Working as a Not-for-Profit Partner

Higher Achievement takes its role as a partner middle schools throughout the greater Washington, DC area very seriously.  We recognize the importance of strengthening the middle school experience, particularly for those students who may not see college prep or postsecondary education as a viable option.  We recognize that every student has the potential to succeed, with the right motivation and the right support.  That is why we started Higher Achievement in the first place, and that is why we have had the successes we have posted over the past three decades.

 

As important as our work with external partners is, we must also remember who we are internally.  In education, one’s strongest ambassador is the current staff and volunteers.  They are the ones who carry the message and boast of the work.  To help our Higher Achievement family focus on what is important for our larger school community, we always keep three key principles in mind:

·      Know our work – Know what each of our core responsibilities are and what we are individually and collectively accountable for

·      Develop our work – Know what we will need to have in order to do our work effectively and efficiently; know what tools we need and the resources required to get them; know where our work sits within the context of the field (are we the bearer of promising practice? Or are we reinventing some wheel?)

·      Elevate our work – We need to continuously develop and innovate. How are we continuously learning? How are we helping to elevate the organization as a whole to a higher level of effectiveness and efficiency? If something we are currently doing cost $5, can we do the same thing for $4.75? – Mundane? Perhaps. But without this conscious incremental effort to elevate our work, how are we measuring our professional growth?

 

These are important issues for Higher Achievement, but they are also key for any not-for-profit organization that is committed to change and improvement, particularly in this economy and with expectations that seem to grow exponentially by the day.

 

(Posted by Higher Achievement CEO Richard Tagle.)

Higher Achievement in Our Nation's Capital

Each year, I am impressed with the progress we make with middle schoolers in Washington, DC.  According to recent data, three of four students improved grades last year, with test scores improving by at least 60 percent.  More than half our students improved attendance.  And more than eight in 10 of our scholars were placed in college-preparatory high schools, avoiding the paths to dropout factories on which they were originally placed.

 

With results like these, Higher Achievement can help DC Public Schools reach its target of high academic performance. We create a strong pipeline of middle school students who are able to meet the rigors of college-preparatory high schools. and these students will successfully transition from middle school to high school and then to college.

 

How do we do it? Our model consists of three core elements: After School, Summer, and High School Placement:

 

First, we have the After School Academy that runs for 25 weeks, 3 days a week, 3:30 – 8 pm. A key aspect of this period is a two-hour academic mentoring, from 6 pm to 8 pm where 3 scholars are paired with one mentor for each of the three days. All mentors focus their mentoring sessions on math, literature, or technology.

 

Second, we have a Summer Academy that runs for six weeks, Monday through Thursday of academic teaching, and with Fridays devoted to field trips. Scholars are taught by a paid summer faculty on Math, Literature, Social Studies, Science, and an elective.  Once every summer, scholars are taken to a three-day college trip thus exposing our scholars to no less than 4 universities during their four-year stay in the program.  We expose our scholars, as early as fifth grade, to university life to make it real and achievable for them. They get to interact with college students, college professors, and most importantly, college admissions personnel.

 

Third, we have High School Placement: We assist families in making good academic choices for their children’s high school placement. For school year 07-08, 73 percent of Higher Achievement graduates will attend top public schools, including Banneker, Wilson, Walls, McKinley.

 

What’s required from our scholars? Simple: motivation and commitment. Our scholars spend 650 hours in our program in addition to the 900 spent in school.  That’s 30 additional school weeks each year for 4years! This is what we mean by motivation.

(Posted by Higher Achievement Program CEO Richard Tagle.)