EDUCATION

Goal - Children should be equipped with a basic education in reading, writing, math, and science. They should develop the character and relational skills necessary to be successful, contributing members of society.

Active Education Grants as of March 2011:

Algiers Charter School Association - Reaching High - Middle School Initiative will assist middle grade teaching professionals to incorporate age-appropriate content rigor and innovative strategies so that their students are better prepared for high school and beyond. "Reaching High" will serve approximately 1,298 middle grade students in six Pre-K - 8th grade Algiers Charter School Association schools.

Bard Early College in New Orleans - Early College for Students in Every High-Poverty New Orleans Public High School -Bard Early College in New Orleans (BECNO) will offer Bard Courses for low-income 11th and 12th graders in every high-poverty New Orleans high school. BECNO bridges high school and college for students with highly limited access to higher education: students earn nationally-transferable college credits in courses taught by college professors, combined with intensive college admissions guidance.

Choice Foundation - Graduate Support at Esperanza Charter School - Choice Foundation will implement a comprehensive Student Services program at the Esperanza Charter School. Choice Foundation will address a crucial need by providing social/emotional services, counseling, intervention, and referrals as well as graduate support to enable all Esperanza Charter School students to excel both in and outside of the classroom.

Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education Inc. - Sci High's Comprehensive Academic Enhancement Program - New Orleans Science and Mathematics High School is an open admissions school serving 350 students. The comprehensive academic enhancement program prepares students with academic and 21st century workplace skills leading to increases in student engagement, attendance rates, graduation rates, test scores, college acceptance and employability in high-paying careers. The program increases the likelihood that students are accepted and enroll in post-secondary educational programs and are successful in those environments.

Greater New Orleans STEM Initiative - Core Element Summer STEM initiative - Funds will provide teachers in grades 3-6 with nationally-recognized professional development and materials for classroom activities. The curriculum used will directly impact student achievement in science, mathematics and English language arts and will develop student interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects to provide a pathway to the STEM workforce.

Jefferson Chamber Foundation - Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy - Start-up funding for the Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy (JCFA). JCFA will provide at risk students a non-traditional approach to earn a high school diploma and has been approved as only the second charter school in Jefferson Parish.

Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans, Inc. - The JA BizTown Capton Challenge Campaign is for 5th and 6th grade students inspires and prepares students with stewardship skills for a lifetime of learning and academic achievement through career exploration and financial literacy and allows them to look toward a life of self-sufficiency and good citizenship.

Kingsley House - Educare of New Orleans - Educare of New Orleans, serving 150 children, birth to 5 years, will be a part of a national network of highly effective child development programs designed to meet the needs of today's families who are making the transition from welfare to work. The Educare Center will focus on narrowing the achievement gap between young children in poverty and their more economically advantaged peers.

Liberty's Kitchen, Inc. – Liberty’s Kitchen Youth Development Program -  Liberty's Kitchen is serving New Orleans' youth by providing a path to self-sufficiency through its food service-based training, education and work readiness programs. Our Youth Development Program provides young people ages 16-21 with both occupational and employability skills training and we address the social issues that have created barriers to their employment as productive citizens.

Isidore Newman School - Breakthrough New Orleans (formerly Summerbridge) College Readiness Initiative - Breakthrough New Orleans seeks to launch its College Readiness Initiative in the fall of 2009. Drawing from nearly two decades of success in fostering achievement in at-risk youth, the program aims to ensure successful matriculation of Breakthrough New Orleans students to college-preparatory high schools and ultimately college.

Reconcile New Orleans - Educating for Success: Improving and Expanding Job Readiness and Retention Services -Reconcile will increase program staff in order to accommodate program growth made possible by BCM's initial investment by adding a second case manager and a mental health specialist. These positions will enable the organization to provide more individualized job training, increase comprehensive, long term job supports, and more effectively address the array of mental health and medical care needs of participants.

Reconcile New Orleans - St. Regis Hospitality Program - Building on the strengths of its established culinary training program for at-risk youth, Reconcile is extending the current training to a t total of 12 weeks. The expanded program will allow for reinforcement of both occupational and life skills, and continued progress in applied and instructional academics. The St. Regis Hospitality Program will serve 120 at risk youth over 36 months.

School Leadership Center of Greater New Orleans - Supports the School Leadership Center - The Center trains principals and impacts school teams for the improvement of student achievement in the five-parish region.

School Leadership Center of Greater New Orleans - The SUNS  (Serving the Unique Needs of Students) Center is a nonprofit one-stop-shop that provides services to schools/districts to assist them in designing/implementing programs for students with disabilities.  SUNS is under the School Leadership Center umbrella.  This grant will supplement current revenues until SUNS is totally self-sustaining and allow the Center to provide additional/enhanced services to schools.

Young Aspirations/Young Artists (YA/YA) - Urban Heroes - Urban Heroes is an educational enrichment program that reaches over 700 Orleans Parish students each year. These projects include artistic engagement in schools, communities, and field trips to our art studio. YA/YA senior artists lead art workshops in partnership with individual school administrations and teachers to ensure that our workshops complement and enhance existing school curricula.

Youth Rescue Initiative, Inc. – Club Lead - The Club Lead has been designed to create opportunity and options for today's at-risk youth in New Orleans.  Club Lead has begun a series of leadership training workshops intended to boost positive behavior, academic success, and constructive peer pressure in three area elementary schools.  The participants in Club Lead are expected to become leaders in their schools and communities.