By The Numbers

42: Program participants

8: Current board members

109: Books given to program participants before Winter Break

3.54: The highest GPA achieved by a Reach tutor

57: Additional hours of instruction provided to our tutors

28: Additional hours of instruction provided to our students

$32,500: Largest contribution

7: Contributions of $5,000 or more

2: Law firms that held "Jeans Day" to benefit Reach

1: Current program site

53,225: Dollars pledged for 2011

4: Program Instructors

1,437,049: Lessons learned *

194: Donors during 2010

60: Percent of grant proposals that were funded

400: Books in Reach's library

3: Fundraising events

2: Volunteers that help with instruction

157,648.28: Dollars raised in 2010

Thank you all for making it such a great year!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

* This number is an estimate.

Reach Welcomes Two New Board Members!

Reach is excited to announce the addition of two new members of the organization's Board of Directors: Crystal Moore and Dianne Samuelson.

Currently, Crystal Moore is a ProInspire fellow at DC Public Schools. ProInspire is an organization that helps develop, "the next generation of leaders for the nonprofit sector and [helps] organizations effectively achieve their missions." Crystal's bio from the ProInspire website follows:

Crystal Moore is an Inspire Fellow at the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). As a Business Analyst in the Office of Secondary School Transformation, she conducts analysis necessary to make data-driven decisions that forward the districts’ reform efforts of becoming the preeminent urban school system in America. Crystal is responsible for analyzing the key drivers of secondary school performance, enhancing performance management, the project management for test administration, and managing strategic initiatives. Crystal started her career as a Corporate Finance analyst with Accenture in Washington, DC. There she worked in the Health and Public Service Operating Group managing, consulting, and outsourcing contracts and business units for public sector clients. Crystal graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Finance from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2007; where she served as Student Body President and was the recipient of the Saint Katharine Drexel Award, the University's highest student honor. She has been a passionate volunteer and member of several non-profit organizations throughout her career, including College Summit, Junior League of Northern Virginia, and Greater DC Cares. Additionally, she currently serves on Xavier University Young Alumni Board.

Dianne Samuelson is the founder of Samuelson Educational Consulting, a senior researcher at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and a founding member of the Disability Resources Advisory Board for the Center for Advanced Learning at Washington University in St. Louis. Before she entered the field of education, she held senior level positions in the management consulting industry with such firms as Booz, Allen & Hamilton and The Analytic Science Corporation.

In Dianne's current consulting work, she assists students and their families in navigating the educational system by translating the students' educational assessments and academic history into an integrated plan to address student needs. In her role as a researcher at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, Dianne is a Co-author of a grant proposal which was awarded funding through Harvard Medical School’s Milton Fund. The research study is investigating the effect of technology on writing behaviors and performance. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Reach is very excited about these two new additions to our board, and we look forward to working with them toward Reach's continue growth and progress!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

My Best Reach Moment...

On the last day before break, our students were asked, "What's been your best Reach moment so far?" Below, enjoy some of their answers:

"My best Reach moment was when my student Qur-An learned how to read a book. It made me feel good inside." - Destiny

My best Reach moment was..."when Willis came and he wanted to learn - it made me feel good about my job." - Jonathan

"My best Reach moment was when I first met my student and we took a picture together. It made me feel like a real teacher, because I never got a chance to work with little kids before." - Crystal

My best Reach moment was..."When I was teaching Aaron how to spell. It made me feel accomplished." - Romello

"My best Reach moment was when I found out that my first student improved in her reading. It made me feel that I was doing a good job." - Joyce

"My best Reach moment was when Kamari read a book without me helping. It made me feel good that I taught her something." - Eriq

"My best Reach moment was when I was able to give Taylor her books [through 'Books For Break'], because it made me feel closer to her...When she looked me in the eye and said, 'thanks,' I felt different. She was happy and that made me happy." - Chynna

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

A Month Late

We're told to give thanks at Thanksgiving. I mean, it's in the name, so it does make sense. However, I tend to take time to reflect as the year comes to an end. When schools empty, I'm able to take a few moments to think about our 2010 accomplishments. It is during these reflective moments that I become most aware of our need to give thanks. Before the end of the year, I'll use this space to talk about our goals for the future and highlight some 2010 accomplishments. For today, we give thanks:

• During 2010, we have raised over $150,000 from over 200 wonderful supporters.
• We currently have the wonderful honor of serving 45 students at Hyde Leadership Public Charter School.
• We are in the financial position to explore expansion opportunities for the fall of 2011. Additionally, we have been named an approved after-school provider, so we have the flexibility to explore opportunities in both public and public charter schools within the District of Columbia.
• When we ask our tutors about their best Reach moment, we get to read this: "My best Reach moment was when I got to give [my student] her books [from Books For Break]...it made me feel like our bond grew stronger. I felt connected to her. When she looked me in my eye and said thank you, I felt different...like she was happy and that made me happy."
• A few Wednesdays ago, while leaving Hyde Leadership, we got to hear Bilal say, "Mr. Mark, I'm excited 'cause tomorrow we have tutoring!"

More than anything, we can be thankful that we're going to get bigger and stronger and better. This is only the beginning.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

A White Christmas

I got to live out a dream this week - shopping at a bookstore with an (almost) unlimited budget. If I could have a shopping spree anywhere, it would, without doubt, be at a book store. This week, I got to have some fun!

Today, each of our elementary school students received three books. These level-appropriate books will, we hope, keep our students reading during Winter Break. Shopping for the books, however, was not entirely easy. The title of today's blog is intentional: so few of the available children's books feature characters of color. Though this has improved, to some degree, during recent years, there is still very little children's literature available that represents the cultural reality of Reach's students.

Improvements have been made, yes. There are now books about children in Africa and Mexico and China and even Indian Reservations in Oklahoma; however, few characters have lives similar to my kids.

Today, it seems that many authors have chosen to make main characters ethnically ambiguous (for example, the Wimpy Kid is a stick figure). While this may avoid accusations of overt trends, it does little to actually address the issues faced by our students. Even when characters are ethnically ambiguous, they live in nice houses with nice yards and both parents and comfortable beds in safe neighborhoods. This is not the experience of my children.

This is not to say things aren't improving. I was able to give many children books by Ezra Jack Keats - an author that tries to depict real scenes of inner city life. And, without doubt, there is a universality to the experience of children - it's why some of them fall in love with the Wimpy Kid or Captain Underpants. But, there's a long way to go. One day, perhaps Reach's tutors - who now notice these things - will be the ones that write the stories that the next generation will read.

