| Quote of the Month |
| "The College Board's CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Award winners are to be congratulated for the difference they have made in the lives of students. Their innovative programs will serve as models so that others, by adopting these successful strategies, will be able to help more students successfully pursue a college education."
~Gaston Caperton, College Board President |
| 2010 RFC Schools |
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In D.C. Ballou Twilight Academy
Cardozo
Spingarn STAY
H.D. Woodson
Hospitality PCS
IDEA PCS
The Next Step PCS
Washington, Math, Science and Technology PCS
In Prince George's County, MD
Crossland
Potomac |
| Help More Students Get to College |
Thank you!! |
| Thank you to our Funders! |
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Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Freddie Mac Foundation
Harman Family Foundation
Hattie M. Strong Foundation
The Herb Block Foundation
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Prince George's County 'Community First' Fund
USTA Eastern Junior Tennis Foundation
USTA Serves
World Bank Community Connection
Many Individual Donors | |
| Greetings!
Recognition for a job well-done is always nice to receive. But then also to be cited as a model for others in the field and promoted as having far-reaching impact for policymakers is even nicer. Being an Innovation Award winner from the College Board gives the RFC program this imprimatur. We are very proud.
But mostly, we are glad because we know our program stands out as helping many more traditionally disadvantaged students get to college. And postsecondary education makes lasting positive changes in the lives of the students we serve. |
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RFC Wins Innovation Award from College Board
RFC program cited as an "exceptional initiative" to help low-income students get into college
Reach for College! is proud to announce that it has won a CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Award from the College Board. The award, along with $5,000 to sustain or expand the program, recognizes that RFC "has initiated innovative, effective best practices that help low-income students get ready, get in and get through college," according to the College Board award announcement. "This exceptional initiative will receive special recognition at the awards ceremony on February 11." (The awards ceremony in Philadelphia was cancelled, though, due to the blizzard.)
According to the College Board announcement of the award, "The Innovation Awards celebrate some of America's most powerful efforts to improve the academic success of students from low-income backgrounds. These institutions have created best practices that can be replicated, adapted and expanded in other education settings. They can be used by educators, institutional leaders and policymakers to promote policies and practices that have far-reaching impact for low-income students who need help to get ready for, get into and get through college."
Since 2005, RFC has worked in the neediest DC metropolitan area high schools with the lowest college-going rates to increase the number of students pursuing a postsecondary education. RFC has increased high school graduation, college-enrollment and college-retention rates dramatically among the students who use the RFC curriculum, compared to their classmates who aren't exposed to the program. RFC students' college enrollment and retention is verified by the National Student Clearinghouse, which tracks students nationally.
· High school graduation rates are 12% higher among RFC students
· College-enrollment is 35% higher among RFC students
· College retention is 38% higher among RFC students than among their peers
"The Reach for College! curriculum at Potomac High School [in Prince George's County, MD] over the past year has made our college-based advisory program extremely successful," said a school administrator. "The materials and additional resources have provided a wealth of information and educational opportunities for all grade levels. It has afforded Potomac High School students and advisors the opportunity of a lifetime!"
"The College Board's CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Award winners are to be congratulated for the difference they have made in the lives of students," said Gaston Caperton, College Board President. "Their innovative programs will serve as models so that others, by adopting these successful strategies, will be able to help more students successfully pursue a college education."
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Brenda Harvey Leaves RFC
RFC Co-Founder and Co-Director Brenda Harvey resigned from RFC this month as she faced some health issues. The prognosis is good, and as much as we miss her terribly, we also know this is a good decision for her. She reports that this is allowing her new opportunities and deeper bonds in her family. Brenda Co-Founded Reach for College! in 2005 and served as a Co-Director since then, directing RFC's Program and Implementation. Drawing on her background as a teacher and an administrator who focused on the professional development of teachers, Brenda worked with the RFC schools, administrators and teachers to successfully implement the program in 10-15 schools, depending on the year. Recently, she was also very involved in parent engagement, understanding that families were key to college access and success for their students. Her depth of experience, her focus on implementing the best of what research in the field demonstrated to work, and her always positive outlook and outreach to all will be sorely missed at RFC and among all her educational colleagues.
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Deb Insel
Executive Director |
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