ACLU Foundation of Maryland, Inc.
In spring 2020, the Maryland Legislature will tackle the aggressive “Blueprint” educational policy and school funding formula recommendations from The Kirwan Commission. This session promises to be a once in a generation opportunity to reapply an equitable statewide educational funding formula, particularly for those children living in concentrated poverty. The ACLU has been critical to maintaining educational funding over the last three decades, and will use its core strategies of advocating to policy-makers and school systems, informing and engaging parents, students and community groups, and for the first time in over a decade, litigating. The goals are to pass a new state funding formula with additional dollars for schools with high concentrated poverty, and to pass the $2.2 billion bill for School Construction.
Success for All Foundation, Inc.
The JHU-affiliated Success for All Foundation is launching its successful Tutoring with Lightning Squad (or Lightning Squad) reading intervention hoping to serve 800 children in up to 15 City Elementary Schools in 2019-20.Tutoring with the Lightning Squad is a small group, web-based reading intervention for struggling readers in first through third grade. Lighting Squad trained tutors provide daily 30-minute tutoring sessions to groups of four children with the support of the on-line Sesame Street literacy program. It is expected that participants will complete 25 tutoring sessions as a minimum and gain a minimum of 2 months of reading growth.
STEM Champions of Baltimore / Fund for Educational Excellence
Like many of Abell’s afterschool academic sports programs, STEM Champions of Maryland trains teacher coaches to prepare middle & high school students for the National Science Olympiad Tournament each Spring. Providing robust curricula and materials for each of the 18 Olympiad activities, STEM Champions also brings STEM professionals and volunteers to work with teachers in the afterschool practices. This year, STEM Champions expects 36 school teams and 650 students to prepare for and enter the City Science Olympiad, with 15 teams advancing to the State Competition, and hopefully to Nationals.
School Colors / Fund for Educational Excellence
Chronic absence has soared in Baltimore City Public Schools, with nearly 40% of students missing 18 or more days of school. Lacking required uniforms is a key reason that some students miss school. In 2019-20, School Colors will serve 28 Baltimore City Elementary/Middle Community Schools, partnering with Community School Coordinators to assess the need/sizes for school uniforms, provide uniforms at no cost to students, and monitor the distribution/impact of uniforms throughout the school year. With “Uniform Closets” in each of the schools, School Colors expects to provide more than 4,500 uniforms, improving attendance as a result.
New Leaders – Baltimore
With Abell start-up funding, New Leaders has recruited, trained, supported, and developed 111 principals in Baltimore City Public Schools since 2005. In collaboration with City Schools, New Leaders will launch a new two year Principal Preparation Academy that combines a Foundational Year with the second year Residency Year. In addition to its Induction Academy for 10 first-year New Leaders principals, the organization will train up to 40 leaders in 2019-20 and produce 9 new prinicpals in Summer 2020.