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

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!

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

@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

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!

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

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

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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