OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 | VOL. 2, ISSUE 2
TEAMING UP FOR TEACHERS
The College Football Playoff Foundation and ESPN’s College GameDay partner to promote Extra Yard for Teachers Week BY DAVID LEE
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s the 2018-19 school year and college football season kick off, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation launches Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT) Week, Sept. 15-22. The eight-day celebration boosts the year-long EYFT initiative, using the visible and powerful initiative of college football to recognize the teaching profession. Last year, EYFT Week directly impacted 225 teachers and more than 13,000 students across the country through the help of universities, conferences and bowls. Once again, the CFP Foundation has partnered with ESPN’s award-winning show, College GameDay, to help build awareness. The popular Saturday morning show changes locations each week based on highlyanticipated football matchups. EYFT Week is promoted each
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year on College GameDay, as the show recognizes teachers during the broadcasts. In addition, the program has promoted multiple classroom projects funded by the CFP Foundation and ESPN through DonorsChoose.org, a crowdfunding platform that allows
teachers to request school supplies for their classrooms. Last year, ESPN College GameDay recognized EYFT Week in Louisville and New York City. In Louisville, the show highlighted 20 former University of Louisville student-athletes who are now
INSIDE THIS ISSUE // ↗ IT ONLY TAKES ONE PG 2
↗ READY TO RUN, SAN JOSE? PG 3
↗ THE FIGHTING IRISH GO THE EXTRA YARD PG 3
↗ HAND IN
HAND PG 4
↗ FOR THE KIDS PG 6
↗ PARTNER
↗ SEPTEMBER 2018 HONOREE PG 8
SPOTLIGHT PG 7
↗ IT’S A
PARTY PG 8
↗ CONNECT WITH US PG 9
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teachers in Louisville-area schools. The teachers were also recognized on the field during that week’s Clemson vs. Louisville matchup. In New York City, teachers and students from the surrounding area were recognized during the broadcast in Times Square. In addition, the CFP Foundation and ESPN donated a total of $60,000 to support classroom projects through DonorsChoose.org in the Louisville and New York City communities. While ESPN College GameDay appearances create some of the most impactful EYFT Week moments, the CFP Foundation and ESPN partnership expands past the morning show to ESPN broadcasts during the rest of the day. The ESPN announcers promote EYFT Week during each college football game and talk about teachers who have made an impact in their lives,
GET UP: ESPN College GameDay is coming to your city, and so is the CFP Foundation. Stay tuned to see which cities we are taking over during EYFT Week. resulting in 41 million television impressions in 2017. “The CFP Foundation and its partners go the extra yard to lift up teachers during Extra Yard for Teachers Week,” said Britton
Banowsky, Executive Director of the CFP Foundation. “To know that the CFP Foundation and ESPN have been able to make a meaningful impact and will continue to do so in 2018 is a great feeling.”
IT ONLY TAKES ONE
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ne teacher and one moment can change a student’s life forever. This is true for former college football standouts, and it’s true for each student that walks the halls of our schools today. Follow the CFP Foundation’s “It Only Takes One” video campaign this fall to see which all-stars share their stories about the teachers who put them on the path to success.
TEACHERS ARE THE DIFFERENCE: Former college football standouts share their stories about teachers that made an impact on their lives.
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OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK EVENTS
CONFERENCE PARTNER
THE FIGHTING IRISH GO
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he College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation and the Notre Dame Athletics Department will join forces once again this season in support of Extra Yard for Teachers and the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE). For the third-straight year, a banner ceremony will RAISED SINCE 2015 take place at Holy Cross Catholic School in South Bend, Ind., that will feature a surprise speaker. ACE spans thousands of students in over 30 cities from New York to Los Angeles. Since 2015, the partnership between the CFP Foundation and Notre Dame has raised $1,606,015 to support the cause. Notre Dame Athletics will honor the two organizations as the Fighting Irish take on the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday, Sept. 8.
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READY TO RUN, SAN JOSE? Sunday, January 6, 2019 | 8 a.m. PT
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he fifth-annual Extra Yard 5K is coming to downtown San Jose, Calif. on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019! As the “official race for teachers,” all proceeds benefit Extra Yard for Teachers, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation’s primary platform, which is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers. Online registration for the Extra Yard 5K is now live at EY5K.com. Registration includes a participant shirt, a finisher’s medal, a race bib, one ticket to the CFP’s interactive fan event, Playoff Fan Central, and one entry into a drawing to win two tickets to the 2019 CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 at Levi’s Stadium.
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IN THE FIGHT: The Fighting Irish and Extra Yard for Teachers partnership enters its fourth year this season.
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HAND IN HAND
Atlanta Public Schools is making a difference in the lives of students one year later BY JAIME ARON
A
t the start of the last school year, an Atlanta first-grader named Journi logged onto her virtual tutoring program to begin working on reading with her mentor, Rachel. Rachel knew Journi was smart. Her math scores showed it. Yet the girl was so afraid of reading that, when asked to read, she’d run away. But now here she was, sharing a screen with Rachel. A word came up, and Rachel asked her to read it. Or, at least, sound it out, letter by letter. The word Journi struggled with: Dog. By the end of the school year, Journi’s reading skills had caught up to her peers — and to her potential. The credit, Rachel says, starts with Journi, of course … and it stretches all the way to the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation.
