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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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.