During the first two years of receiving Change Capital Fund funding, grantees have been building out their poverty-fighting models and tracking the impact of their work.  One area of focus for three of our four grantees (Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, New Settlement Apartments and St. Nicks Alliance) has been to improve educational outcomes for kids in school, from pre-K to college.  As the school year comes to a close, we took a look at grantees’ progress.  They have been nothing short of remarkable, demonstrating that the supports provided by these nonprofits help students overcome even the most challenging family, institutional, and environmental barriers.

·       The grantees have provided education-related services to over 7,000 students this year.

·       1,088 students enrolled in college through grantees’ college access programs.

·       Over 80% of those enrolled are persisting in college, far besting the national college persistence rate of 69%.

In addition, grantees are demonstrating improvements in students’ social and emotional learning, increasing acceptance rates in higher performing high schools, and improving marks in math and reading levels.

[space_20]

When Katherine Nilson, St. Nicks Alliance’s Transformational Coach, entered David’s life, the 8-year-old was in a bad place.  David had been kicked out of his after-school program and was in a special needs classroom where he was being bullied.  His grades and school work suffered and he was self-harming by stabbing himself with sharp objects.

[space_20]

Katherine, a passionate advocate for children who coaches over two dozen kids, worked with David’s mother to get him transferred to a St. Nicks Alliance partner school and into a new St. Nicks Alliance after-school program.  At his new school, Katherine continued to act as his advocate – attending parent teacher conferences, meeting with school representatives, helping with homework and even chaperoning school field trips.

[space_20]

“Unfortunately, too many very low-income, special needs kids don’t get the support they need to thrive in school.  They need an advocate and cheerleader to tell them, ‘you can do it,'” says Katherine. Today, David is doing better in school and in after-school and he has friends for the first time in his life.

St. Nicks Alliance Transformational Coaches’ efforts are having an impact on all the students they work with:

·       94% improved their social and emotional skills.

·       84% are reading at higher levels.

·       75% improved their school attendance.

[space_20]

Alendi Vidal and some of the graduates she helped.

In the South Bronx just over 50% of students graduate high school in four years and 90% are not prepared for college.  But these statistics aren’t stopping seniors at the Comprehensive Model School Project/CMSP 327, the school’s first graduating class, who have been working with New Settlement Apartment’s College Access program counselor Alendi Vidal since 9th grade. Their graduation rate is 81%!

[space_20]

Alendi worked to instill in all the 9th graders the belief that every one of them could be college bound. “We started with some college visits and monthly meetings to get all the kids to see college as a possibility, especially since most will be the first in their families to go to college,” says Alendi.

[space_20]

By 11th grade, Alendi was working with the students to pick colleges that would meet their needs and dreams, doing mock admissions interviews, and talking about majors.  In 12th grade, she worked with 45 students one-on-one (a school-based counselor provided services to the other students) sometimes meeting weekly to help them fill in their applications, complete their essays, and identify and apply for scholarships.  Of the 45 students, 43 are college bound and 2 are undecided.

[space_20]

Jose, who moved to the U.S. from El Salvador at age 3 and is undocumented, is one of the beneficiaries of the program. “If it wasn’t for this program, I wouldn’t even be thinking about college. I didn’t know there was a path for someone like me until Alendi told me there was.  And she didn’t just help me apply, she was there for me emotionally and I really needed that support,” says Jose.  Alendi helped Jose, who doesn’t qualify for Federal or State loans, apply for the TheDream.US and Myself Third Scholarships.

Jose is attending City College this fall.  He hopes to one day be a teacher.  His fellow classmates will attend schools, including: Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Albany, University at Buffalo, and others.

[space_20]

In 2014, just 5% of students IS 171 in Cypress Hills were accepted to a high school with a

	Middle School students participate in a CHLDC program.

graduation rate above 90%.  This year, that number jumped to 20%, and over half the students (56%) will go to a high school with graduation rates above 75% (up from 14% in 2014) thanks to Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation’s (CHLDC) Middle School Student Success Center (MS SSC), which prepares students for higher education by supporting them in navigating the high school choice process.

[space_20]

The program connects with nearly every student in the two schools where it is now based – IS 171 and Highland park Community School – serving 700 students this past school year alone. Students receive one-on-one counseling and attend events, workshops, trips, and a high school admission preparation course. And it’s not just staff that encourages students: The program’s Youth Leadership component hires and trains students to counsel their peers on selecting the best high schools to meet their future goals.

[space_20]

“Our goal is to raise the aspirations of our students for higher education and support them in gaining acceptance into high performing high schools with higher graduation and college enrollment rates,” says Parastoo Massoumi, Director, Middle School Student Success Center.

[space_20]

Holliday, a 7th grader who lives in Cypress Hills, is just one of many students who knows where she’s headed thanks to MS SSC. “The program helped me to be prepared to apply to high schools since the 6th grade. I wouldn’t be prepared for the chaos of the high school choice process without it. I would also never have had the chance to work on my public speaking and group facilitation skills, and to me no matter what field you are in, those are very important skills,” said Holliday.  She plans to apply to La Guardia High School where she can pursue her love of musical theatre and build on the skills she has already gained starring in Fame and Once on this Island.

[space_20]