NEVER STOP LEARNING: Atlanta Public Schools is always training its teachers to be one step ahead.
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MOVING FORWARD: Atlanta Public Schools has seen tremendous progress in year two of Orton-Gillingham training. In June 2017, the CFP Foundation spearheaded a $2 million, threeyear investment into a highlysought training program to better equip Atlanta Public Schools (APS) educators to teach literacy skills. The initiative was also supported by the Atlanta Football Host Committee, Chick-fil-A Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The gift stemmed from the CFP Foundation’s annual emphasis on improving education in the host city of the College Football Playoff National Championship. Local education leaders were asked what their biggest challenge was. They pointed to the fact that more than one-third of APS
second-graders read below their grade level and that 70 percent of their teachers lacked confidence in teaching fundamental literacy skills. The next question was what could be done about it. APS leaders suggested training in the Orton-Gillingham (O-G) approach to literacy, a scientifically-proven method that involves using sight, hearing, touch and movement to help students connect language with letters and words. (An example of this multi-sensory technique: a child draws letters in sand spread on a paper plate.) The CFP Foundation agreed and rounded up partners to make a donation that will leave
OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF
an impact long after the dust settled on Alabama’s win over Georgia in overtime at the national championship game on Jan. 8, 2018. Journi’s teacher was among the first wave of trainees, thus making Journi among the first wave of students to benefit. She’s only one of many examples, as evidenced by the below graphic, which shows an impressive spike in early literacy testing scores among kindergartens and first-graders merely from the fall to spring semester this past school year.
district and the CFP Foundation. “We’re excited that 39 percent reached distinguished status, but it’s really great to move so many students out of the beginning level.” Training began in Summer 2017 with kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade teachers going through an intensive, five-day program from the Institute for MultiSensory Education (IMSE). This summer, the focus shifted to thirdgrade and fourth-grade teachers. In all, more than 700 teachers have been trained, with 80 more scheduled for this fall. Next summer, the We’re excited that 39 percent third and final wave reached distinguished status, will focus on fifthgrade teachers and but it’s really great to move anyone from the lower so many students out of the grades who wasn’t beginning level.” trained the first time RACHEL SPRECHER around. By rolling out “The win here is that we were the training this way, an entire able to decrease significantly in generation of students — Journi’s the beginner level,” said Rachel generation — will be trained and Sprecher, who, in addition to being sustained by better-prepared Journi’s reading mentor, is also teachers. Executive Director of Partnerships “As they matriculate into middle and Development for APS, making school, we’ll be able to see their her the point person for the school growth,” Sprecher explained. “By
continuing to build the capacities of the teachers, it is realistic to expect to see testing scores moving in the right direction, to continue seeing that upward trend.” APS follows up with the teachers who’ve been trained to get feedback on what is and isn’t working. IMSE instructors offer site visits and continuing education, online and in person. “Thanks to the CFP Foundation, the training isn’t one and done,” said Sprecher. “This ongoing support ensures we implement the program with high quality.” There also are also plans for those who’ve been trained in the O-G system to become O-G trainers. By paying the knowledge forward, APS will prop open that three-year window and get more than $2 million worth of impact. “I don’t know whether this would’ve been possible without the national championship game coming to Atlanta,” said Sprecher. “I really give the CFP Foundation credit for saying we want to do something really meaningful and impactful. We are so grateful that they leveraged the platform of the game to support literacy in our schools.”
EARLY LITERACY SCHOOL COMPARISON WINDOW EXAMS Fall 2017
2.286
Spring 2018
2,243
29% 3%
24%
47% 34%
14%
11%
39%
Red is beginning level, Yellow is developing, Light Green is proficient and Dark Green is distinguished. (Source: APS)
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FOR THE KIDS
Bay Area football fans of all ages are gearing up for the season in an educational way BY JAIME ARON
H
ere’s a secret: Hundreds of Bay Area kids who thought they were just running, jumping and having fun at camps this summer were also learning about science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). STEAM-based training is a key component in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation’s involvement in the Bay Area — site of this season’s College Football Playoff National Championship — because this multi-disciplinary approach is already a big part of the local education culture. The San Francisco 49ers recently rebranded its STEAM education program as 49ers EDU. With those folks leading the way, the Extra Yard for Teachers Summer STEAM and Football Training Camps were designed to reach at least 2,500 students.
