EDUCATE RADIATE ELEVATE
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Mission Statement
Educate. Radiate. Elevate.’s purpose is to strengthen the educational achievement of underserved students by providing them with high-quality instruction from experienced tutors who assist them in the areas of academics, enrichment, test prep, and essential learning and life skills. Since 2020, Educate. Radiate. Elevate. has been serving communities in Illinois and Texas through our mission of minimizing disproportionate learning outcomes experienced by under-resourced students. At E.R.E., we know firsthand how educational achievement creates economic, social, and emotional stability for the youth we serve, their families, and their communities. We fulfill our mission by providing high-quality services that include academic tutoring, enrichment, and test prep, as well as essential life skills development. By providing the tools needed to grow academically and emotionally, we are positioning the youth we serve to be successful in life and to become contributing members of society.
About This Cause
In Illinois, Educate. Radiate. Elevate. primarily serve the Chicagoland area, and in Texas, we primarily serve the Dallas and Houston regions. Our students reside in low-income underserved communities with under-resourced schools. Their communities are experiencing elevated crime, high rates of unemployment and homelessness, substandard housing, food insecurity, elevated rates of mental illness and chronic disease, and additional lack of basic needs. These problems, combined with additional challenges linked to language, family dynamics, racism, socioeconomic status, and the like, all contribute to the growing achievement gaps among students. And because these inequities inevitably result in increased dropout rates, reduced graduation rates, low secondary education enrollment, and missed job and career opportunities, this cycle continues generation after generation. According to Research, one-on-one tutoring is an extremely effective intervention method with long-lasting positive impacts. E.R.E provides students who have been nominated and selected because of their dedication, achievement, and desire to learn with consistent and personalized tutoring. Our high-quality tutors focus on assisting the students with academics, enrichment, and test prep while also teaching them the underlying learning and life skills that will allow students to excel in all classes, in college, in their careers, and beyond. These include essential “soft skills” such as planning and prioritizing, time management, focus, creative problem-solving, curiosity, innovation, advocacy, collaboration, and emotional intelligence. To increase access to high-quality tutoring support for low-income students, we developed and piloted a tutoring program that compliments the work of existing community-based organizations and focuses on achieving gains in three domains that impact a student’s likelihood of academic and life success: - Academic Gains (Increased grades and/or scores, engagement and motivation in school and schoolwork, and homework completion and understanding) - Social-Emotional Gains (Confidence, independence, advocacy, and leadership) - Soft Skills Gains (Metacognition, Executive Functions, Interpersonal Skills) Each accepted student is paired with one tutor of their choice for the entire 4-month Term of the program, though they always have the option to switch tutors if they choose. E.R.E. tutors come from diverse backgrounds, reside in the communities being served, are college-educated, and have years of teaching experience. They are also trained in teaching metacognition, executive functions, and interpersonal skills, as well as in culturally responsive and trauma-informed teaching. Our tutors utilize the detailed reports of computer-adapted pre and post-assessments that evaluate each student’s present levels in math, language arts, reading, and social-emotional skills. Assessment results allow us to provide personalized and engaging lessons tailored to the student’s greatest needs while also helping them develop critical learning and life skills. Armed with the understanding that our students’ basic needs must be met to prime them for optimal learning, we also provide them with access to additional resources through our partnerships with other nonprofits and service providers. These include resources to address needs related to food, shelter, and mental and physical health. It costs approximately $1,000 to provide one Term of tutoring to 1 student. The funding is used to purchase pre- and post-assessments which provide valuable information about the students' current levels of academic mastery and soft skills so that the tutors can provide personalized and engaging lessons tailored to the student’s greatest needs while also helping them develop critical learning and life skills. The money is also used to pay for the technology required to provide weekly quality instruction. However, nearly 70% of the funding is used to pay the wages of our experienced and trained professional tutors. It is our belief that all children deserve access to ongoing quality learning opportunities, regardless of their background. With our intensive tutoring program, in just 4 months our students have increased their academic mastery by up to the equivalent of over 5 years of schooling and improved their Soft Skills by up to 75%. At Educate. Radiate. Elevate., our tutoring program goes beyond closing the learning gap – it's a catalyst for young people to forge their own destinies and shape a brighter future for themselves, their communities, and the world. For over half a century, research has consistently demonstrated that educational achievement is a powerful predictor of an individual's economic well-being and overall quality of life. Furthermore, the impact of one-on-one tutoring has proven to be profound and enduring. In response to the pressing need to provide equitable access to high-quality tutoring support for underprivileged students, we have designed and piloted a tutoring program that works in synergy with existing community-based organizations. Our program is strategically crafted to foster growth in three critical domains that significantly influence a student's academic and life success: academic proficiency, social-emotional development, and the acquisition of essential soft skills. However, we recognize that education alone is just one piece of the puzzle. That's why we are committed to collaborating with local nonprofits and service providers to amplify our impact and effectuate transformative change within the communities we serve. By merging our community initiatives with the personal strides our students make, we are sowing the seeds for broader societal transformation as these young individuals become the architects of positive change in their communities and, ultimately, the world as they embark on their career journeys. --- Student applications are evaluated in two stages. Students MUST meet ALL stage 1 requirements to move on to consideration in stage 2: Be in grade 6 - 12 Reside in a low-income household Reside in IL or TX Students with higher scores based on the weighted criteria below will be more likely to be accepted into E.R.E.’s tutoring program: 45% weight - Identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC) 25% weight - Have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA for the past 2 years 20% weight - Demonstrate an active leadership role at home, in the classroom, at school, and/or in the local community 10% weight - Submit a letter of recommendation from a non-family member --- Students will demonstrate an increase in performance in Math, Language Arts, and Reading as well as an improvement in Soft Skills and a greater enjoyment of learning. - At least 80% of students will complete the program with at least 80% attendance - Average at least 20% improvement in performance on Math assessment - Average at least 20% improvement in performance on Language Arts assessment - Average at least 20% improvement in performance on Reading assessment - Average at least 20% improvement in self-reporting of Soft Skills - At least 80% report satisfaction with the program - At least 50% will choose to continue for another Term, and at least 60% of the remaining students will indicate in their End-of-Term Survey that they now have the tools necessary to manage their own learning and no longer need tutoring. --- Our Core Values: - Empathy. Our team empathizes with our students to build deeper connections, help us better understand what drives their behavior, and find strategies to help. - Educational Equity. We know that all students can learn when given the opportunity, so we seek to ensure that our students have the support and resources they need to be successful. - Cultural Responsiveness. We strive to learn from and relate respectfully with people of all cultural backgrounds by continually reflecting on our own backgrounds and behaviors, actively learning about our students’ cultures and communities, and adjusting our practices accordingly. - Holistic Approach. We take a comprehensive approach to teaching by seeking to address the emotional, social, ethical, and academic needs of our students in an integrated learning format. - Partnership. We understand that students’ opportunities for learning extend beyond classroom walls, and thus we strive to nourish meaningful connections with our students’ families, schools, and communities, as well as other organizations providing vital services to them.