asked another question: Wouldn’t you rather do something fun instead of math or reading?

The scholars looked at each other, smiled and were unanimous in their response; learning is fun. “At Higher Achievement, math and reading are not subjects that you sit down to learn. We are always learning new things, but the way we learn them is fun. We have competitions like Spelling Bee, and Olympics of the Mind; .it is not boring.”

I was smiling until one scholar said, “Well, sometimes it’s boring; sorry, Mr. Richard. But it’s better than just being at home watching TV all night and not doing something productive.”

Spoken like a true ten year old scholar.

Higher Achievement Named "Top 10 School" by Hopkins' CTY

2010-03-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

Higher Achievement was recently named a Top School in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Talent Search for 2009.

The annual CTY Talent Search reflects upon the school's academic quality, student abilities, and teacher talent. It also reflects upon the school leadership that encourages students to seek out educational challenges beyond traditional school walls.

Higher Achievement is proud to be recognized by Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, and will work to ensure that we continue to serve our scholars to the best of our abilities.

Click here to see the list and find out more information.

Test Scores Up in DC!

2010-03-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

Click here to read the Washington Post's coverage of this good news.

Higher Achievement Scholars on Confidence

2010-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Every chance we get, we at Higher Achievement talk about the wonderful changes that we’ve seen in our scholars. For a change, we’ve decided to let you hear about those changes straight from the scholars themselves:

“I feel that Higher Achievement has built up my confidence. When I first jointed, I felt like I wasn’t going to meet anybody. Ever since I joined Higher Achievement, I have good self confidence. I’m not afraid to speak to a crowd. It has also helped my social life. The confidence that I have now cannot be compared at all to the confidence that I had 3 years ago. I love being the leader of my classes. I am the one that is not afraid to speak what’s on my mind. I would have to say that if I never came to Higher Achievement, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.”

- Reynaldo L., 8th grade scholar

“Higher Achievement helped me with my confidence by showing me that being smart wasn’t something to hide, but something to be proud of. They also helped me with public speaking, by encouraging me to participate in different events like the Literary Love Poetry Competition, Spelling Bee and the Ambassador Competition. Higher Achievement helped me gain two really important qualities, like public speaking and people skills, neither of which I had before starting the program.”

- Greglena S., 8th grade scholar

Baltimore's Spelling Bee a Huge S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

2010-03-18T07:51:00.001-07:00

This month, Higher Achievement Baltimore hosted its Inaugural Spelling Bee. Over 30 scholars participated, practicing each day so they could tackle words such as “proximity,” “blatant,” and “benign.”

Click here to see the video of scholars preparing for the Spelling Bee.

Parents, mentors, principals, teachers, and our esteemed judges packed the house to cheer on the scholars and celebrate the importance of academic competition! After rounds of intense competition, 3 scholars per Center emerged as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place champions!

We are proud of all of our scholars for their effort, sportsmanship, and demonstration of Higher Achievement’s culture principles: Excellence, Respect, and Spirit. We look forward to seeing the scholars perform again at our upcoming Love Poetry Performance in May!

Special thanks to our judges: City Councilwoman Conaway, Bea Scott, Karan McClimans, Kristie McManus, Rosalinda Fleming, and Ronald Triplet.

Higher Achievement Featured in Harvard OST Study!

2010-03-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

Click here to read the overview and download the study in its entirety.

Mayer Brown Hosts Mock Trial for Higher Achievement Scholars

2010-03-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

Twenty DC scholars participated in a career day and mock trial at Mayer Brown on Monday, and it was highlighted in BISNOW, a media company.

Click here to see the feature. Scroll down to the story entitled, "Your Replacements."

Higher Achievement Scholar Testifies Before the Maryland Senate

2010-02-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement scholar Ta’Shawn Miles has done it again!

(Ta'Shawn is photographed above with Senator Catherine Pugh.)

This time, Ta'Shawn had the opportunity to testify before the Maryland Senate in favor of Senate Bill 580, an After School and Summer Learning Activity fund. SB580/HB1197 “Maryland Afterschool and Summer Learning Activity Program – Income Tax Checkoff,” establishes the “Maryland After-School and Summer Learning Activity Fund” which is funded through a voluntary donation by taxpayers via a check-off on the Maryland State income tax return.

You can read an excerpt of Ta'Shawn's remarks below:

"Our mentors help us to feel confident in what we have learned in school and help to teach us more. They don’t only teach us educational lessons, but they teach us skills such as how to deal with conflict, right from wrong and how to work with others in a team.

