Breaking Down Boundaries
Advancing Shared Goals
For far too long, persistent opportunity gaps have disadvantaged Connecticut’s low-income students, Black and Latinx students, English learners, and students with special needs.
During a time when so many schools and districts across the state and country saw nearly universal learning loss, it is encouraging to see bright spots within the RISE Network. After all, we know that for the 13,000 students across the RISE Network, this is their one shot at an excellent high school experience. We owe it to all of our RISE high school students -- pandemic or not -- to ensure we are delivering on the promise of an excellent and enriching education that unlocks opportunities for postsecondary success. As a network, RISE educators and partners have:
RISE high schools work together to disrupt multigenerational opportunity gaps by ensuring all students experience success as they transition to, through, and beyond high school. For us, this work begins as students transition between middle school and high school. We focus on freshman success because research shows that Grade 9 ontrack achievement (i.e., whether
a student earns enough credits to promote on time to sophomore year) is the single best predictor of whether a student will graduate from high school within four years -- more so than test scores, family income, or race/ethnicity. 1 However, it’s not enough for students to obtain a high school diploma; students must graduate from high school with a well-matched
We focus on freshman success because research shows that Grade 9 on-track achievement (i.e., whether a student earns enough credits to promote on time to sophomore year) is the single best predictor of whether a student will graduate from high school within four years. RISE partners with educators across Connecticut who are deeply committed to improving educational outcomes for low-income and underrepresented high school students. By building a community of educators and students that work together to achieve shared goals in support of student success, RISE pushes beyond the boundaries of what education has been to realize a vision for what school communities could and should be. | 3
postsecondary plan and the skills and confidence to achieve their college and career goals. While 70 percent of Connecticut jobs require some education beyond a high school diploma, only 20 percent of low-income high school graduates in Connecticut will go on to earn a postsecondary degree within six years of graduating from high school.2,3
Increased College and Career Readiness.
Improved Systems for Cross-School Collaboration.
Achieved Recognition for Grade 9 On-Track Achievement.
College and career readiness in Grades 9 through 12 is up 10 percentage points from 25 percent to 35 percent over a seven year period. High school GPA (Bs or better or > 3.0) is one of the strongest predictors of college enrollment and completion.
100% of RISE educators surveyed report that their participation in the RISE Network has enabled them to dive deeper into relevant pressing issues, create new peer-topeer connections, and share information, best practices, resources and new tools.
In 2021, the RISE Network was one of two organizations nationally to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s annual Spotlight on Quality in Continuous Improvement as recognition for RISE’s “work in generating demonstrable improvement of 9th grade on-track achievement and four-year graduation rates for students of color and students from low-income families.”4
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Only three-quarters of low-income students graduate from high school within four years.
Only one in five low-income high school graduates will earn a post-secondary degree within six years of graduating from high school, compared to roughly half of their higher income peers.
[The RISE Network’s] improvement efforts have demonstrated significant improvement in grade 9 ontrack achievement and four-year graduation rates for marginalized students in their state. The first year of high school is a critical transition point for students and a valuable predictor of students’ success in high school, so by focusing their improvement work on 9th grade, the CT RISE Network is disrupting long time multigenerational opportunity gaps. Anthony Bryk Former President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
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What Matters for Staying On-Track, Elaine Allensworth, University of Chicago. Workforce Strategic Plan 2020, Governor’s Workforce Strategic Council Connecticut. 3 StudentTracker for High Schools Demographics Report for CSBE, National Student Clearinghouse. 4 Spotlight on Quality in Continuous Improvement, Carnegie Foundation for Teaching and Learning. 2
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