One day, maybe Christmas won't have to be quite so white.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Waves

Yesterday, we sent our December Update to Reach's mailing list. Many of our loyal supporters sent congratulatory notes; they were so pleased to hear all our good news. Our donors were happy, everyone was pleased with our progress, and I was really proud to be able to share such good news.

Everything seemed to be going so well. Then...

On Thursdays, I usually have three teachers assisting with program implementation. Today, for various reasons, all of them were absent. In addition, we had two - count them, two! - fights between boisterous elementary school students. Bad days happen, but handling them alone is difficult.

Today was the first time I left Hyde Leadership with an aching head. It was a strong reminder of the journey that remains. Today made it feel like the entire program was held together with scotch tape and rubber cement, like an elementary school arts and crafts project.

Despite all these difficulties, there is always a silver lining. DaJohn learned deescalation techniques - and implemented them well - while working with one of the fighting students. Binetou effectively lined up our elementary school students and walked them out to their waiting parents. And, for the most part, our tutors and students ignored the distractions and continued working hard.

Perhaps the universe felt that yesterday's update was too positive. Lesson learned.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Books For Break

Tony has helped Bilal dramatically improve his reading fluency. Destiny's student Qur-An recently read her very first book. Eriq has worked with Kamari to develop more advanced text comprehension skills. Though it seems that our work just started, we are already seeing tremendous advances in the reading skills of our students at Hyde Leadership!

Despite all the progress made to this point, a significant concern looms on the horizon. Studies show that learning loss occurs during school breaks, and this loss is particularly bad for those students who do not have access to books at home. We can, however, combat this learning loss by providing our students with high-interest books to take home during Winter Break.

With your help, we can provide each of our students with 2-3 books and an activity workbook for use during the Winter Break. Please help us to make the holiday season both relaxing and productive for all of Reach's students!

Click Here to Support Books For Break!

Challenged By Success

During Reach's planning year, there came a point when I knew that planning for possibilities had become futile. We had done all the learning we could do in the abstract, and we needed to launch programming to learn through our experiences. This week brought another unexpected challenge, but one that we will undoubtedly learn from.

Two of our third grade students recently left the program. One day, they came in and told me that they would be attending a different after-school program. Due to their teacher's illness and the Thanksgiving holiday, I didn't get an explanation of this decision for a number of weeks. The explanation: the two girls had improved so quickly that they had become more appropriate for some of the school's other offerings.

Both girls entered the program with very low reading abilities. Despite other concerns, their teacher felt that basic literacy remediation was the most pressing need. The girls were not yet in a place to benefit from one of the school's other tutoring programs, one that focuses on reading comprehension and testing strategies. By November, that had changed. Their basic literacy skills had improved so dramatically that targeted instruction in comprehension and testing strategies was now appropriate.

My response to this news is two-fold. It's fantastic that our intervention is creating such dramatic improvements in basic literacy skills like decoding and fluency. However, I believe we could have continued to help those students by developing the higher-level comprehension skills as well. Sadly, we were never given that chance. As Reach grows, I have no doubt that we'll show our ability to move with the changing needs of our students. Our ability to be successful with our students will lead to increased confidence in our efforts. A day will come when we will no longer lose students due to our success.

When I explained this transition, and the explanation, to the tutors that had been working with these two girls, they were surprised. While they were pleased to hear that this transition occurred due to their success, they were also frustrated by what could have been. When I told Joyce, one of the tutors, that the girls were seeking targeted instruction in more advanced skills, her response was simple: "We could have done that."

She's right. One day, we'll have the opportunity to prove it.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

What This Money Means

In the last three weeks, Reach has received a number of significant gifts:

$5,000 from the Luther I. Replogle Foundation on November 10th.

$5,000 from the CityBridge Foundation on November 11th.

$65,000, over two years, from the Snave Foundation on November 19th.

$20,000 from Monica & David Dixon on November 27th.

$1,000 from the NEA Foundation on November 28th.

We celebrate these strong statements of support, and we look forward to using these funds to serve students in DC. But, what do these donations really mean?

These gifts satisfy our fundraising needs for the current fiscal year, which runs through June 30, 2011. Seven months before the start of the next fiscal year, we can begin aggressively planning for expansion. This means:

• We can confidently begin exploring expansion sites for the 2011-2012 academic year.
• We can begin planning for the addition of a second full-time staff member in the summer of 2011.
• We can be certain of our ability to pay all tutors and teachers for the remainder of the current academic year.
• We can transfer some of our funds to interest-bearing accounts, allowing our money to make money.

More important than any other factor, our early fundraising success allows the organization to focus on the most important part of our work: the program. With the impressive support secured through foundations, corporations, and individuals, we can focus entirely on creating the city's best literacy program.

We are immensely grateful for this early support, and we look forward to using this financial security to effectively plan for future success.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Nothing Can Stop Them

When working in education, we often hear talk about "social factors." Poverty, crime, and family stress are often part of the discussion. Those of us that work in the reform field have the privilege of being able to speak about such issues with an academic distance - it is not our reality. Occasionally, however, these issues step forward in a way that demands our attention in a very real way and forces us to recognize the reality of our students' existence.

There is a short walk between Hyde Leadership and the New York Avenue Metro Station. Usually, I make that walk each day, lagging behind groups of students so the contagious "uncoolness" of a teacher doesn't infect them. One day last week, a meeting took me away from my usual routine. On that day, two of Reach's tutors were attacked. While injuries were minimal, it is a too real reminder of the challenges faced every day by our students.

Always one to highlight the strength of our students, I feel the need to share what happened the next day. Both students arrived to work, as scheduled. Chynna, a tutor with perfect attendance, walked in with her hand wrapped. Before leaving for a doctor's appointment, she wanted to tell me, and her student, that she would be missing the day's tutoring session. I tried to suppress a smile when I found out that Chynna hurt her hand not by falling when attacked, but rather because she had hit her assailant with such force. Jayson, the original target of the attack went on as though nothing had happened. With one eye swollen shut, Jayson instructed his student as he does every Tuesday and Thursday.

After the session, I spoke with Jayson about the event. I offered to give him a ride, assuming he might be rattled by the week's events. As we left the building, I realized my offer was unnecessary. No fewer than five of Jayson's peers were waiting outside, willing to walk with him to the New York Avenue Metro. Having heard what happened, Jayson's peers refused to let him walk alone.

