Rocketship education

EDUCATION

by THE OLBIOS TEAM

There is a significant and growing gap in student achievement in the US. It’s a gap between ethnic groups, between income levels, even between neighboring communities in the same city. Regardless of which side we’re on, ultimately, the achievement gap affects everyone. The achievement gap is bigger than grades and standardized tests. It affects dropout rates, college graduation, employment, lifetime earnings and quality of living. And it’s a perpetual cycle, persisting for generation after generation in the same community. But it doesn’t have to exist. There’s absolutely no difference in the academic potential of these students. There are differences, however, in their environments, their communities and their opportunities. There are significant differences in the availability and access to quality schools. In 1999, Father Mateo Sheedy, Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, created the Juan Diego Scholarship to Santa Clara University.  He was surprised to discover that, of the hundreds of children in his parish, none of them met the basic academic requirements that would qualify them to attend their hometown college, or any other top-tier university. So Father Mateo Sheedy reached out to his community and started creating a plan to improve high-quality educational options in Washington Guadalupe. Unfortunately, Father Mateo Sheedy passed away too soon, but his movement lived on. In 2006, his parishioners approached John Danner and Preston Smith—two educational entrepreneurs who were developing a new model for schools in low-income neighborhoods. Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary opened soon after and their students quickly showed strong results in academic achievement. As more families joined the waiting list, they realized the need for even more high quality schools in the San Jose community. Today, there are eight Rocketship schools in San Jose and one in Milwaukee, and students are closing the achievement gap. They continue to be in the top 5%t of districts serving low-income students. The Rocketship Model is designed to overcomedifferences and eliminate the achievement gap. Through personalized student instruction, teacher development, and parental engagement, it shows that students in their schools can perform as well as any of their peers. Rocketship_website Website: http://www.rsed.org/

 

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