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Margaux Morisseau, Director of Community Engagement, NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley
Challenge: More than a quarter of the students fail to graduate from high school in Woonsocket, RI, both a symptom and a cause of the city's overall decline. How do we get these poorly performing students to graduate, go to college and break the cycle of poverty?
While high school graduation rates have slowly increased in Rhode Island, Woonsocket has the state's highest dropout rate and the number of dropouts has risen in recent years. Teen pregnancy rates are among the state's highest. Seventy-six percent of third grade students in Woonsocket do not meet English language arts standards. Increasing numbers of students are non-native English speakers and must enroll in special education programs. Only 68 percent of high school students graduate. The economic and social costs of poor student performance weigh heavily in the northern Rhode Island town, where one in five children lives in poverty and a third of the population depends on food stamps. These conditions exacerbate problems for the students, making them more likely to suffer behavioral and physical problems, become teen parents and earn less as adults.
For over 18 years, NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley (NWBRV) has offered youth programs as a cornerstone of our mission to strengthen the communities in our region. The program has grown from offering field trips to youths living in our housing to a structured academic program that ensures all the students in our residences are college and career ready.
Our Mary A. Longtin C3 (Community, College and Career) Center caters to middle and high school students. Enrollment is free and it is open year-round with after school hours and daylong sessions during winter and summer breaks. The facility is considered a cool place to hang out thanks to its computer lab, kitchen, community center, environmental lab and classrooms.
But it's the teachers or Community Builders-In-Residence (CBIR) as they're called, who make the center so special. We offer highly-qualified entrepreneurs, artists, educators and other professionals a deeply discounted apartment in exchange for 16 hours per week of community service. Residents are expected to live and work at the C3 Center for a year-to-year renewable rental agreement.
Shanikqua Dandy said she had been a "spiraling" kid who made trouble for the great-grandparents raising her. She got involved in our youth programs in 2005 with a zero grade point average. She boosted her GPA, graduated high school, went on to college and is one of our teachers.
"Now I am part of the staff that changes the lives of kids," she says. "I provide supportive communication with youth who were once in my predicament. Having grown up in this community myself increases the students' connectivity with me."
Having teachers work for free onsite keeps the program sustainable in an inconsistent grant world and provides round-the-clock role models for the students. Many of these young enthusiastic teachers grew up in the neighborhood and went to the same schools. They constantly talk about their college experiences at schools such as Rhode Island College, Brown, Harvard and Boston College. Their conversations with students often begin "When you go to college…"The students commit to a disciplined schedule and high expectations. They may start by playing basketball, talking with their teachers or working on projects, but when 4:00 p.m. rolls around, they settle into their mandatory two hours of homework and study time.
The program targets K-12 youths living in our 345 affordable housing units. It provides academic, social, emotional and college preparatory support through before- and after-school programs, vacation week sessions and summer learning opportunities. The College Ready Community program is an inclusive education program offering tutoring, health and exercise classes and entrepreneurship activities. It also offers instruction in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education, leadership, environmental citizenship, gardening and neighborhood beautification. The activities prepare youths for college and focus on building their leadership skills and self-esteem while creating stronger connections with their community at-large.
The Sure Track to College program, led by a staff member who works collaboratively with the school department prepares youths for college entrance exams, helps them choose the right schools and guides them through the application and financial aid processes. We partnered with Navigant Credit Union to create S.A.F.E. (Savings Advantage for Future Education) deposit-only college savings accounts for students beginning in middle school and to provide financial literacy classes.
Recently, NWBRV partnered with the Woonsocket Education Department to increase academic achievement in the Woonsocket's Constitution Hill and Fairmount neighborhoods through the College Ready Community program. We share data such as grades and attendance with the education department, schools, teachers, parents, students and our staff. Increased communication ensures that students are getting the help they need and engages the whole community in the students' success.
The results of our program have been remarkable: 99 percent of our youths now graduate from high school, 94 percent go to on to college and there have been no teen pregnancies. Many graduate and return to live and work in the community as social workers, pharmacists and teachers.
Through this initiative we've learned that this formula works: set high expectations, seek proper support from many partners, track progress as well as setbacks and give a voice to those you seek to serve — and listen to them.