Their challenges are real. Their strength inspiring.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Small Victories

Running a nonprofit organization is exhausting. The repetitive nature of teaching is also exhausting - finishing one lesson only means you must start another. Neither offers a finish line. The combination sometimes leaves me feeling quite drained. During those times, small victories really give me the energy to move forward and continue building. In the last two weeks, we have had several of those victories.

As some of you may have read, we received two $5,000 grants last week. Despite the tough choices faced by funders, the Luther I. Replogle Foundation and the CityBridge Foundation both felt that Reach's work was worth supporting. Due to the economy, I have been told on many occasions that we would not receive any early foundation funding. I'm so proud that our work is standing out in a crowded nonprofit world. Like its students, Reach loves proving people wrong.

Many of you met Brandon when he was profiled in our last blog entry. On Tuesday, he hung back, asking if he could speak with me. Looking upset, he stated his desire to join the wrestling team, but he was clearly torn due to the commitment he made to his students. I offered to contact the wrestling coach to negotiate a way Brandon could be involved in both programs. Brandon left, seemingly still struggling. I was immensely proud the next day when Brandon came back in smiling. "I'm not going to wrestle this year," he said, "I have three more years. This year, I made a commitment to my students, and it's not fair to leave them." What maturity!

Finally, I received an incredibly special e-mail this morning from my friend Luke, a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Education:

So, I'm working with these three young men - one is a Junior in high school, one a Sophomore, and one a sixth grader. The Junior is working on intense Physics, the Sophomore has no homework and is watching TV, and the sixth grader has a reading assignment about The Scientific Method. The sophomore struggles with reading and has attended schools that have their own struggles (hence the lack of homework...). So, I'm trying to work with the Junior and 6th grader at the same time, when I think, "what would mark hecker do?" So, I employ the Sophomore in the task of teaching his brother how to comprehend what was a pretty difficult text for both of them. Before an hour had passed, he was asking his brother the exact questions I would have asked. Both of them learned a ton about The Scientific Method, reading for comprehension, and themselves as competent individuals and members of a family!

That e-mail made my day. It's the little things...

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Meet Our Tutor: Brandon

"They're screaming my name!"

These are the first words out of Brandon's mouth when he enters the room. A very personable young man, many of our elementary school students shout Brandon's name when he enters the room. He makes them all feel that he's excited to see them, and they feed his ego - mutualism at its best.

Brandon is the only tutor we have that is assigned to work with two elementary school students, Larry and Darius. Brandon is a natural leader, and he thrives on the additional responsibility he's been given. He really enjoys sharing the moments when his students truly demonstrate their knowledge.

Brandon's students force him to look at himself differently. Like him, his students are born leaders. Whether they're behaving appropriately or inappropriately, other students follow. Brandon grows frustrated, at times, but realizes quickly an important reality: they're just like him.

Recently, I provided the tutors with first quarter progress reports. In Brandon's, I mentioned that he could use his leadership abilities to become a fantastic business executive. Today, Brandon was having a bad day. He came in with too much energy, and he was really struggling to focus on the day's task. When I pulled him aside, he stopped me. Quoting the progress report, he said, "I have the ability to be a great leader, but sometimes I lead in the wrong direction." He stopped, apologized, then sat down and got back to work...at least for a few moments.

Baby steps.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Big Decisions

We have been incredibly lucky in our first year and a half of existence. While so many nonprofit organizations are struggling to confront this challenging economy, we have built a strong foundation of financial support that allows us to focus on our important work. We have built a relationship with Hyde Leadership and 45 of the school's wonderful students. And, recently, we have been approved by District of Columbia Schools to provide after-school services in public schools, starting in the fall of 2011. While I'm pleased with each of these developments, there is no time to rest - we have some big decisions ahead of us!

Of all the tasks that have fallen on my shoulders since Reach's founding, I have found none more intimidating than creating growth projections. Planning expansion seems to involve so much guessing - and so many big numbers! On some of the larger principles, we know our approach. For example, our interest is in developing a strong program in DC before we consider other markets. Our stage one growth plan is local, not national. But, we're left with many questions: How many schools? How many kids? How many dollars?

The time for thinking is over. We must now make decisions. For Reach, that means determining the target number of schools for next year. We will remain at Hyde Leadership, and we will aim to begin training cohorts of tutors at either one or two additional sites. One or two? It doesn't seem like a huge decision, but it represents a difference of $100,000 or more. In this economy, what size program can we effectively support?

With some big funding news expected this week - and a meeting of our Board of Directors on Tuesday - these decisions will be made shortly. It's worth noting that we're discussing the aggressiveness of our growth strategy while others are being forced to contract. We're very proud to have created such a strong foundation in only 18 months. Thank you for all you have done in getting us to this place. We look forward to making you all proud with our continued growth.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Some More Pics

Setting Limits on Setting Limits

When training our tutors, we discussed appropriate limit setting. We also made it very clear that corporal punishment was entirely unacceptable. But, in recent weeks, this issue has really become an important focus of my thinking. Let me be clear - none of our tutors have used corporal punishment. We haven't had any such issues to this point. But, the relationships are becoming more complex.

As we know, student test boundaries as they become familiar with new people. As the initial excitement about working with "big kids" wears off, our students are realizing that the tutors are holding high expectations and making their students do challenging work. This, naturally, leads to some push back from the students.

For the first time, our tutors are dealing with whining and temper tantrums. I'm noticing, clearly, that our tutors are struggling to handle these behaviors. They fall back to what's most comfortable for them - in some cases, yelling and threats. Our supervising teachers step in quickly in these situations, but it presents a challenge as we move forward. How do we teach appropriate behavior management strategies without insulting the strategies used in our tutors' families? It becomes so easy for, "it's more appropriate to try..." to sound like, "your family's doing it wrong!" All educators know that discussions about parenting/punishment are inherently tricky - student tutors simply add another layer.

Moving forward, we will constantly take steps to improve our training program. I realize now that specific behavior management strategies must be taught during our pre-service training. Specifically, it seems that the program should have a series of escalating warnings and consequences that is simply administered by our tutors. This would avoid the confusing cultural dynamics currently emerging. We work hard to ensure that all of our students are safe, and we look forward to providing our students with the skills necessary to successfully deal with the challenges that elementary school students bring.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Torn Down, Built Up

I often have meetings that I know will not lead to any immediate financial support. These meetings are intended to establish a relationship and make people aware of our work. Last week, I had two such meetings with significant players in DC's funding community. The meetings were very different in tone.

