A Final Push

Spring has arrived in St. Louis. For UrbanFUTURE that means there is one more quarter to make a final push to end the year strong. It's easy for students to lose focus when the weather warms up, the days are longer and summer is right around the corner. Despite all of that UrbanFUTURE staff and volunteers are working diligently to ensure students finish the year strong.

In preparation for year-end diagnostic tests, students at Fanning are having competitions in educational games that are enhancing their skills in math and communication arts. With teachers assigning less homework, these competitions help to keep the students' minds sharp, while having a good time.

Fanning students are also participating in reading circles. These small groups read a book together and have an opportunity to have open discussions. It's been a great way for students to keep building their literacy in a casual, laid-back atmosphere. Jennifer Davies, IMPACT Manager at Fanning, said, "This week students were disappointed about missing the reading circles because of having to take the post-test. They are very excited to get back to their small group next week."

At Mann, INSPIRE Team Leaders Lauren Coppedge and Sakinah Ra'uf have been emphasizing goal achievement. To ensure that students are staying on track for their 4th quarter goals, they have been checking in with teachers each week to see that students are following through on weekly action steps. Mentors are also checking student progress on goals each week and helping students fulfill weekly action steps. Team Leaders have also created a goal board that publicly displays each team's progress towards their goals. As an added incentive, students who achieve their 4th quarter goal will get a McDonald's Happy Meal at the end of the year.

The nice weather can be a major distraction for students, but at UrbanFUTURE students are learning the importance of finishing the year on a high note.

Saigh Foundation Impressed

Two representatives from the Saigh Foundation came to UrbanFUTURE today to meet our Team Leaders and learn more about our work. Upon awarding UrbanFUTURE $10,000 to help fund a Team Leader salary in January, JoAnn Hejna and Mary Kemp told us how impressed they were with UrbanFUTURE. They couldn't believe they had never heard of us based on the success we were having nor were they aware of another organization in St. Louis that was doing anything nearly as deep and narrow as Restoration. JoAnn and Mary saw our parent leadership piece as not only unique, but also crucial to really creating lasting change.

During the visit, Mary and JoAnn asked questions about our history, how we train volunteers, what made us different and how we deal with parents who aren't ready to engage. They had a chance to meet and talk to a few students at Mann Elementary and were given a tour of the UrbanFUTURE room by a 4th grade student. They saw the students' excitement when talking about their mentors and tutors and noted how eager the kids were to interact with UrbanFUTURE staff.

After going to Mann, we went for lunch at Cafe Natasha's. JoAnn shared stories about Fred Saigh and his random acts of philanthropy.. She noted how he didn't care who you were, if you needed help he would find a way to give it to you without a second thought. For JoAnn and the Saigh Foundation, it makes grant-making much easier knowing that Fred wouldn't bat an eye at any organization in need. She said she knew Fred would think highly of UrbanFUTURE's vision to help urban youth see and believe in their possibilities.

As Frank Van Bree, UrbanFUTURE's CEO, shared more about his own history with UrbanFUTURE, JoAnn and Mary could feel the underlying passion that exists in UrbanFUTURE, and how it permeates from the top. They urged us to get the word out about UrbanFUTURE and even opened the door for future funding opportunities. Most of all, JoAnn and Mary see that Restoration will work and UrbanFUTURE will succeed, but it will take persistence and patience. Let's prove them right!

Waking the Dreamless Dead

In John Zogby's book The Way We'll Be, he spends some time discussing what he refers to as the Dreamless Dead. The Dreamless Dead refers to the people, who in response to a polling question regarding a person's goals in life, chose the following option:

"I believe I cannot achieve the American dream, whether material or spiritual, nor can most middle-class Americans."

Zogby goes onto to say that the Dreamless Dead are heavily represented by those living in poverty. He talks about how even those living below the poverty line still have many possessions (major appliances, televisions, computers, etc.). But it's this statement that really gets to the heart of poverty, "...the real poverty from which many of them suffer is a poverty of optimism and expectations, not possessions." This is what restoration seeks to correct.

