Blog

Every month, America Forward highlights examples of the vital work our Coalition members do to support students, families, educators, workers, elected leaders, advocates, and communities across the country. If your organization has resources, an announcement, or a story you would like to see included, please send it to america_forward@newprofit.org.

Bard Early College

Bard Early College aims to increase access and success in higher education through offering tuition-free college programs of study for high school-age students. In October, Bard Early College received a $1.5 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York; this grant will be used to support two recently founded Bard Early College campuses in New York City. These campuses, located in the Bronx and Brooklyn, serve immediate communities, increasing access for students historically underrepresented in higher education. As the two campuses grow towards a full capacity enrollment of 500 students each, the Carnegie grant will enable Bard Early College to continue to build thriving and esteemed academic programs. Learn more about Bard Early College’s campuses, model, and impact on access to higher education.

Project QUEST

Through dedicated training and all-encompassing student support, Project QUEST has connected thousands of San Antonians to emerging, high-demand careers. Last month, Project QUEST published their 14-year impact report, outlining the many ways Project QUEST has transformed the workforce and economic opportunity for communities across San Antonio. The report details the achievements of Project QUEST’s research, model, and analysis over the past 14 years, from doubling health-care credentialing to increasing postsecondary credential attainment by 14.3%. Discover more about Project QUEST and the work it achieves on their website today.

TalkingPoints

Education technology nonprofit TalkingPoints is making inspiring strides in adapting educational technology to transform family engagement in a student’s education. TalkingPoints recently announced the findings of a casual study showing that using TalkingPoints’ Universal Family Engagement Platform resulted in a 24% decrease in absence rates – the equivalent of six additional school days in a school year. The study took place in the Tulsa Public School district, serving a student population of over 30,000 students, 84% of whom are economically disadvantaged, 79% students of color, and 36% multilingual learners. Read more about TalkingPoints’ findings, platform, and impact on their website.

TRAILS

We are incredibly excited to announce the newest addition to our Coalition, TRAILS! TRAILS works in over a thousand schools across the country to create systems-level change and expand evidence-based mental health support services. Their program works to support students in the face of an unprecedented mental health crisis, with additional emphasis on partnering with Title 1 schools to help fight inequitable access to healthcare. You can learn more about their programming – social and emotional learning, CBT and mindfullness, and suicide prevention and risk management – and the critical work they do on their website today. 

Vehicles for Change

Vehicles for Change empowers low-income families through affordable access to donated cars. On Veteran’s Day this fall, Vehicles for Change continued their annual tradition of donating cars to veterans – this year, partnering with Heritage Mile One to equip 10 veterans with repaired vehicles. Chief Operating Officer Andre Cary spoke briefly during the donation ceremony to highlight Vehicles for Change’s ardent commitment to equity and community service. Learn more about the projects and actions that Vehicles for Change supports on their website.