Mentors are great because they are like family that knows how to tutor you. It feels good to have adult friends that I know want the best for me and will help me to get the best.

I would like to become a mentor as soon as I am able to so that I can help children through the education and life experiences that I have and will gain.
I am thankful to Higher Achievement for giving me these opportunities. I think every child should have an after school and summer program like Higher Achievement.
Thank you."

Be Spellbound by Higher Achievement Baltimore’s First Annual Spelling Bee!

2010-02-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement Baltimore will be hosting their first annual Spelling Bee, joined by Council Member Belinda Conaway, who will assist the organization in facilitating their very first signature event. The Spelling Bee will feature the spelling talents of middle school students from Higher Achievement’s West Baltimore Achievement Center, and is an annual celebration of the students’ hard work and academic excellence. The Spelling Bee will be held on Tuesday, March 2, at 6:00 pm at Dr. Nathan A. Pitts Ashburton Elementary/ Middle School, which will be followed by an Award Ceremony.

Event Details:
Who: Higher Achievement Scholars
What: First Annual Spelling Bee (with Council Member Belinda Conway)
When: Tuesday, March 2nd
6:00 pm
Where: Dr. Nathan A. Pitts Ashburton Elementary/ Middle School
3935 Hilton Road Baltimore, MD 21215

Higher Achievement Spotlighted by Baltimore's Education Channel 77

2010-02-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

Click here to check it out! Higher Achievement's coverage begins a little after the 12 minute mark, and ends shortly after the 15 minute mark.

ENJOY!

Higher Achievement Scholar TaShawn Miles Featured by the Open Society Institute-Baltimore

2010-02-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

Audacious Ideas is a blog created to stimulate ideas and discussion about solutions to difficult problems in Baltimore. Each week, they ask individuals to think candidly and audaciously about what can be done to promote opportunity, achievement, health and prosperity in our city.

This week, Higher Achievement's own Ta’Shawn Miles, talks to the importance of having mentors in his life, and his meeting President Obama. To read his audacious idea click here.

The Literary Love Poetry Performance: A Huge Success

2010-02-19T14:16:00.000-08:00

On February 17, 2010, approximately 250 supporters gathered in the Kennedy Center’s Family Theatre, for the 5th annual Literary Love Poetry Performance. The event celebrated 8 of Higher Achievement’s 450 scholars. The Literary Love Poetry Performance is the climax to one of Higher Achievement’s signature Center events - the Literary Love Poem Competition - that highlights the poetic talents of middle school students, and their ability to combine their literary knowledge with personal creativity.

The event’s audience consisted of family members, mentors, funders, general supporters and press. The audience was moved by the poet deliveries and the depth at which middle schoolers could reflect on love. Scholar emcee Taylor Kelly from the Ward 1 Achievement Center put it best when she said, “It’s ALL OVER this world! It’s in this country, in the towns we live in, in our homes, our schools, in this program, and in this room RIGHT NOW!.”

The evening’s featured poets delivered inspiring poetry that focused on everything from the love of one’s brother, to the undying love of one’s culture. The featured scholars represented Wards 1, 4, 6 and 7 in the DC Metro area.

The featured poets are listed below:

(Ward 1 Scholars)
Elexia Alleyne
Josanna Dowtin

(Ward 4 Scholars)
Jelani White and James Butler
Chioma Aneke

(Ward 6 Scholars)
Jerome Parks
Noelle Edwards

(Ward 7 Scholars)
Timani Richardson
Greglena Sanders

Higher Achievement Alumna Featured by the National Campaign for Summer Learning

2010-02-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement alumna, Zenniah Davis, was recently featured by the National Campaign for Summer Learning. Last summmer, Higher Achievement submitted entries from both mentors and scholars that told our story. Click here to check out Zenniah's story.

Teaching Algebra Before 9th Grade

2010-02-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement came across some interesting findings on the efforts to teach all students algebra by 9th grade. One important point that a commenter made is that we can and should teach algebraic thinking and reasoning early on, if not the actual algebra; this is reflected in both Higher Achievement standards and in the Higher Achievement curriculum. Check out the article in Education Week.

Higher Achievement Featured in the Nonprofit Quarterly!

2010-02-02T12:24:00.001-08:00

Higher Achievement CEO, Richard Tagle and Chief of Programs, Rachel Gwaltney were recently featured in the Nonprofit Quarterly, addressing the state of philanthropy under the Obama administration. Just click on the images below to read the article.

