Echoing Green Application...check!

I just submitted the semi-final application for Echoing Green - the most prestigious fellowship in the country for social entrepreneurs. I thought you might be interested in my answers to two of the ten essays. It's already submitted, so if you see problems, please don't tell me (seriously). Answers are limited to 2,000 characters, with spaces, so I know I could always add more details/information. Enjoy!

Question 1: What is your new, innovative idea to create lasting social change? Be clear, specific, and jargon-free in your answer.

During after-school hours, Reach, Inc. will improve reading skills, across ages, by hiring and training struggling adolescent readers to tutor in District of Columbia elementary schools. Reach will employ 9^th grade students whose literacy skills sit in the bottom quartile. These students will be trained to provide literacy support to 3^rd grade students who need help achieving proficiency. By redefining remediation, Reach, Inc. will teach necessary work skills, facilitate literacy instruction in a stigma free environment, and provide necessary services in a resource-efficient manner.

Reach, Inc. will facilitate dramatic improvements in literacy through a three-pronged approach:

• Training: On two days each week, adolescent tutors will be guided by licensed teachers in identifying appropriate content, gaining fluency in that content, and preparing learning activities appropriate for the elementary school students they tutor.
• Tutoring: On two alternating days each week, adolescent tutors will be supervised in tutoring elementary school students in five components of literacy development: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension.
• Compensation: On a monthly basis, students will be paid for their work. They will be given a base stipend for meeting basic job expectations, and they will be eligible for monetary bonuses based on academic growth and the improvements demonstrated by the students they tutor.

Reach, Inc. will create a scalable model for high school literacy remediation. Reach, Inc.’s unique approach will address three specific obstacles to academic recovery at the secondary level: developmental appropriateness, motivation, and ongoing feedback. Through a relationship-based program, which includes regular summative assessments and an incentive-laden compensation system, Reach, Inc. will write a new way forward for struggling high school students while providing a high-quality tutoring experience for younger learners.

Question 3: As specifically as possible, demonstrate the need for your organization. Use statistics and references.

An alarming number of American students fail to complete a high school education. The rates are specifically troubling in Washington DC, where fewer than 50% of students complete high school on time(Education Week, 2009). Students that enter high school in the bottom quartile are twenty times more likely to drop out of high school than their higher performing peers (Carnevale, 2001). While recent literacy efforts have focused on primary grades, these efforts have not improved adolescent achievement (Biancarosa & Snow, 2006). We must promote academic recovery for high school students who have experienced chronic academic failure.

The problems in the District of Columbia are particularly troubling. Only 49% of The District’s elementary school students are proficient in reading and this number falls to 41% for secondary students. When looking at economically disadvantaged students, only 42% of elementary school students and 32% of secondary students achieve proficiency. Consistent with other districts, DC’s public schools have more difficulty achieving proficiency with the district’s older students. These older students who struggle to achieve proficiency are at higher risk for failing to complete their high school education. On average, the Center for Labor Market Studies (2009) indicates that the net fiscal benefit of a high school graduate is approximately $250,000 when compared to an individual that fails to complete high school.

For these reasons, we must invest in a developmentally appropriate approach to promoting academic recovery at the high school level. By creating a new path to success, we will keep DC’s teens engaged and enrolled. While ensuring that participating 3^rd grade students never fall behind, we will assist our high school students in developing the skills necessary for success in high school and beyond. 

Thanks for reading! 

Mark - Founder and President - Reach, Inc.