Tuesday: While definitely interested in our approach to literacy remediation, the conversation in this meeting focused on the terrible state of foundation finances. It is, as you can imagine, incredibly intimidating to hear about established organizations going out of business, foundations choosing not to work with any new partners, and organizations merging to consolidate resources. That being said, our work is necessary. Even when I hear - like in this meeting - that I made the wrong decision to launch Reach in this climate, I am confident. Maybe this isn't the right time for most nonprofits to launch. We're not most nonprofits. We will survive and succeed.

Thursday: Braced for another challenging discussion, this conversation took a much more pleasant tone. While some of the questions asked by this huge name in the DC nonprofit community were challenging, the discussion was one focused on learning. One of the highlights of my time as Reach's leader occurred when she looked up from her oatmeal and said, "this is a really elegant solution" (what an awesome compliment!).

Both these meetings occurred with really intelligent women that know the DC nonprofit community exceedingly well. And, to be sure, they're both correct in their assessment of the challenges associated with being a new nonprofit in these trying economic times. However, during a recent conversation with Charles Phaneuf, Managing Director at Joe's Movement Emporium, I was reminded of a comment by a former professor of mine, Chris Stone. To paraphrase: Money is never the finite resource. Good ideas are the finite resource. Create great programs and you'll find money.

Despite the challenging economy, I think often of those that have given more to Reach than they've ever given to an organization before. While many organizations are struggling to survive, we're planning for growth. We're privileged to have your support, and we look forward to our continued growth toward the future.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Meet Our Tutor: Keenan

I designed Reach with students like Keenan in mind. School is not his first priority, and his failure to perform to his potential academically has been a source of frustration for many of his teachers. Keenan has always seemed satisfied to sit passively in the back of our training sessions, rarely speaking unless called upon. Then, Keenan and I both realized something exciting: he is an exceptional tutor.

After each tutoring session, I give tutors the opportunity to discuss successes and challenges. Repeatedly, our tutors have gone out of their way to recognize Keenan's work. Specifically, they recognize how much energy Keenan's student, Eddie, brings to each session. Eddie enters the room running, and he rarely stops...unless he's with Keenan. With Keenan, Eddie's willing to do his work (though, as you see in the picture, he still doesn't sit down!). It's a positive experience for both participants.

For me, the most exciting part is watching Keenan's response. When I tell him how well he's doing during tutoring sessions, he tries so hard not to smile - that would involve admitting that he cares. But, I can tell it means something to him. In the beginning of the year, Keenan's attendance was spotty. In recent weeks, he has had perfect attendance at tutoring sessions (though, we're still working on training sessions).

His maturity and dedication were made clear during a recent session. Eddie and Keenan were reading "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein when Eddie's father arrived a little early. I admit that I was a little nervous when I invited Eddie's father to watch the session in progress. Looking over Keenan's shoulder, Eddie's father watched his son reading and answering questions. Keenan barely flinched - simply demanding Eddie's attention and continuing with the lesson. Noting my failure, Keenan called me over and asked quietly, "do you think we could get a copy for Eddie's dad so he could follow along and finish the story at home?"

Keenan is doing a fantastic job, and he's very invested in Eddie's success. The model isn't perfect, but when it works, it's beautiful.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Meet Our Tutor: Crystal

Many of you know about Reach's alternating schedule. On Mondays and Wednesdays, our tutors are trained. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they tutor elementary school students. While Crystal does relatively well during our training sessions, she truly shines as a tutor. When things get a little too chaotic in the classroom, I find Crystal - and her student, DeJah. They, without fail, provide an oasis of calm amidst the (only slightly) controlled chaos. Each day, DeJah is excited to work with Crystal, and they have a singular focus during the time they spend together. It's a beautiful thing to watch.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have almost 40 people in a single classroom. It can get loud, and one student's bad day can disrupt the learning of many children. But, that's never the case with DeJah. Crystal creates a cocoon within the classroom - a big kid and a little kid, two brains and a story.

During an early session, Crystal told me she was interested in pursuing a career in Cosmetology. While I have no doubt that she will find success in whatever career she pursues, it's tough not to imagine her leading a classroom one day. She has a true gift with children. While a few unexcused absences and a sometimes less-than-serious attitude on training days remind me that Crystal is a high school freshman, her work on tutoring days reminds us all what can happen when we provide high school students with real responsibility for student learning.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Quick Hits!

It's been a busy week, so today's blog is just a couple quick hits.

1) Each of our tutoring sessions occurs in Ms. Berg's classroom. Ms. Berg is in her first year at Hyde, and, like me, she moved to DC from North Carolina. She's often present during our sessions, and she's become one of Reach's best advocates. So, you can imagine my excitement when she said, "let me know when you need letters of recommendation as you look to expand. These kids are doing a great job, and it's definitely working - better than most programs I've seen." Ms. Berg made my week! It's specifically powerful for an elementary school teacher to be making these comments. As you can imagine, many people think Reach's model is great for high school students, but they express concern about the quality of the programming for elementary school students. Ms. Berg's comments show that we're providing a high quality program for all students.

2) You may remember DaJohn from our October Update. Today, I provided DaJohn with a hard copy of our October Update. I told him it's important for him to share good news with his family, and I thought they might enjoy seeing his story in our newsletter. DaJohn - seeing the update for the first time - looked at the paper, immediately showed it to the nearest teacher, then walked out into the hall (it was after school) yelling, "look who is front page news!!" You can't help but find energy in these encounters.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Reciprocity of Accountability

$880.

At the end of the first quarter, each of Reach's twenty-two tutors will be eligible for a bonus of up to $40 based on grades in academic courses. The bonus, worth ten times their GPA on a 4.0 scale, is meant to motivate the students to make every effort to improve in-school performance. Even greater rewards are available for improvement from quarter to quarter.

Today, I wrote $880 on the white board. I asked the tutors to imagine that money sitting on a table. Then, I told them, at the current rate, they're leaving about half of it sitting there.

Many of our tutors have had previous academic struggles, so their middling grades are not entirely surprising. As we were confronted with their first progress report, however, I was reminded of one of Professor Richard Elmore's rules:

For every increment of performance I demand from you, I have an equal responsibility to provide you with the capacity to meet that expectation.