delieverd offsite will be included in field trips occurring at the 49ers EDU facilities, embedded in Levi’s® Stadium — home to the 49ers and the 2019 national championship game on Jan. 7. So, how does the program turn playtime into FUN IN THE SUN: Bay Area students participate in learning time? summer camps that combine STEAM, football and a Kids spend about whole lot of fun! 20 minutes at each of five stations. and Education Director for the Bay Running, jumping, stretching and Area Host Committee. even water breaks all connect to the Outings reached between 70 and lesson plans. 200 students at a time. They were By timing the 20-yard dash, both held at elementary schools and automatically and on hand-held libraries, sometimes in conjunction devices, there are lessons in human with after-school programs or as error. Long jumps — done wearing a bonus for kids attending other shoulder pads camps, such as at a YMCA. — offer introductions The lessons were crafted in part It’s a great opportunity to talk to the on concepts such as from the Movement Lab portion of kids about Extra Yard for Teachers, power, velocity and the visit to 49ers EDU. Kids visiting the Bay Area Host Committee and acceleration. in September will get to experience Healthy snacks the new program in place of the about the national championship lead to talk about regular Movement Lab activities. game coming to our community.” nutrition. Water And, if all goes well, the program JESSE LOVEJOY breaks offer a could be extended throughout the chance to talk about football season. Programs have been delivered the importance of staying hydrated, “It’s a great opportunity to in multiple sites across the Bay complimented by a lesson that talk to the kids about Extra Yard Area, including San Jose, Santa incorporates mathematics. for Teachers, the Bay Area Host Clara, Salinas and Morgan Hill. “Think of it as the intersection of Committee and about the national With students returning to school NFL Play 60 and education,” said championship game coming to our in August, the experience being Jesse Lovejoy, Director of 49ers EDU community,” said Lovejoy.
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OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT Capital One Orange Bowl
Eckrich
The Capital One Orange Bowl, in partnership with the CFP Foundation, unveiled updated media centers this August at South Florida elementary schools as part of the Orange Bowl Media Center Makeover Project. Over 110 schools across three counties submitted entries, and North Glade Elementary, Sea Castle Elementary and Miami Gardens Elementary were chosen to win a fully-funded media center makeover for their respective schools. The installations were completed by CFP Foundation partner, School Specialty, Inc. (SSI), featuring SSI Guardian, home of the 21st Century Safe School™. “The Orange Bowl Media Center Makeover Project, powered by Extra Yard for Teachers, reinforces the Orange Bowl’s mission to support and serve the South Florida community,” said Orange Bowl Committee President and Chair, Sean Pittman. “These updated media centers feature state-of-the-art equipment and technology and will give students and teachers optimal opportunity to achieve academic success.”
Eckrich will host the Road to the College Football Playoff National Championship sweepstakes and its $1 Million Challenge at 20 different games during this year’s college football season. The sweepstakes gives one lucky fan the chance to win $1 million on the field during a break in the game action. Last season, the CFP Foundation was the recipient of a $500,000 donation from Eckrich as part of the $1 Million Challenge campaign, and the partnership will continue this year. At each of the 20 regularseason games, Eckrich will honor a local teacher by inviting him or her to take part in the college game day experience. The teacher will receive two game tickets, hospitality passes and $300 in gifts cards for classroom supplies. This all leads up to CFP National Championship weekend, when ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit will once again take part in the $1 Million Challenge to score funding for the CFP Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers platform.
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IT’S A PARTY!
SEPTEMBER 2018 HONOREE
Bailey Koerner
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t 4:45 a.m. CT on Friday, August, 24, Victory Plaza was filled with smiling faces and Extra Yards for Teachers green leading up to WFAA’s Party on the Plaza. The CFP Foundation and its Extra Yard for Teachers platform were the feature of the ABC affiliate’s morning show, as teachers and partners showed their support for educators as they head back to school in North Texas and across the country. CFP Foundation Ambassador and national television personality, Rachel Lindsay, and CFP Foundation partner, Commit, joined forces with the other attendees live on the air to celebrate teachers and raise awareness for current classroom needs.
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ailey Koerner, a math teacher at H.G. Hill Middle School in Nashville, Tenn., teaches her students a simple but powerful motto: Always give it your best shot. And never, ever give up. The “growth mindset” that Koerner teaches has made a profound impact on her student DeAndrea Wright, who often felt frustrated and discouraged in math class. “I hated math so much because it made me feel like I wasn’t smart enough,” said Wright. And yet, with Koerner’s encouragement, Wright has excelled in the subject. “Now I love it!” Wright said. As Koerner said, “When they doubt When they doubt their abilities, I tell my their abilities, I tell students, ‘Just say, ‘I can’t do this YET. You my students, ‘No… just can’t figure it out say, I can’t do this YET. Try again. Don’t YET. You just can’t give up.’” This attitude figure it out YET. has influenced Try again. Don’t DeAndrea’s life outside of school give up.’” as well; because of BAILEY KOERNER one dedicated and challenging teacher, she now feels like there’s nothing she can’t do. Visit www.honored.org to read Bailey Koerner’s full story.
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CONNECT WITH US Check out what the CFP Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers is up to on social media.
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Follow @CFPExtraYard on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Use #CFPExtraYard to join the conversation, and see the positive impact Extra Yard for Teachers continues to make across the country.
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