Higher Achievement Program, Inc.

Higher Achievement launched a strategic plan in September 2017 that challenges us to extend and deepen our impact on our scholars. While we stay rooted in the middle school years, we have committed also to deliver our proven afterschool intervention with the express intent of equipping 5th - 8th grade scholars with the confidence and skills to succeed in high school, college, and life. As a result, by 2032:  
• 100% of Higher Achievement alumni will graduate from high school on time, and
• 65% of Higher Achievement scholars will earn a post-secondary degree (approximately 4x the rate of their peers), helping them realize their full potential.  
 
In order to achieve this intended impact, Higher Achievement will prepare middle school students for postsecondary success by sparking deep engagement in learning and placement in top-tier high schools. We continue to commit to:  
• Promoting mastery of key academic skills to enable self-efficacy, and  
• Intentionally develop social emotional skills linked to college success and persistence (e.g., goal-setting, sense of belonging, and engagement in school)  

As a result of COVID-19 and extended school closures, Higher Achievement was not able to see a full program year of the revised Higher Achievement 2.0 model, including summer partnerships. In March 2020, Higher Achievement acted quickly as school districts proceeded with closures in order to provide stability and consistent programming to meet immediate scholar needs, including homework help and relationship building as scholars faced not only the challenge of virtual learning, but also sudden isolation from their friends and their routine. Higher Achievement added unplanned summer programming to keep scholars engaged and to develop best-practices in delivering a virtual program in preparation for the anticipated and since confirmed virtual school year.

Through summer pilot programs in virtual academic skill-building and mentoring; conversations with scholars and families; and meetings with school administrators, Higher Achievement revised programming for the 2020-2021 program year in order to achieve both short-term goals (such as grade and attendance improvements) and long-term goals (high school placement and postsecondary success) that have been impacted by COVID-19. This updated program included high school placement and English Language Arts mentoring based in social-justice principles, classroom-aligned math skill-building in small-group “math pods,” and large-group Community Meetings to connect scholars to their goals and to one another. This concentrated approach was strategic. By condensing programming into hour-long, high-impact sessions, scholars were engaged and received the benefits of personalized programming while also limiting screen time following a day of virtual school, which was a concern voiced by families. Programming featured content rooted in social justice, aligned to in-school learning, grounded in relationship-focused mentoring, and reflected in short and powerful lessons with gamification throughout to keep scholars engaged.

Looking ahead to the 2021-2022 school year, Higher Achievement engaged Bellwether Education Partners to guide Higher Achievement’s leadership team in a strategy refresh with input from Higher Achievement frontline staff, families, scholars, current supporters, school districts, and other community partners. Out of this session, Higher Achievement developed a draft two-year proposed strategic approach to address the following guiding question: “How should Higher Achievement adjust its model to meet the needs of COVID recovery – for current scholars and to serve more students, helping young people close opportunity gaps exacerbated by the pandemic?”. This approach positions Higher Achievement to focus at the intersection of Higher Achievement’s core competencies, unmet needs for scholars and schools, and ability to financially sustain our work from school investments and philanthropy.

Higher Achievement seeks to build a world where every child's promise and potential is realized, regardless of circumstances. To that end, the organization closes the opportunity gap during the pivotal middle school years, providing students in its three affiliate communities – Baltimore, MD; Richmond, VA; and Washington, DC – with academic and social-emotional supports at an important moment in their development. Higher Achievement's proven model provides a rigorous learning environment, caring role models, and a culture of high expectations, resulting in college-bound scholars with the character, confidence, and skills to succeed. On average, 95% of Higher Achievement scholars graduate high school on time and 63-64% of scholars show improved grades in math and English Language Arts (ELA).

Higher Achievement's success can be attributed in large part to its commitment to using rigorous evaluation and data to inform program development. The organization started its first randomized controlled trial (RCT) study in 2006, years before most other out-of-school time programs considered this type of research. Even today, Higher Achievement is among only 2% of nonprofits in the country to have undergone an RCT, and one of only 10% of those reporting statistically positive results. The results published by research partner MDRC in 2013 demonstrated that Higher Achievement has a statistically significant impact on math and reading test scores, family engagement, and top choice high school placement. With this strong evidence of impact, Higher Achievement secured a $12 million Investing in Innovation (i3) grant from the US Department of Education in 2015. Higher Achievement has a measurable impact on the lives of middle school youth from low-income and underserved backgrounds across our four affiliate cities. Rigorous assessments consistently indicate that Higher Achievement scholars improve their grades, test scores, school attendance, and academic behaviors.

Higher Achievement is one of the only expanded learning programs in the country to conduct a randomized control trial that demonstrates the positive impact of its proven model. Published by MDRC in 2013, this six-year study revealed that Higher Achievement's academic impact is larger than other expanded learning programs in the United States. Specifically:

Our i3 grant award led to a second RCT, which was published by MDRC in July 2020. Once again, Higher Achievement is among the few with positive, statistically significant results – this time with report card grades for our expansion sites outside of Washington, DC. This evaluation also included a robust implementation study, which led to a refined program model – focused on placement in and readiness for college-preparatory high school programs. The refinements expanded on the centerpiece of our model – Afterschool Academy and mentoring, while dedicating more time for family engagement and partnerships for summer learning.

Higher Achievement anticipates the following outcomes for scholars each year:
• 65% of scholars will increase one letter grade in math and reading, or maintain As and Bs.
• 75% of graduating 8th grade scholars will enroll in a college preparatory high school or program (enroll in a lab science or Algebra 1 for their 9th grade year)
• 80% of scholars will indicate learning key social-emotional learning competencies in developing persistence, self-efficacy, goal-setting, and engagement in school.

These outcomes translate into scholars achieving success in high school, college, and beyond.

Scholar outcomes from the 2020 program year:
o 64% of scholars increased one letter grade in reading, or maintained As and Bs from Q1 to Q3 (due to the fact that pandemic scholars were not given Q4 grades)
o 62% of scholars increased one letter grade in reading, or maintained As and Bs from Q1 to Q3 (due to the fact that pandemic scholars were not given Q4 grades)
o 75% of graduating 8th grade scholars enrolled in a college preparatory high school or program (enrolled in competitive school, or a lab science or Algebra 1 for their 9th grade year)