Many of our tutors' teachers have started asking them to come in for additional help after school; however, the tutors' obligation to Reach prevents this extra help from happening. Additionally, the subject-specific extra help simply addresses the symptom (poor grades), not the root cause (limited reading skills). Though, if we're encouraging our tutors to improve their grades, then we must provide them with the capacity to make those improvements.

For that reason, our days just got a little longer. Reach will begin offering an additional hour-long study hall following training sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays. Through offering this additional layer of support, we hope to help our students achieve success both in and after school by providing time to address both the symptoms and the root cause. Starting on Wednesday, we will make this additional support available. We hope that its impact will be felt by the October 29th end of the quarter.

As a new nonprofit organization, we continue to learn how to best support our tutors both in and after school. We hope this slight change to our approach will make a difference for our kids.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Reach @ Hyde Leadership

Waiting for Superman

I'm not a documentarian. So, it's certainly possible that I lack a true understanding of the purpose of Waiting for Superman, the recently released film getting so much attention. The film is effective in painting a frightening portrait of the state of American public schools. However, in my opinion, the simplicity with which this portrait is painted actually impedes further conversation on the issue.

The movie explains it simply: public schools are awful, there are not enough spaces in high quality charter schools, and teacher unions prevent reform in the public system.

I know DC far better than the other cities depicted in the film, so I'll focus on those aspects of the movie that relate to my city and Anthony, the DC student depicted in the film. I have two major issues with the film.

1) The SEED School was not Anthony's only option. While DC struggles to improve the quality of all public schools, they also have a process through which students can apply for placement in an out-of-boundary public school. Deal, Hardy, and Stuart-Hobson all offer stronger options within the public system. This is not to say the current system is even remotely satisfactory, but the SEED or misery dichotomy created by the film seems manipulative and dishonest.

2) The most egregious spin in the film related to words about Sousa Junior High. In the film, The Washington Post is quoted as calling Sousa, "an academic sinkhole." To provide background on DC Public Schools' struggles, the film cuts to Jason Kamras, DCPS' Head of Human Capital. Only moments after we hear about Sousa, Kamras speaks about the ways unions prevent real school-based reform. Kamras' opinions are given extra weight when we're told that he is a former National Teacher for the Year. A key fact is ignored: Kamras received the honor for the school-wide improvements he was able to lead at that same sinkhole, Sousa Junior High.

I am a believer in action over talk, and I hesitate to question a film that is getting so many people talking about the education reform movement. However, the challenge is real. We do a disservice by acting as though the solutions are simple. Teachers, unions, parents, activists, and students must all be involved in our solutions. Demonizing some of those groups in our efforts to find a way forward impedes true conversations about the complexities of education reform. These conversations must involve good public schools, great public school teachers, and progressive unions as well as bad teachers, stubborn unions, and high quality charters - these things all exist.

Geoffrey Canada, an incredible figure in the effort to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged youth, makes a statement in Waiting for Superman. To paraphrase, he says, "When I started this work, I thought it was easy. I thought it would take 2-3 years to fix it, the whole nation!"

Luckily, for us, he realized it wasn't so simple.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that this film leads more people to get involved in improving public education. Rather than simply pledging to see the film, I hope inspired viewers pledge to get involved - read to children, mentor youth, and tutor teens. We know it takes one caring adult to make a major difference, and you can't make that difference from a movie theater in the nice part of town.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Highs & Lows

I imagined Reach's launch for months. During planning stages, it's easy to imagine those perfect days when everything seems to go right - the days when it all becomes worthwhile. It's also easy to imagine worst case scenarios - the days when no one shows up. Reality persists: most days exist in the middle. Most days bring a fascinating and difficult mixture of in-between experiences. Most days are like today.

Today was our first one-to-one day. Every tutor was matched with an elementary school student - the numbers were finally aligned. Excited for today's action, I was just inside the school door when one of my third graders approached to tell me he was switching tutoring programs, because his teacher told him he should be in another one. Working on the fly, we made some adjustments, but that was just the beginning. Two older students came in to pick up their younger siblings early, then an after-care coordinator came in...and she was heated. Some of the kids were apparently in the wrong place. I furnished their registration forms for our programming, but she took them anyway, simply stating, "they're supposed to be waiting for their parents downstairs."

My response: "So, they're getting reading help here, but you want them waiting downstairs?"

I maintained my best social worker face when she said, "yes, that's what's on the paper."

This, folks, is how schools work.

All of a sudden, I had tutors without students. As you can imagine, this is neither exciting nor challenging for my high schoolers. Slowly, my tutors found their way to other students. The young ones smiled as they sometimes found themselves getting help from two "big kids!"

Then, in the last ten minutes, two tutors really made my day.

First, there was Binetou. I turned around and saw her speaking with a parent, her student's parent. They were smiling and laughing. I went over to introduce myself to the parent and heard the tutor giving a recap of the session, talking about her student's strengths and weaknesses. The parent ended the conversation by asking, "are you going to be working with my daughter all year?" The tutor smiled; she knew that the parent was hoping that was the case. When the parent left, Binetou said, "she's tough, but she's getting to know me. I think I can work well with her."

Then, as things wrapped up, Brandon took charge. Brandon's a natural leader. Yesterday, he led my training session in the wrong direction. He was having an off day, and it was clear that the rest of the tutors followed his lead. After the training session, I simply asked, "do you see what happens when you choose to use your leadership abilities inappropriately?" He looked away. He knew he could do better. Today, as we cleaned up at the end, it was Brandon that said, "Tutors, here's the trash can! Let's help our students clean up!" Without a word, other tutors stepped up to the plate. I smiled.

A mix of highs and lows. That will be the norm. Enjoy the highs; endure the lows.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Meet Our Student: Bilal

Bilal is a fantastic kid. Perhaps a little too energetic, he was very excited to get to work with some "big kids." In fact, on the first day, while doing some get-to-know-you activities, Bilal was the one that turned to me and said, "when can we read?!"

On our first day of tutoring, we read "Be Glad Your Nose Is On Your Face" by Jack Prelutsky. Bilal enjoyed the poem, and he demonstrated comprehension, after working with his tutor, by telling me about all the problems Prelutsky describes in having your nose in others places. The greatest challenge for Bilal was a single word: dread. He understood that it was bad, but he was struggling with the idea that dread is the opposite of looking forward to something.

