With Oct 31^st being her last day, Nyesha McCauley spent a little over 7 years of her professional life with all of us here at Achieve Hartford. From old staff to new staff, from old board members to new board members, and from old partners to new partners, everyone speaks of Nyesha as one of the most good-natured and committed advocates for Hartford kids, families and the city itself.

But this short story isn’t about what everything thinks of Nyesha; it’s about what I as the Executive Director for the past 10 years owe to Nyesha. For the past decade, my organization has had to adapt to the changing conditions in the city’s education landscape and continually find ways to add value on behalf of the intense and urgent needs of Hartford children. Sometimes, that meant being the school district’s “critical friend,” while other times it meant acting as an incubator of new community programs, or a think tank, or neutral convener, or a coalition-builder, and the list or roles goes on. The only way I could have ever pivoted the organization to play those roles, was by having Nyesha on staff.

Nyesha not only facilitated all the different methods for communicating to such different audiences over the years – from tv shows, to events, to letters, to community trainings, to Get Out the Vote campaigns, to social media, to publications, etc. – but she also helped the organization find its voice each and every time we made a pivot. Even in our most recent pivot, almost two years ago, when we decided to apply the tenets of community organizing to our work recruiting and supporting individual leaders throughout the private sector, Nyesha was there to help us communicate who we are, what we do, and make it look beautiful both in print and online.

Reflecting on this, I realize that perhaps even greater than her talent in the diverse technical world of communications, is her talent in adaptability. She has risen to whatever the challenge and has always found the unique angle and message, and always delivered on time. Add to this her warm and positive demeanor, with a deep sense of urgency and justice for those who need it most, and you get an incredible human being.

Nyesha, you were at Hartford Public Access TV for 10 years, then Achieve Hartford for 7 years, and now you’re looking to launch your own venture helping community members who want to solve problems find their solution, find their strategies, find their voice, and find their potential. I can’t think of anyone better to take on that much-needed role in our city, and on behalf of the entire board and staff, we wish you nothing but the best of luck, and are always here for you. For the 7+ years of amazing work, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

If you’d like to thank Nyesha, or wish her the best, or just keep in touch, you can reach her at her personal email: [email protected].  She’s always right here, in Hartford, somehow making us all feel right at home.

Achieve Hartford has released two new reporters on its SmarterHartford.org site. The Proficiency Testing Report provides results of standardized tests taken by Hartford Public Schools (HPS) students in the spring of 2019 while drawing comparisons to other districts. This report includes SAT results as well, given that this is the only test used to gauge academic progress at the high school level. The results are sobering, and worth a look for the nuances that exist between magnet and neighborhood schools.

The Chronic Absenteeism Report answers questions related to student attendance at HPS. The rates of chronic absenteeism at the six neighborhood high schools are not just high; they are the highest rates in a district which has among the highest rates in the state. More than half of their students were chronically absent during the 2018-19 school year. Many of our other schools are doing poorly, but these six high schools are the driving force of our exceptionally high rate of chronic absenteeism. It is on those schools that resources must be focused to solve this problem. Thankfully, the District is reporting a drop in chronic absenteeism this first quarter of the 2019-20 school year, compared to the same time period last year.

Some 50 people from businesses, nonprofits, higher education, and philanthropy gathered for ALL IN!’s full coalition stakeholder caucus in October to brainstorm ideas for new action teams.  

At the stakeholder caucus, held at Upward Hartford, Achieve Hartford staff divided the group based on the two priorities set by the ALL IN! Coalition Steering Committee – student advising at the high school and/or college level and academic remediation at the high school and/or college level. 

Participants brainstormed ideas and came up with four action team proposals – which are being fleshed out this month before being brought to the ALL IN! steering committee in December. The plan is to launch at least two new action teams in January. The four ideas include: 

• Bringing more private-sector advisors into the lives of high-school students. 
• Training and supporting current college career/academic advising staff on high-demand career pathways and what it takes for students to navigate them. 
• Training afterschool professionals on how to provide stronger academic support for high school students. 
• Creating dual enrollment opportunities for high school students to experience college.  

