UrbanFUTURE's Solution to Eliminating the Academic Achievement Gap

The following post is text from a recent grant request that UrbanFUTURE submitted for the Bank of America Neighborhood Builder's program. This represents UrbanFUTURE's strategy and vision for solving the academic achievement gap in urban schools.

Poverty is an age-old problem in our nation’s urban communities. In order to solve this problem, the educational achievement gap must be bridged—one community cluster at a time. UF defines the community cluster according to the public school system’s geographical zoning. Each “community cluster” revolves around a hub middle school and the elementary schools that feed it. Utilizing the community cluster approach, UF reaches every school-aged child in a given zip code who shares a common educational path.

Once the cluster is defined, UF approaches supplemental education by recognizing the isolation that exists between three primary groups – the home, the school and the community. Our key initiative is the UrbanFUTURE Restoration Model, which seeks to repair the traditional bonds between home, school, and community that poverty has broken. UF staff brokers these connections and is housed within the school building, allowing the school to serve as a center for these groups to connect through our innovative mentoring and tutoring programs. Through this community-cluster based restoration model, we are addressing generational poverty at individual, institutional and community-wide levels.

The primary objective of the Restoration Model is to ensure that 4th through 8th grade students possess the academic acumen to master high school as well as the mindset to see and believe in their possibilities. To achieve this vision, UF focuses on five key outcomes: literacy, academic growth, character formation, parental involvement, and career preparation. The combination of these focal points creates a formula for success in eliminating the achievement gap.

This is what UrbanFUTURE believes will solve the academic achievement gap and in turn help communities out of poverty.

Student Reaches New Heights in Literacy

Elizabeth, a 4th grade student at Mann Elementary, wanted to become a better reader. She and her INSPIRE mentor, Molly, along with Elizabeth’s mother, Mrs. Castro and her teacher, Mrs. Slechta have been working hard all year to improve Elizabeth’s reading comprehension and Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) score. Through daily effort and consistent follow through, Elizabeth was able to raise her SRI score by 409 points—which is 121 points over her goal set at the beginning of the year. WOW! Living proof that the best way to get better at reading is by reading! Awesome work, team!

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.