An example made this all clear. One of our tutors said, "do you ever wake up and not want to go to school?" Bilal responded, "yeah, sometimes I just want to stay in bed."

"Exactly," said the tutor, "on those mornings, you dread going to school."

"Ah," said Bilal, "I get it."

We'll win him over soon enough. In a few weeks that example won't work. He'll be so excited for tutoring that he'll be ready to come to school - at least on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

The Reports of Education Reform's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

If you've followed the recent political happenings in Washington DC, you might think that educational entrepreneurs are preparing to pack up and leave town. Our tendency toward intellectual laziness has blinded us to the potential learning that could come from the recent mayoral election. Vincent Gray's election does not indicate that parents and teachers do not care about improving outcomes for DC's children. And, the group disappointed with Fenty's loss is not comprised entirely of white outsiders who only care about improving schools in affluent neighborhoods. The reality lies in the middle. We, as a society, struggle to discuss the complexities that exist in the middle.

DC's education history creates emotions in me that are hard to convey appropriately. Only 13% of the city's entering 9th grade students read at grade level. Only 1 in 11 students who entered 9th grade in 1996 graduated college within 10 years. The business community regularly reports that DCPS graduates leave high school without the skills necessary to succeed in entry level positions. In exploring this issue, we can blame the students, their parents, society, or the school system. But, in what other field is the product blamed for the production system's failures? Each adult must consider his or her role in this disaster.

It's reasonable for intelligent people to disagree on where this anger should be directed. This election made clear the racial and economic tensions that have long existed in The District. "Progress" creates winners and losers - a fact we often try to ignore. In DC, it's easy. Those that never get to feel the true power of progress live elsewhere - literally on the other side of a river. Most of us can go about our days without acknowledging that separate reality. This has created an intense lack of trust. Reform efforts seem to improve the best neighborhoods first. Firing bad teachers creates a horrible life situation for good, well-meaning people. These issues are not as simple as the articles we write.

The recent election simply brought these issues to the surface. Whether or not you agree with the decisions made by Chancellor Rhee, this discussion involves more than simply proposing the "right answers" for our students. It's about change, trust, and progress. It's about finding the right answers while building the relationships necessary to define a shared vision that will allow us to move forward together. It's about acknowledging that many have had to leave their neighborhoods to receive an education that approaches adequate, so pushing the idea of neighborhood schools is concerning (and rightly so!) to many who have seen the generational failure of their neighborhood schools. We're asking people to trust a system that has never earned that trust.

That being said, the recent election does not mean the end to reform. The problems are significant and the need for change is urgent. We, as a system, have failed DC's children. Dramatically. Pathetically. We all must own those failures. Small changes will do little to create different results. At Reach, this increases the intensity with which we approach our work. Perhaps the fight just got a little more difficult, but we recognize the challenge, and we relish the opportunity to win the battle. We will pick up our lunch pails, move forward in service to our students, and create change the best way we know how - one messy relationship at a time.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Two New Items

For those of you attending Reach Becomes Reality, we have secured two new auction items. Given our literacy focus, I am particularly excited to auction signed copies of these recent bestsellers:

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

Two kids with the same name were born blocks apart in the same decaying city within a year of each other. One grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar, army officer, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation.

The Tenth Parallel by Eliza Griswold

The tenth parallel—the line of latitude seven hundred miles north of the equator—is a geographical and ideological front line where Christianity and Islam collide. More than half of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims live along the tenth parallel; so do sixty percent of the world’s 2 billion Christians. Here, in the buzzing megacities and swarming jungles of Africa and Asia, is where the two religions meet; their encounter is shaping the future of each faith, and of whole societies as well.

In addition to these books, we have some other exciting auction items:

• 6 nights in a 6 bedroom home in The Outer Banks, North Carolina
• 4 nights in a 2 bedroom condo in Keystone, Colorado
• 2 tickets to see Duke vs. Maryland at Cameron Indoor Stadium
• Photography by Wyatt Gallery

These items simply add to the excitement created by the door prizes and drink discounts available on September 29th. Tickets are going fast - buy now!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

First Week

Yesterday, one of Reach's Program Instructors said the following about one of our tutors:

"You don't know this, but he is the bane of everyone's existence. He's constantly talking, never doing his work, and always causing trouble. It's pretty amazing to watch him in here. He's actually focused and working hard. He seems to really be responding to the responsibility of being a teacher."

This is only the beginning...

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Reach Became Reality

Beginnings at schools are rarely perfect. Working with teens rarely goes smoothly. Combine the two, and you're asking for trouble. My goal is (and always has been) to have the tutor cohort together by the end of this week's pre-service training. Today, we had about 10 - with 10 additional kids already enrolled. Additionally, I provided a financial incentive for current tutors who recruit others. By the end of the week, I imagine we'll have a solid cohort of 25-30 tutors.

Only ten showed up. Why am I smiling?

Well, each of those kids will be back tomorrow - hopefully, with others. There was some confusion about the program's start date, and I know other tutors will be arriving for the first time tomorrow. Most of all, you should have seen how excited our new tutors were!

Their chests swelled when they heard about their responsibilities. They shook their heads in understanding when I explained my expectations. They nodded in agreement when I told them they would be doing the hard work, but we would never ask them to do anything they couldn't do. And you should have seen the smiles when we explained the bonus structure...

Be on time? I can do that!

Improve my grades? I can do that!

Increase my percentile on standardized tests? I can...wait, what's a percentile?...oh, I can do that!

Improve my own reading level and that of the student I tutor? I can do that!

We designed four days of training for a reason. Beginnings are always bumpy, but today was a fantastic start. I can't wait to share our stories as we move forward.

Today, Reach became reality.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Final Countdown!

4 Days!

96 Hours!

5,760 Minutes!

345,600 Seconds!

When the countdown hits zero, we will have completed Reach's first tutor training session. Like Reach's students, we will never be perfect, but we will be prepared. It's very easy to feel overwhelmed at this moment - to worry about student attendance, teacher contracts, and instructional materials. But, at this moment, that serves little purpose.

In the coming weeks and months, there will be bumps in the road. But, after a full year of planning for this moment, we are ready. We are ready to learn what works, discover what could be improved, and watch our students grow. We will see tutors discovering their own potential to create change, and we will see students learning to love reading. We will see tutors get excited about their first paycheck, but we will also watch as they become proud of their progress and the growth of the students they tutor. In the end, to them, their progress will become more important than their pay.

