Powerful Schools Educate! smart is great.
The Need
Reading proficiently by the end of third grade is a crucial marker in a child’s educational development. In fact, those not reading at grade level are four times more likely not to graduate. For kids in poverty, the prospect of failure is even higher.
Studies show that substantial education achievement gaps start early in a child’s development and often correlate with race, income, and proficiency in English. Locally, the education gap continues to grow between students enrolled at schools with discretionary resources and the schools served by Powerful Schools where the majority of children face poverty, language barriers, and lower academic achievement.
Local studies report the following statistics:
- More than 50% of Washington’s children are not ready to succeed when they enter kindergarten. (Source: Puget Sound Educational Service District)
- Nearly 43% of low-income students in the South Seattle and South King County area do not meet the standard on 3rd grade reading. (Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction)
- Only 27% of all students in the South Seattle and South King County area complete a college degree or credential. (Source: The BERC Group).
To view our entire 2012-2013 Impact Report, click here!
Program Evaluation
Each of our programs has multiple assessment and evaluation indicators that map to key outcome goals. Our key outcome goals are researched based and align with the Community Center for Education Results (CCER) “Road Map,” a local initiative shared by Seattle Public Schools and all of the S. King County School District’s to increase outcomes for kindergarten readiness, 3rd grade reading proficiency, middle school preparedness and college & career readiness. In addition, we review ongoing formal evaluation from parents/guardians, principals, and teachers that are administered after each activity. This information helps us to measure our real-time effectiveness.
We use a variety of formal and informal researched based assessment and evaluation tools that include the following:
