| Quote of the Month |
"At first, most of the participants didn't feel the program could do much other than give us more work. In actuality, the program has opened us up, made us explore career options and college choices; we've even had to manage our own monthly budget. I've realized that everyone can benefit from extra assistance to reach their goals."
~New York A.C.E. Program tennis and Reach for College! student, now at State University of NY at New Paltz |
| RFC Board Members |
Kristi Cruzat, Chair
World Bank
Linda Abraham, Vice Chair
comScore.com
Laurence Gill, Secretary
Citizant
Dexter Tucker, Treasurer
Virtual Enterprises
Rushern Baker
Community Teacher's Initiative
Robert Clayton
Clayton Group
Segun Eubanks
National Education Association
Linda Fennell
DC Department of Transportation
Amber Hamilton
Fannie Mae
Terri Hankins
Freddie Mac
Brenda Harvey
Reach for College!
Deborah Insel
Reach for College!
Ashley James
UDC Student
RFC Alum
Wesley Lawson
NCCU Student
RFC Alum
Christian Lozano
National Council of La Raza
Linda Mann
USTA Eastern
Gloria Mobley
St Ann's Hospital
Tahi Mottl Reynolds
Sociologist
Ramon Richards
Freddie Mac
Carrie Schoell
University of Maryland
Patrick Tierney
Holland and Knight, LLP |
| Thank You to Our Funders |
|
Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Freddie Mac Foundation
Google Grants
Philip L. Graham Fund
Harman Family Foundation
Hattie M. Strong Foundation
The Herb Block Foundation
Insel Foundation
Richard and Nancy Marriott Foundation
Mystics Foundation
Optimist Club
of Great Falls
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Prince George's County 'Community First' Fund
USTA Eastern Junior Tennis Foundation
USTA Serves
Wachovia Foundation
World Bank Community Connection
Many Individual Donors |
| Help RFC Serve More Students |
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| Greetings!
Here are some 2009-10 Reach for College! numbers:
~With your help and support, Reach for College! is very happy to be impacting the lives of a total of over 2,800 students this year. We are helping them think about, plan and prepare for postsecondary education--putting them on a path that will positively influence the rest of their lives. ~RFC is serving 2,460 high school students, grades 9-12, in the DC metro area. We are providing our in-school program to these students in 10 DC area partner schools, both public and public charters.
~In partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Eastern, RFC is providing our program after school, in conjunction with tennis, to 350 students in 11 high schools in New York and New Jersey.
Please read more about all this below. |
Reach for College! is Serving 2,460 Students in 2009-2010
2,000 students cut from last year's numbers due largely to funding shortfalls in tough economy
Reach for College! is pleased to be serving 2,460 students in ten partner schools this academic year. The schools and grade levels are below.
Reach for College! Schools and Students 2009-2010
|
DC Schools |
9th |
10th |
11th |
12th |
Total |
|
Ballou (Twilight Academy) |
* |
* |
* |
* |
35 |
|
Cardozo |
270 |
140 |
130 |
130 |
670 |
|
Spingarn STAY |
* |
* |
* |
* |
101 |
|
HD Woodson |
|
|
|
28 |
28 |
|
Hospitality PCS |
|
|
|
42 |
42 |
|
IDEA PCS |
|
|
|
11 |
11 |
|
The Next Step PCS |
* |
* |
* |
* |
20 |
|
Washington Math, Science &
Technology PCS |
|
|
|
17 |
17 |
|
Total in DC |
270 |
140 |
130 |
228 |
924 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prince George's County, MD Schools |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crossland |
|
|
231 |
|
231 |
|
Potomac |
389 |
375 |
258 |
283 |
1305 |
|
Total in Prince George's Cty. |
389 |
375 |
489 |
283 |
1,536 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total RFC! Students |
659 |
515 |
619 |
511 |
2,460 |
*Students not classified by grade.
Two high schools, Cardozo in D.C. and Potomac in Prince George's County are using the RFC program with every student in the school, grades 9-12. The schools and RFC believe this type of implementation has good potential to create a college-going 'buzz' in the school with everyone talking about, planning for, and going to college.
There are also three schools, Ballou Twilight Academy, Spingarn STAY and The Next Step PCS (at the Latin American Youth Center), that work with students returning to school after a time away. With nearly 60% of D.C. youth dropping out of school, this opportunity for students to return to get their high school credentials and also to plan for postsecondary education (through the use of the RFC materials and guidance) represents an important pathway for many students who want to get their educational lives back on track.
Finally, H.D. Woodson High, Washington, Math Science and Technology PCS, and Crossland High in Prince Georg'es County have been using the RFC program now for several years and are stalwarts who regularly send large numbers of students to college.
However, due to funding shortfalls from Foundations and individual donors in this tough economy, some schools and RFC had to make difficult choices this year. We had to regretfully reduce the number of students we serve by 2,000 students from last year. We are planning for the 2010-2011 school year with renewed hopes that we can again serve and help greater numbers of students get to college.
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RFC After-School Partnership with USTA Eastern Yields High College-Acceptance Rate
350 New York & New Jersey students are in the A.C.E. Program (Achieving through Coaching and Education)
Pairing tennis with RFC college-prep is engaging 350 students after school in New York and New Jersey to get them thinking about and preparing for their futures. Athletic coaches deliver tennis instruction and academic coaches, whom RFC has trained, deliver the RFC curriculum. This combination has yielded a 100% college acceptance rate.
A.C.E. student in New Jersey practices her swing and then completes college applications in RFC partnership with USTA (US Tennis Association) Eastern.
With a $20,000 matching grant from USTA Serves and a $7,500 grant from USTA Eastern Junior Tennis Foundation, RFC is able is offer this after-school program, in partnership with USTA Eastern, to 11 high schools. They are:
- Malcolm X Shabazz HS, Newark, NJ
- Weequahic HS, Newark, NJ
- Hempstead HS, Hempstead, NY
- Mt. Vernon HS, Mt. Vernon, NY
- Nottingham HS, Syracuse, NY
- Capital Region HS, Albany, NY
- Ramapo HS, Spring Valley, NY
- Spring Valley HS, Spring Valley NY
- Erasmus HS, Brooklyn, NY
- Elmira HS, Elmira, NY
- Southside HS, Elmira, NY
Participants, instructional coaches and parents are excited about the program. "At first, most of the participants didn't feel the program could do much other than give us more work," said Torian Brackett, now a freshman at State University of NY at New Paltz. "In actuality, the program has opened us up, made us explore career options and college choices; we've even had to manage our own monthly budget. I've realized that everyone can benefit from extra assistance to reach their goals."
"Through the use of the Reach for College! curriculum we have been able to stimulate and encourage our students to become more aggressive about their goals and objectives beyond high school," said an A.C.E. Project instructional coach at Malcolm X Shabazz High in Newark, NJ. "The parents of the students are extremely supportive and look forward to their children continuing next semester."
RFC is always open to partnership opportunities with community groups. We are happy to offer the RFC curriculum and instructional coach training to community partners or out-of-school time programs. Contact us at: dinsel@reachforcollege.org or 202-246-7357.
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Deb Insel and Brenda Harvey
Co-Directors |
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