Higher Achievement Mentor Featured by Local University

2010-01-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement mentor Steve Fittery is featured by American University for the great work he is doing with his Higher Achievement scholars.

Click here to see the video!

Higher Achievement Alumni Accompanies Mrs. Obama!

2010-01-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

Janell Holloway, Higher Achievement Alumna, sat with First Lady Michelle Obama during the recent State of the Union Address.

D.C. native Janell Holloway, a Higher Achievement scholar, attended Banneker Academic High School and interned with the White House Domestic Policy Council during the summer of 2009. Janell is now a freshman at Harvard.

Memoirs of a Mentor - Shared by Sarah Pitcock, of Higher Achievement Baltimore

2010-01-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned a few times my love for mentoring at Higher Achievement and for my mentees. They have really brought so much joy into my life in such a short time. I am very blessed to spend time each week with Ta’Shawn Miles, a sixth grader at Collington Square with hopes and dreams that far exceed the small radius of East Baltimore he knows.

Since the first day I met him, Ta’Shawn has been talking about President Barack Obama (he always calls him by his full title). Seeing an African American man become President has truly changed Ta’Shawn’s concept of what he can do with his life. He talks about him ALL the time!

When I went to mentoring on Tuesday, the Center Director told me that Ta’Shawn’s mom had picked him up early that day to go buy him a suit because he was going to the White House to represent Higher Achievement and United Way for a National Mentoring Month event the next day. I nearly fell over, and I’ve had chills ever since just thinking about what the experience would be like for him.

I wasn’t sure if the President would actually be there or if Ta’Shawn would have any contact with him, but I got the full update this morning and the picture below says it all. Ta’Shawn is front row, second from left:

I am just bursting with pride today and wanted to share. Here is Ta’Shawn’s official quote about the experience, for historical record: “It was so exciting. I never thought a day in my life I’d get to meet the first Black President of the United States. It was an honor for me to walk into the White House, because so many people will never have that experience.”

You can watch the video of the President’s speech here.

Remembering Who We Serve

2010-01-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

Too often, not-for-profit organizations get so caught up in their day-to-day operations that they can forget what our hard work brings not just to the organization but also to the kids and families they serve. At Higher Achievement, I once described the business we are in as the creation of “hope.” We bring hope and opportunity to families who experience first-hand what it is like to move about amidst dysfunction and chaos in their community and in their schools. We provide their children with a broader perspective of what the world can offer them and that they do not have to settle for their current situations. Our rigorous curriculum, our mentors, field trips, competitions, and other activities are geared towards making them shine, confident, and excel. We cannot lose sight of any of that.

Higher Achievement Featured by the LCCR

2010-01-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

Check out the video coverage that the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund recently posted about Higher Achievement. This video was created as a part of the Realize the Dream Campaign. Click here to see the video now!

Higher Achievement Signs on to Race to the Top Letter

2009-12-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement helped draft and signed on to a letter highlighting the role of summer learning in the Race to the Top initiative at the US Dept of Education.

The select group of high-quality summer learning providers listed below, wrote to respond to the recently announced priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the Race to the Top Fund. We are requesting further clarification on the new definition of “increased learning time” to ensure there is no confusion among applicants as to whether the new term specifically includes summer programs run by non-profit and community-based organizations.

The letter was also endorsed by:

National Summer Learning Association
Aim High (San Francisco)
BELL
Bridges to a Brighter Future at Furman University
Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools
Energy Express at West Virginia University
Harlem RBI
Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative
Higher Achievement
Parks and People Foundation (SuperKids Camp-Baltimore)
Project Morry
Summer Advantage, USA
Summer Scholars (Denver)
Think Together
Trail Blazers

For more information on the Race to the Top Fund, click here.

Higher Achievement Alumni Gets Accepted into the Posse Program

2009-12-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement is proud to announce that our alumni, Joseph Ferguson,was accepted into the Posse Program at Bucknell University for next fall! Joe (currently a senior at Georgetown Day School) will be able to attend Bucknell University on a FULL SCHOLARSHIP!

Congratulations, Joe!

If you areinterested in learning more about Posse, please click here.

Community Collaboration

2009-12-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

A day doesn’t go by that I am not asked about what “we” can do to improve education and opportunity for all children. So, who is the “we?”

