The Extra Yard, August 2022

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FOUNDATION

AUGUST 2022

NEWSLETTER

SUPPORTING TEACHERS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

The college football community’s tradition of Extra Yard Week and BIG DAY for Teachers continues to make a difference.

T

he number one factor in student achievement is a teacher. The PreK12 public education system is facing ongoing demands, staffing challenges and disruptions to learning following the COVID19 pandemic. And the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation does more to support teachers than any sports entity in the nation.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 567,000 fewer educators in America’s public schools today than there were before the pandemic. About one-third of teachers and principals reported they were likely to leave their current job by the end of the 2021-22 school year, up from about one-quarter of teachers and 15 percent of principals in 2021. The effect is being seen

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GOING BIG

Now in its third year, the BIG DAY for Teachers continues to grow nationwide. already as students head back to the classroom this fall with increasingly larger class sizes or classes without a qualified educator. Further, teachers who are staying are facing the

growing mental health concerns that parents have, and students who are significantly behind in math and reading, a learning gap that is even more pronounced in majority black schools.

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So how can the college football community help? It’s been proven — exceptional teachers who receive private or public recognition plan to keep teaching at their schools for nearly twice as long. This is one of the primary objectives of the CFP Foundation: to invest a large portion of its time and effort into its recognition and resources initiative, Extra Yard for Teachers. By showing appreciation and providing funding toward classroom resources, the initiative’s intent is for teachers to focus on implementing their ideas, leading to measurable improvement and reduced inequality for students.

Extra Yard for Teachers Week (slated this year for September

16-24) began in 2015 as a simple idea, a dedicated week for college football to celebrate teachers with social media posts, helmet stickers and public address reads at games.

In its inaugural year, approximately 15 schools activated, but today, there are more than 80 schools who are set to participate, all while the social media posts have multiplied immensely. In addition, ESPN has invested inventory throughout the week toward awareness of the initiative with highlights on College GameDay and every game broadcast on its family of networks. Plus Extra Yard for Teachers Week has added the BIG DAY for Teachers

to further engage its education, corporate and non-profit partners to join the college football-led effort during this special week.

The BIG DAY for Teachers (Tuesday, September 20) started during the height of the pandemic in 2020, when college football had limited fans in the stands. The BIG DAY was dedicated for the nation to show teachers its appreciation with surprises over Zooms, phone calls and visits and with dedicated funds for a myriad of teacher projects. With the 2022 edition of the festivities just one month away, the BIG DAY for Teachers gives the CFP Foundation the opportunity to celebrate great teachers in their

BIG THANKS: Extra Yard Week and the BIG DAY is about one thing — recognizing teachers!

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classrooms. The fact that college athletes, mascots, spirit squads and administrative leaders are going out of their way on a work day to show teachers how much they are appreciated goes a long way in uplifting the spirits of educators as they kick off the school year.

The support around the BIG DAY has been amazing, right from day one.

BRITTON BANOWSKY, CFP FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“The support around the BIG DAY has been amazing, right from day one,” said College Football Playoff Foundation Executive Director Britton Banowsky. “The effort has grown year over year and that’s really what it’s all about. We wanted to create a movement that would grow and continue to get more people involved. We expect the 2022 BIG DAY to be our biggest ever and we are looking forward to it.”

The numbers tell the story. The CFP Foundation is expecting close to 1,000 activating partners to participate in the 2022 edition of the BIG DAY for Teachers, which would double last year’s total.

The CFP Foundation’s BIG DAY is expecting even more impact nationwide as it approaches year two of its collaboration with Bowl Season. Similar to last year, every bowl game at the FBS level is planning to participate in the BIG DAY to celebrate and recognize the efforts of teachers across the country.

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“Bowl Season is honored to work with Extra Yard for Teachers in helping make the BIG DAY for Teachers a national success,” said Bowl Season Executive Director Nick Carparelli. “Teachers are so important, especially with all they have had to work through over the last few years. We’re excited to help grow the effort and support teachers across the country.”

Many bowls like the Allstate Sugar Bowl have been involved since the beginning of the effort. For the inaugural BIG DAY in 2020, the Allstate Sugar Bowl surprised teachers in Lake Charles, Louisiana, an area that suffered significant damage from Hurricane Laura. Educators were each given $400 in aid, and the Sugar Bowl flash-funded nearly $10,000 for all DonorsChoose projects in Calcasieu Parish.

“Thank you so very much for your donation,” said Mrs. Savario at the time, a teacher in Lake Charles. “We are going through some tough times with Hurricane Laura and this donation brought tears to my eyes. Our school is

THANK YOU!

