This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
My school is trying something radical this year: having an at-risk daily morning advisory. The students who will be enrolled in the program are students who have failed multiple classes in the prior school year and/or who have been retained and are at a high-risk for future retention.
Every year, up to 15 percent of our students are candidates for retention due to grades, attendance, and state test scores; many of these students have already been been retained once.
As a school that works to put children first, we are committed to stopping the cycle of failures and retentions and are trying out new methods of supporting our kids all year long so that they're set up for high school and beyond. The vast majority of our students come from low-income households, and enter school with the odds already stacked against them. It's our job to support our students in breaking the cycle.
My Project
My school is implementing a new intervention this year in an effort to better support our most at-risk kids. The predictors for retention are pretty reliable. In most cases, our kids who get held back have potentially been held back before, have failed more than 2 classes, and have missed more than 20 days of school by the end of the year. Our school is hoping to break the cycle of failure for our neediest students and start the school year strong by enrolling them in an at-risk advisory program. They'll meet with their advisors in a small group every morning for 25 minutes. They'll practice strategies to help them be successful in school and to teach them necessary life skills.
In order for our advisory/mentorship program to work, our kids need to have deep connections with their advisors and really trust them.
One way we're hoping to foster this trust is by taking the kids on a team-building ropes course in the beginning of the school year. The trip involves a challenge or ropes course, featuring both low– and high–ropes course activities that promote team building and problem–solving skills. The adventure course provides challenges for groups as they work through physically and intellectually demanding situations.
As a low-income school, we're counting on our community to help us get this program up and running. We don't typically have the funds for field trips, but see the immense value in the relationship building opportunities the Alley Pond Adventure Course provides. We know this program can and will be successful with the right steps taken early on in the year so that student and staff connections are in place in order to foster the kind of growth we want to see. All we need is your support to help us get there!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Conner and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