It's about injecting optimism into the lives of students. It's about holding students accountable for their actions and not letting them settle for complacency. It's about engaging parents in their child's education, their future. It's about mentors encouraging students both when they succeed and when they fail. The essence of helping urban youth to see and believe in their possibilities, goes to the very heart of the "real poverty" that the Dreamless Dead suffer. With persistence and hard-work from all, we can wake the Dreamless Dead in St. Louis and restore what poverty has taken.

$5,000 GoodSearch Giveaway - 3 Days Only

GoodSearch will donate a $1 for every toolbar that is downloaded between April 6th at 9am Eastern and April 9th at 9am Eastern up to $5,000!! Please download the toolbar right now by following this link .

Our new UrbanFUTURE toolbar is free to download and allows you to raise money for our UrbanFUTURE every time you search or shop online! Once added to IE or Firefox, each time you shop at more than 1,300 stores (from Amazon to Zazzle!) a percentage of your purchase will automatically be donated to UrbanFUTURE - at no cost to you (and you may even save money as the toolbar provides coupons and deals as well!). The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to UrbanFUTURE.

Please hurry and do this now so that we can earn the $1 bonus per toolbar!

And, please pass this along to all of your friends. The two minutes it takes to add this toolbar to your browser can make a lifetime of difference for our cause!

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UrbanFUTURE Student Speaks

From time to time, we will have some of our students write blog posts with their mentors or tutors. Not only is this a great chance for us to share with you what they are working on, it gives students another medium to practice and improve their writing skills. This week, Chebryelle, a 4th grade student at Mann, writes about the time that she spends with her mentor Theresa.

In UF we have been setting goals and we are building charactor. Me Chebryelle and my mentor Theresa have been setting our own goals like my (ACADMIC) goal is to complete my homework before for doing any thing else. My (CHARACTOR) goal is to belive in myself.

I like Uf but you guys should stay longer. So that we can learn more and still have fun. OH did i mention that i like tutoring because she teach me how to do multiplication fact she taught me my 11's and 9's and she taught me a 9 trick and it is pretty easy.


when i grow up i want to be a singer,lawyer,teacher, and a typer. and to be one of those i have to stay in school and be BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and get good.

UrbanFUTURE Parents Raising the Bar

Last week, St. Louis Public Schools held 3rd Quarter Parent-Teacher Conferences. One of UrbanFUTURE’s outcomes is to increase parent engagement. A key measure of that is parent attendance at conferences. Between Fanning and Mann, 60% of INSPIRE parents attended conferences. Only 20% of non-INSPIRE parents attended their child’s conference. In other word, INSPIRE parents are tripling the norm in attendance at parent-teacher conferences! In fact, they are holding up the curve at both schools

Why is this important? Studies have shown that increased parental involvement in a child’s academics will lead to increased performance (Epstein & Sheldon, 2006). Through conferences, parents can learn how they can assist their child succeed in the classroom. Greater parent-teacher interaction also sends a message of a united front between the classroom and the home to the child. Further, it helps parents feel more comfortable and confident in speaking with a teacher about their child’s education, a significant barrier at times for under-resourced families. As parents continue to build a relationship with the teachers, we can expect students will see an improvement in grades and test scores.

UrbanFUTURE is proud of all the parents who made it out for conferences. This is one step forward in taking leadership. Keep up the great work!

Expectations Lead to IMPACT

Drummond, a 7th grader at Fanning Middle School, hasn’t missed a week with his IMPACT tutor, Bart. He is a motivated student and really enjoys working with his tutor. When Drummond took the Pre-Algebra DOMA (Diagnostic Online Math Assessment) in October he mastered 3 out of 14 pre-algebra math constructs. Since Bart has begun working with Drummond, he has maintained high expectations of Drummond. By the end of the third quarter, Drummond mastered another construct (integer operations) from the DOMA. Bart says, "In just seven weeks, Drummond has begun to realize that he has the ability to do math at a 7th grade level. The thing that has been missing is confidence. Once we buckled down and he finally saw that he could do the work, our progress has been exponential."

With Drummond's recent success he is now working to master two more constructs. By the end of the school year, Drummond’s goal is to master those 2 additional constructs which will place him above his original goal of mastering 2 math constructs. He will have mastered 3 new constructs on the DOMA and a total of 6 of the pre-algebra constructs. Drummond, with the assistance and encouragement of Bart, is beginning to see and believe his abilities in math. Way to go, Drummond!