Our tutors will enter our program with a history of poor performance and the associated questions about their own academic ability. The journey through which we will produce proud and proficient readers will be challenging, but we will get there. That journey starts now.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Reach Becomes Reality - September 29th!

Reach Becomes Reality
Wednesday, September 29th

6:00pm - 10:00pm

$30

Location: Co Co Sala (web site)

929 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004

Click here to buy tickets!

With your ticket purchase, you will receive your first drink and entry into a drawing for a two-night stay at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia!

Happy Hour Specials!

$8 Signature Cocktails

$6 House Wines

$4 Amstel & Heineken

Exciting Door Prizes!

Two Nights at The Greenbrier! *

$25 Gift Certificates to Co Co Sala!

Silent Auction!

Week Long Home Rental in North Carolina's Outer Banks *

Condo Rental in Keystone, Colorado *

Photography by Wyatt Gallery - a person, not a place
Two Tickets to Duke v. Maryland Men's Basketball @ Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Check back for updates...

* some restrictions apply.

September Update

Good Afternoon!

With only weeks to go before program launch, this is an incredibly exciting time for Reach and our supporters. In DC, students returned to school almost two weeks ago, and Reach has visited Hyde Leadership Public Charter School regularly to begin recruiting our adolescent tutors. With 30 spots available, we were very excited to receive interest from 50 9^th grade students. Additionally, several teachers have expressed interest in supporting program implementation – these pieces will all fall into place in the coming weeks. After so much preparation, Reach will begin training tutors on September 13^th!

During September, we look forward to hiring teachers, training tutors, and beginning work with our elementary school readers. With books in their hands, our tutors will be forced to grapple with the real work of teaching – defining difficult words, teaching basic phonics, and developing comprehension questions. The tutors will improve their own reading skills while ensuring that the elementary school students achieve proficiency by the end of 3^rd grade – an important academic milestone.

To celebrate our arrival at program launch, Reach is pleased to announce an exciting event: Reach Becomes Reality. On September 29^th, Reach supporters will gather at Co Co Sala to enjoy happy hour specials, exciting door prize drawings, and a silent auction – all supporting our continued work at Hyde Leadership. With the purchase of a ticket, guests will receive their first drink free and be entered into a drawing for a two-night stay at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. At the event, guests will be able to bid on a variety of exciting silent auction items. Please visit our website for more details.

After an amazing summer, we have almost secured the resources necessary to support our first semester of programming. We hope you will continue to support our work as we begin transforming the lives of struggling readers. Thank you for all your support in helping Reach arrive at this point. In the coming weeks, we look forward to introducing you to our first cohort of tutors, and we hope to see you at Co Co Sala on the 29^th!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

What Are We Looking For?

Today, I had the opportunity to speak at Hyde Leadership's High School faculty meeting. In search of teachers to help with program implementation, I was able to make a short presentation about the work Reach will be doing at Hyde this year. It's always a wonderful experience to see how some people really get excited about our program model - even tired teachers at the end of a long day.

In preparing to make this presentation, I was forced to consider an important question regarding the teachers we will hire: What exactly are we looking for?

One of the beautiful aspects of our teaching framework is that it can be executed by those with expertise in areas other than reading. By focusing on very specific learning activities, we create the context for our tutors to do the "heavy lifting." More than anything, we need teachers that can ask good questions, encourage effort, and earn the respect of our students.

For example, a tutor might ask, "What does this word mean?" We would expect our teachers to respond by saying, "What strategies do you know for figuring out the meaning of words?" And, once our tutor figured out the definition, we would ask, "So, since that was a challenge for you, we can assume your student might need some help with that word. How will you help them to figure out what that means?" At no time would the teacher simply provide the definition.

While, traditionally, we think of teachers as the ones with the right answers, we're asking our teachers to take on a different role - we want them to be the ones with the right questions.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

A Wonderful Problem

The start up process involves many moving pieces. Only weeks away from program launch, many items must still fall into place. Will students want to participate? Will we be able to find talented teachers interested in working with us? Will we have the money needed? Will the instructional materials arrive on time? And, as an outside school partner, I only have some control over these items - I depend on Hyde to answer questions about program space, storage, and access to data. So many questions to be answered, yet the countdown to launch continues.

Over the last two days, we were able to address one of the questions listed above: Will students want to participate? This week, I was given the opportunity to make a short presentation in four different 9th grade reading classes. Given the opportunity to speak to 40-50 Hyde 9th grade students, I was curious to see whether the kids would be interested in the program we were offering. Would they want to do extra work? Would they want to help younger students become better readers? Would they be willing to dedicate themselves to improving their school performance to earn financial incentives?

How many of the students I spoke with filled out the interest form so I could approach their guardians with additional information? Every. Single. One.

With space for only 30 tutors, we will now have to find ways to identify the students most appropriate for Reach's program - those students that would derive the most benefit from the structure and motivation we offer. For now, we have more interested students than we have space in the program - what a wonderful problem!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

It Works, Except When it Doesn't...

In this month's edition of the Harvard Graduate School of Education Magazine, there is an interesting article about the use of financial incentives. While researchers certainly have strong opinions, there does not seem to be a consensus around the use of financial incentives. What does this mean for an organization, like Reach, that uses compensation as a component of programming?

Without doubt, the motivation facilitated through financial incentives is not the most important aspect of our work. Our goals: improve student engagement, increase student motivation, and teach students to believe in their ability to improve. For students that have experienced previous academic failure, like those at The BIFF Paradigm Project, financial incentives simply encourage students to take the first step. Additionally, students learn about the relationship between academic success and financial rewards - a relationship that remains long after graduation.

That is not to say that financial incentives are the solution to all our problems. We must also convince kids to value education - yes, as BIFF's director states, this is a bait and switch. I regularly state that we, as educators, often focus on how kids can improve academic performance, but we rarely answer a simple question: why?

While there is some overlap, there are some distinct differences between Reach and the programs mentioned in this article. Reach's compensation system acknowledges that our teenage tutors are actually providing a service, not simply being rewarded for academic outcomes. Additionally, instead of rewarding mastery - for example, making honor roll - we reward improvement, regardless of the student's starting point.