It’s me, it you, it’s parents, it’s teachers – it’s the community. We must encourage collaboration between the children, their families and those within the community, like Higher Achievement and other programs, who provide resources. At Higher Achievement, the community is what makes our program thrive. We solicit the help of local and national foundations to sustain our budget as we do this work; we use retired teachers, college students and young professionals to mentor our scholars; we rely on partnerships with the local school system to help provide a space and a means to run our program; we encourage our current mentors to tap into their personal and professional networks to ensure that every scholar has a mentor for every subject; and we reach out to local corporations who provide resources like field trips and school supplies for our scholars. Without all of these external resources, Higher Achievement couldn’t exist.

I am a strong proponent of enabling every member of our community to have access to opportunities to improve their lives, and enable them to fulfill their responsibility in a civil and democratic society. Our development as a community, and as a society, depends on each of us fulfilling our obligations.

At Higher Achievement, we believe in three main principles. First, that talent is everywhere. In every city, every community and every school, there are students who have the talent to do anything they set their minds to. Second, that intellect is built through effort. The more rigor a student approaches their academics with, the more they enable themselves to build intellect. And third, opportunities matter. Every chance you give a student to shine, is a chance that puts them one step closer to their destinies. As we believe in all of these principles at Higher Achievement, I also believe that we have the responsibility to use our talent to improve our lives and the communities we live in. By doing so, we increase our community’s potential to grow and develop and ensure that all of us are thriving.

This work of shaping our community’s potential is not just work that we need to do. It is our responsibility to do so. No ifs, ands or buts. We live in this community and it is our responsibility to make sure that we are building the kind of community our children will want to grow up in, live in, and make a difference in.

Great Things Are Happening in Baltimore!

2009-12-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

Higher Achievement Baltimore was featured in the Baltimore Sun today! Click here to read the article.

Higher Achievement Enewsletter

2009-11-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

Click here to read the latest and greatest news about Higher Achievement!

CEO, Richard Tagle on Measuring Success

2009-11-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

I am often asked how an organization like Higher Achievement measures success. Do we measure it through individual student progress or do we measure it through school performance? District-wide changes? Do we measure our impact on teaching and learning in schools? Do we assess how we improve community culture and supports for young people?

I would like to put to rest one thing: we did, currently do, and always will measure our success through individual scholar outcomes. It is what we are passionate about, it is our niche, and it is what makes us unique. Are you familiar with the Hedgehog Principle? That is why Higher Achievement constantly collects data about individual scholars: their demographics, their grades, test scores, attitudes, behaviors, skills. That is why we have small mentoring groups, summer class sizes. That is why we have competitions that enable individual scholars to shine. That is why we have an 8:1 ratio for homework help time. We provide individual attention.

Of course we analyze data both in aggregated and disaggregated fashion. But we need to differentiate our core strategy from our mechanism of analysis. We analyze group data to determine trends and center-specific and affiliate specific issues. But we will always measure scholar outcomes individually – did a scholar improve his or her grades? Test score? Did they build this or that skill? Is the scholar improving their academic behavior and attitude? Is this scholar doing better academically because of Higher Achievement?

Does our focus on scholar outcomes prevent us from measuring other ways we impact schools and communities? No, not at all.

When I meet with people not familiar with Higher Achievement, I highlight 3 things that make us different from other out of school time programs:
1. First, we are year-round. We offer both summer and after school academies. Very few programs have a year-round approach. Even fewer are year-round approaches that are academic-centric.
2. Second, we have a high school placement component. This niche allows us to concentrate on successfully transitioning youth in middle school, and placing them in high schools that get them on track to college.
3. Third, the combination of our culture and curriculum is a powerful force. Marrying a culture of excellence and high expectations with a social-justice themed curriculum is genius.

Add these three things together and Higher Achievement has found its unique place under the sun. The beauty of these elements is that these are both scholar-centric and allow Higher Achievement to have an impact at various levels: at the family level (we increase the level of parent involvement and engagement), at the school level (our feeder-based recruitment allows us to see if we are able to influence and impact school culture and performance), and at the systems level (our partnerships extend our reach and voice to promote a culture of excellence to everyone).

Recognizing Achievement from Beginning to End

2009-11-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

This week, our very own Erin Hodge-Williams, Executive Director of Higher Achievement Baltimore, is a guest blogger on The Open Society Institute’s blog about audacious ideas. Click here to read why we should celebrate the beginnings of students' successes rather than waiting until their journey’s are complete.