If you have an interest in helping flesh out any of these four ideas – or if you have other ideas – please reach out to us at [email protected]. 

Leaders from the corporate, higher education, philanthropic and nonprofit communities gathered on October 31st to learn how collaborative public-private partnerships in Hartford and other cities are preparing local youth for higher ed and the workforce. 

The event featured Fio Partners consulting and managing partner, Anne Yurasek, who has worked with public/private coalitions in the state and has studied collaborative efforts. In Nashville, she noted, high school students attend a career fair with hands-on activities and pre-assessments designed to help them identify career aspirations. In Austin, partners train volunteer classroom coaches and mentors and provide financial aid workshops and text message campaigns to send students deadline reminders.  

Hartford, a city on the move with energy and optimism, has formed the ALL IN! Coalition for College and Career Readiness, said  Yurasek.  ALL IN! brings together leaders committed to breaking down silos to form cross-sector partnerships and work toward bold goals for Hartford Public School students and graduates, she said.  

The audience at Infinity Hall in Hartford laughed when she pointed out how risk-averse the Hartford region is. She encouraged leaders to adopt a learning mindset and be willing to risk failure with trusted partners.  

During a panel discussion, moderated by Erin Haberman, Senior Director, Community Relations, Travelers, and Second Vice President, Travelers Foundation, panelists shared Hartford success stories and needs.  

Panelist Dr. Duncan Harris, CEO of Capital Community College, said through a partnership with Food Share, hunger is no longer a barrier to students’ learning at Capital. Middle school and high school students are eager to learn what they need to do to complete college and have the skills necessary for in-demand jobs, said Hartford Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, another panelist.  

Employers, seeking to hire local people interested in building their careers in Connecticut, are open to helping close students’ knowledge gap about what jobs are in demand now and in the future, said panelist Dr. Martin Estey, Executive Director of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education.  

After the meeting, attendees were asked to consider providing one-on-one tutoring or mentoring, take on a high school or college intern, and/or participate in an ALL IN! cross-sector action team. We thank those who have already volunteered! To learn more visit www.ALLINHartford.org and to volunteer, email [email protected]. 

Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition?

Achieve Hartford! is excited to be participating in the Brackets For Good tournament. During this bracketed tournament for charities, 64 local nonprofit organizations will compete to make the most points — raise the most dollars. Every point counts! The overall winner (nonprofit with the most overall dollars raised) will receive a $10,000 prize.

It’s time for us to get some points on the board.  You can help us by shooting a jump shot here.

See the bracket match-ups and join Team Achieve Hartford!.

The tournament begins at 8 p.m. on February 24, and we only have a few days to make into the next round.

Donations made to Achieve Hartford! through the Brackets for Good tournament will support our mission of helping the community and Hartford Public Schools graduate more students who are prepared for college and career.

Achieve Hartford! is an independent nonprofit organization with the belief that strong schools lead to a strong city.  As Mayors, Boards of Education and Superintendents change over time, we are the consistent voice pushing for high-quality education in our city since 2008.

Get in the game and help Hartford kids succeed.

[clickToTweet tweet=”@BracketsForGood is on & @achievehartford is in it to win it.https://hartford.bfg.org/ #CompetitiveGiving” quote=”@BracketsForGood is on & @achievehartford is in it to win it.https://hartford.bfg.org/ #CompetitiveGiving”]

Brackets For Good

Brackets For good is the sport for nonprofits. Inspired by college basketball brackets, Brackets For Good is a charitable, online fundraising tournament where up to 64 hand-selected, local nonprofits with a 501(c)3 status in good standing compete for donations while earning increased awareness along the way. All participating nonprofits have a chance at winning $10,000 unrestricted grant courtesy of the tournament’s presenting sponsor. Watch this YouTube video to see how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jskPh8hBh_8