While we have not achieved certainty in researching financial incentives, we do know that those students that enter high school without adequate literacy skills face dire consequences. While a complete educational revolution is likely needed, we must take immediate steps to identify avenues to improved outcomes.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Blog Break

While out of the office this week, I will have limited internet access; therefore, the blog will take a short break. We will return with our twice weekly installments on Monday, August 23rd.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Training Tutors

Today, I finished a strong draft of Reach's Tutor Training Manual. I feel confident in this version, though I would never call it a "final draft" as there is always room for improvement, and we will continue to learn. The creation of the Tutor Training Manual has been a fascinating process - it's so much stronger than it once was. Now, we have a document that will provide our tutors with a basic understanding of literacy development, the tools necessary to create a lesson plan, and the confidence to provide high-quality instruction to younger learners. And, the manual itself is a graphic organizer that will facilitate note-taking and knowledge retention.

The training will occur over a four-day period in the week prior to program launch. On day one, our tutors will get an overview of the program structure. We'll answer all of their questions: How does it work? When do we get paid? How much do we get paid? How can we earn more money? We don't doubt that our tutors will be fixated on this issue in the beginning, so we would like to answer all their questions quickly.

On day two, the tutors will be students. Using an original lesson, I will teach the tutors. They will experience a basic literacy lesson covering all five components of literacy development: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. Using that lesson, we will then backtrack to introduce those five components to our tutors. We will explain each concept, then show the tutors how we addressed them in the lesson.

On day three, we'll use another original poem to walk through the creation of a lesson plan. As a class, tutors will construct a lesson plan while teachers provide guidance and support. We will use whole group instruction to minimize the risk being taken by any individual student in contributing to the lesson plan.

On the final day, the tutors will have the opportunity to practice. We'll break our Lesson Planning Template into five parts. One component at a time, we will give tutors the ability to develop their own ideas for the lesson plan. Then, before moving on to the next component, we will ask two or three tutors to demonstrate how they would handle that part of the lesson. Through this role play activity, students will gain confidence in providing real literacy instruction.

In the end, the goal is to have our tutors leave training with the feeling that they can do this work at a high level. For the first time, I feel confident in our ability, using this manual, to get our tutors to that place.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Truth Behind the Numbers

Educational statistics have become part of everyday conversations for many in this country. We hear people speak of merit pay, national standards, teacher evaluation, reading proficiency, and graduation rates; however, we don't really understand what's being said. Statistics can always be spun, and that reality shines through in the world of education as much as anywhere.

Let's look at the educational statistic most relevant to Reach's work: proficiency in reading. How are we to understand the statistic related to reading proficiency? According to the DC Comprehensive Assessment System (DC-CAS), 43% of the District's secondary students are proficient in reading. However, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 13% of DC's secondary students are proficient in reading. How is that possible?

Well, NAEP is considered the gold standard of educational assessments, but it doesn't paint a very bright picture of the District's public education system. So, states generally only highlight their own proficiency data (and credit is due to DC for publishing NAEP scores on their website). No Child Left Behind forced states to develop accountability systems, but it gives states the ability to define proficiency. That means that proficiency as DC measures it is not the same as proficiency by Pennsylvania's definition. Some argue that states can improve statistics simply by lowering standards. NAEP allows us to compare states. DC-CAS and NAEP provide two totally different definitions of proficiency, and we tend to see a preference based on what is most convenient for the writer/speaker.

As you can imagine, Reach often uses the 13% number. To garner support for our programming, it's important that a bleak picture be painted. The seriousness of the problem creates a sense of urgency about fixing the problem (though, to be fair, why are we more satisfied with 43% of our kids reading proficiently?). To truly understand the problems we face, we must understand the nature of the statistics we so often see.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

We Need Your Help!

As many of you know, Reach is one of three organizations selected to benefit from Deals for Deeds during the month of August. We'll be posting each of the daily deals on our Facebook page. We know you might not be interested in every deal you see, but we hope you'll consider spreading the word to those you think might be intrigued. Even better, you could sign up to receive Deals for Deeds' email each day. For every 250 people that sign up here, Deals for Deeds will partner with Casey Trees to plant a tree in DC. Getting great deals while giving back to the community - what could be better?

Additionally, I've decided to indulge my competitive side through a friendly wager with Sara Gibson, Director of Development at Miriam's Kitchen. Whichever organization raises more money through Deals for Deeds during the month of August will receive a $50 donation from the losing organization's executive. There's only one problem: WE'RE LOSING!!

Miriam's Kitchen is off to a fast start, and they've raised about $80 more than Reach at this point. Our competitor has been around for more than 25 years, and they have a legion of dedicated volunteers. We're clearly the underdogs, so we need you to spread the word about Deals for Deeds. And, more important, we need you to encourage your friends to support Reach when they take advantage of the site's amazing discounts. Please forward this to your social networks and help Reach prevail in our competition with Miriam's Kitchen!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

August Update

Friends of Reach,

Moving quickly toward the beginning of the next academic year, Reach's launch is almost upon us! As we finalize our Tutor Training Manual, create a program library, and begin student recruitment, we are excited about our opportunity to dramatically improve the reading skills of 60 students at Hyde Leadership Public Charter School.

Signs of our growth are evident in many ways. During the month of August, Reach has been selected as one of three beneficiaries of Deals for Deeds, a group buying program that allows consumers to donate a portion of every purchase to one of three local charities. Additionally, building on the leadership donations of ARPC, Monica & David Dixon, Karin Johanson, Jack Werner, and Mike & Missy Young, Reach raised over $45,000 during the month of July alone - leaving us less than $10,000 short of our goal for the first semester! Finally, we have partnered with local restaurant Co Co Sala to a host a September 29th event - Reach Becomes Reality - celebrating our pilot program launch (details to follow). The start-up journey has been challenging, but we hope you share our enthusiasm about our progress and potential.

In a matter of weeks, we will begin recruiting Hyde's newest 9th grade students. Using our unique, three pronged approach - training, tutoring, and compensation - we will simultaneously address the literacy needs of our 9th grade tutors and our 3rd grade students. In a few months, you will begin hearing about engaged students, improving grades, and excited teachers - we look forward to telling those stories in an updated newsletter format.

We are immensely grateful for your support in getting us to this point. If you have not yet made a donation in 2010, we hope you will help us raise that final $10,000 before the school year begins - either by sending a check or donating online. Additionally, we hope you continue to follow our work on our blog or on Facebook - these are exciting times, and we hope to earn the confidence each of you has shown to this point through our successes in the coming school year.

With Gratitude,

Mark