CEO, Richard Tagle Reflects on His First Day of Mentoring

2009-11-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

Last month, I started mentoring two 5th grade scholars at our Ward 1 Achievement (Adams Morgan section of Washington, DC). Jessinia just turned eleven and Jonathan is ten. To get to know each other better, I asked each of them to make a list about their likes, dislikes etc, that would help me get to know them better. I asked for their favorite subjects in school. Jessinia likes science and social studies because she likes learning new things, while Jonathan likes reading because he likes to write stories. Both think Math is hard and takes a lot of hard work.

I asked them about favorite food. Jessinia likes pizza…with pepperoni…from Dominos. Jonathan likes chicken parmesan. His choice came as a no brainer when he explained he wanted to be a chef when he grows up. We talked about food that he already knows how to cook.”Eggs,” he said, “I scramble it with salt, pepper.” Jessinia, not to be outdone, said she knows how to make tortillas. And Jonathan, in a show of one upmanship raised the bar: he knows how to make pupusas.

“You take the dough like this, and roll it like this with your hands."
"Okay," I imitated with my own hands.
"Then you take the chicken or the carnitas and put in the middle like this."
"Umm," I wondered, "how do I cook the chicken or carnitas?"
"Umm…. I don't know, It just comes that way. I will ask my dad, but usually when I get to the kitchen to help, its ready."

Both spoke about their fathers in high regard. Their fathers are the best – one put his son in the soccer team, while the other takes his daughter shopping for things she needs in school. The high level of pride and beam in their eyes when they talk about the work their fathers do were feelings I can relate to. Both of their dads are great cooks – in fact one is a chef at a big hotel in downtown.

We then moved on to the lesson at hand: understanding standard English and vernacular (they learned the definitions of the word vernacular, which according to American Dictionary are 1) the language of state or nation of origin; 2) slang; or 3) everyday language. It was differentiated from standard English.

Why do you need to be good at both vernacular and standard English?
Both gave good answers:
1) Because in school they are strict about standard English;
2) Because other members of your family can only speak Spanish so you need to be able to talk to them and there are other people who only speak English.
3) Because if you are applying for a job, and you know two languages, you will get hired.

Its amazing how our scholars can grasp the real world issues of culture, economy, and of course street survival.
The focus eventually turned toward me when they started asking me about my language -- which led to my travels, which led to China. They asked me 3 times throughout the evening if I were Chinese. Three times I reminded them I'm Filipino. And three times they asked me why I looked Chinese.

Anyway, we had some geography lessons as well, because they asked about China a lot:
1) Is the Great Wall really great? I said yes, its about a thousand miles long. And from outer space, you can actually see its outline.
2) Is Tokyo the largest city in China? Umm….. no because Tokyo is in Japan. The largest city in China is Beijing, but only based on how you define a city. There are places in China that are larger than Texas which is considered a province, and they have big cities, too.
3) We love Chinese food. What's the best Chinese restaurant in DC? I said, probably Mei Wah on M Street, but I haven’t been to all. Jonathan said the best is the one beside 7-11. He likes the fried rice there.

The First Lady Presents Higher Achievement with the Coming Up Taller Award

2009-11-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, November 4, 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama presented Higher Achievement with the Coming Up Taller Award, the nation’s highest honor for out-of-school time organizations providing humanities and arts programming to children with great potential, but limited outlets for creative expression. Higher Achievement is one of only 15 award winners selected from more than 400 nominees from across the nation, and one of only 2 award winners from the DC Metro area.

Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Executive Director of Higher Achievement DC Metro, and Brion Tillman-Young, Ward 7 Higher Achievement scholar, received the Coming Up Taller award on behalf of the organization. Read Lynsey’s comments below:

“I must say, Michelle Obama was even more amazing in person than she is on television or in photos. She’s stunningly beautiful, elegant, poised, warm and kind.

At the ceremony, the Co-Chairman, Margo Lion, named only one winner in her comments –hometown awardee Higher Achievement! She praised the organization for our significant grade improvements and intensive mentoring structure.

Despite strict rules to simply walk across the stage, shake the First Lady's hand and say, "Thank you,” Brion sprinted across the stage and gave Mrs. Obama a huge hug. As we posed for a photo with her, she leaned down and asked him, "What are you thinking?" With an enormous grin on his face, Brion simply said "I'm just happy. Just so happy."

My sentiments exactly, Brion :) Way to go Higher Achievement!”

For more coverage of this news by the Washington Times, please click here.