Amazing Students, Like Kiziah

Our number one priority remains racial equity in education – as it has since this work began in 2010. And while we have made progress and have much to be proud of, including all six partner school district boards passing equity policies, there is much to be done.

Last spring we began partnering with six courageous schools to tackle the disparity in school discipline rates between students of color and their white peers. Small and focused teams at each school are looking at data and measuring practices to identify those that lead to increased engagement and reduced behavior referrals for students. While it is still early, their efforts are having an impact.

At a partner school, “Kiziah” is one such student whose engagement has greatly increased. Kiziah is an eighth grader who last year was struggling with her behavior, having frequent outbursts and provoking drama with drastic consequences to her grades – a D average. Last year, Kiziah was invited to join a student engagement group and also began checking in one-on-one, daily, to build accountability and connection. As a result, Kiziah is now showing appropriate maturity and modeling positive behavior for her peers. She is noticed by teachers and staff for her engagement and eagerness to learn. In fact, she is on track to finish the quarter close to a 3.0 average.

All Hands Raised is helping our schools build teams to address disparities in discipline, to improve attendance, to strengthen transitions into kindergarten and ninth grade, to support access to college, and to build more opportunities in construction and manufacturing. At our 24 partner sites we provide in-kind professional development and support to build capabilities at local schools so more students can envision a bright future and have the support necessary to create that future. Check out more about our work here.

We know that behind every piece of challenging data there is an amazing kid with potential – in this case, it’s Kiziah. If you decide to do an end of 2016 charitable gift, please consider students like Kiziah and make a contribution to our work.