TDS Initiatives

Current Projects

GRAD Partnership

The GRAD Partnership brings together nine organizations to partner with schools, districts, and local community organizations to create the conditions needed to bring the use of evidence-based Student Success Systems from a new practice to a common practice. We need new and improved student support systems to enable all students to thrive in pandemic-impacted times. We are uniquely positioned to achieve a transformation at scale, to support more students’ graduation and pursuit of postsecondary pathways – in particular for students who are Black, Indigenous, unhoused, English Language Learners, with disabilities, and/or those experiencing poverty.

We need new and improved student support systems to enable all students to thrive in pandemic-impacted times. TD with the other members of the GRAD Partnership, is uniquely positioned to achieve a transformation at scale, to support more students’ graduation and pursuit of postsecondary pathways – in particular for students who are Black, LatinX, Indigenous, unhoused, English Language Learners, with disabilities, and/or those experiencing poverty. Each of the organizing partners has made significant contributions to on-track work and the communities they serve. By collaborating in service of a shared mission, we can have greater impact than by working alone. Pooling our experiences and learnings, as well as creating a shared definition of high quality and some common tools, builds all our capacities. We share a deep commitment to equity and anti-racism and belief in student, educator, family and community agency. We can do more together, with greater impact, than if we work alone.

https://www.gradpartnership.org/

Annie E. Casey On-Track to Career Success

The goal of the On Track to Career Success effort is to work closely with a small number of schools in New Orleans and New Mexico to bring together four key actions and learn how they can be used in schools which primarily serve historically marginalized students in order to create guidance and insights that can be used broadly. The actions are:

I. Grade level Student Success Systems where teams of teachers work collectively to use predictive indicators to enable all students to stay on track to high school graduation and career success.

II. Local co-creation of series of 9th to 12th grade academic, social-emotional, college and career milestones based on national, evidence-based models, identifying the progression, exposures, experiences, skill developments, and outcomes as indicators of students on-track for career success.

III. Expanded community partnerships, which provide all students with a series of college and career exposures, experiences, applications, and credits/certification, as well as enhanced student supports.

IV. Student and community voice as a driver of the actions above.

Ensuring the Future of At-Risk Youth – The Annie E. Casey Foundation (aecf.org)

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Finish the Job – Building Capacity for Early Warning Systems in High Schools

A system to identify, monitor and respond to student indicators with the most effective interventions is needed now more than ever as schools prepare to open after COVID-19 closures.

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