Teacher surprises are the norm on the BIG DAY, and rightfully deserved!

heavily damaged so we will have to go virtual in the near future. I can’t wait to communicate and teach my students with my new device.”

An original partner of the CFP Foundation, Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program has also been a generous participant on the BIG DAY. ACE provided deserving teachers at Indianapolis’ Holy Angels Catholic School each $1,000 for their classrooms. Over the last seven years, ACE teachers from all corners of the country have been awarded We are going through some tough thousands of dollars in times with Hurricane Laura and grants to help provide students with Chromebooks, this donation brought tears to calculators, new desks, my eyes. Our school is heavily school supplies and more. damaged so we will have to go “ACE’s partnership virtual in the near future. I can’t with the College Football Playoff Foundation has wait to communicate and teach been instrumental in my students with my new device. growing the ways we can serve children, particularly MRS. SAVARIO those on the margins,” TEACHER IN LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA

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said John Staud, the executive director of the Alliance for Catholic Education. “We are so grateful for the Foundation’s support.”

Last year the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), which runs the National Teacher of the Year (TOY) and State Teachers of the Year programs, arranged for over 100 previously-honored educators to each recognize a fellow colleague with a $100 DonorsChoose gift card.

More than 30 national college football journalists, personalities and former student-athletes used social media to recognize teachers during last year’s BIG DAY, thanking them for their dedication in keeping our kids learning during such a challenging time.

Each of the first 10 CFP national championship host committees participated in the 2021 edition of the BIG DAY in their efforts to continue making a difference for teachers in their respective communities.

In California, the Bay Area 2019 host committee utilized its “Follow Your Bliss” grants program for teachers, which was created by the legendary Dr. Harry Edwards.

“It has never been more apparent how important teachers are in shaping future generations,” Dr. Edwards said. “I am proud to support an organization that values education and lift teachers up for all that they do.”

The Miami 2021 host committee unveiled a new school makeover reveal during last year’s BIG DAY, as did the Houston 2025 host committee, which surprised 10 teachers with resource funds last year.

“We’re very excited about this year’s BIG DAY for Teachers,” Banowsky said. “We couldn’t do what we do without our fantastic partners. And now the effort has caught on; we’re making a difference in teachers’ lives. They are so important to our kids’ futures — now, more than ever. We encourage everyone to celebrate a teacher on September 20.”

The College Football Playoff Foundation urges everyone not to wait until the end of the school year to show teachers how much they are appreciated.

You can make a difference with even a simple social media post. You can access the Extra Yard for Teachers Week promotional kit, which includes social media content and more, by clicking here.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SUPPORT

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arlier this month, over 50 principals and administrators in Inglewood Unified School District in Southern California attended their annual leadership meeting, followed by an appreciation reception hosted by the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation. Members of the Los Angeles 2023 host committee and LA84 Foundation joined to show their support and share information about their “Champions Educate Here” grant program.

The 2023 CFP National Championship will be held in January at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium. As part of its legacy work alongside the LA host committee, the CFP Foundation will be supporting hard-working educators in Inglewood by providing resources and recognition. The activations have already begun with appreciation events, classroom resource and grant distribution to educators, media center makeovers and A+ lunches.

“Principals are the most important factor in attracting and retaining high-quality teachers, and this was a great way for us to share with them our commitment to teachers and kickoff the school year with a fun evening,” said Carly Campbell, Partnerships Manager for the CFP Foundation.

Leading up to the national championship game in January, the CFP Foundation will also deploy its Go Teach initiative with the surrounding school districts to support recruitment and retention programs for teachers.

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EXTRA YARD FOR TEACHERS GAME BALL RECOGNITION FOR TEACHERS Honoring Great Teachers in the Classroom

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or the past two years, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation has recognized more than 300 middle school and high school teachers across the country through Extra Yard for Teachers game ball recognition program.

Launched in 2020, and together with the help of groups such as the American Football Coaches Association

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(AFCA), National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) and Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA), the CFP Foundation has been able to show appreciation to teachers at high school football games during Extra Yard for Teachers Week.

The CFP Foundation has made available a limited quantity of special game ball delivery kits that include a

game ball, Great Teacher t-shirt and a $25 gift certificate for classroom projects that can be used to surprise a teacher.

Join us by supporting teachers during Extra Yard for Teachers Week (September 16-24, 2022) by recognizing a teacher from your school with our turnkey special game ball delivery program!

We would love for you to share this special recognition on social media by tagging #ExtraYardGameBall.

The Extra Yard Game Ball recognition program is a great and easy way to honor a teacher in your life.

GAME BALL HONORS: The Extra Yard for Teachers game ball recognition program touches all the right buttons for a deserving teacher in your community.

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