Our Vision is that schools and their surrounding communities will be Safe and Productive for all members.
This involves interactive training at all levels of the school community (student, staff, and parents) in:
Leadership Development: Strategies and Resources for Empowering Youth Through Conflict Resolution and Community Building. Resources to help schools achieve academic success by addressing non-academic barriers to student success such as bullying, disrespectful behaviors, lack of parental support. Resources and activities to help in mediation, facilitation and training in the following focus areas: School Climate, Youth Development, School Family Partnerships, and Organizational Culture.
Disproportional Discipline: We utilize computer-based curriculum combined with live training to help School Districts: Learn how to address disproportionate discipline rates for African-American, Latino, Native American, and Special Education Students. Increase teacher responsiveness to learning differences. Foster leadership and social emotional abilities, and make proven, effective programs work.
Academic Achievement: Reforming High School For All Youth.
Financing Alternative Education Pathways.
Digital Divide: (Insuring all students have access to up to date technology and equipment.)
Ask Academy Local and Nationwide Efforts
Ask Academy provides academic tutoring, career skills training and other services to at-risk youth throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and has been working with Ripple Effect programs for almost three years. In that time we have implemented the program for use in a number of schools and after school programs, including Youth Chance High school in the Embarcadero YMCA in San Francisco, Mission High School in San Francisco and for use by students in community based organizations and the Bay Shore School District in San Mateo County.
Recently Ask Academy has implemented Ripple Effects training software into School Districts in Daly City California, New Orleans Louisiana, La Fourche Parrish Louisiana, Dallas Texas, and Detroit/Dearborn Michigan. We will be going to Arizona next.
5 Facts about some of these school districts:
1. Arizona, California, Georgia and a dozen other states with overwhelming deficits, the federal money has failed to prevent the most extensive school layoffs in several decades.
2. Hundreds of districts across California laid off a total of more than 20,000 teachers, according to the California Teachers Association.
3. In Michigan, the Detroit schools’ emergency financial manager closed 29 schools and laid off 1,700 employees, including 1,000 teachers.
4. Arizona school districts laid off 7,000 teachers in the spring, but stimulus money helped them rehire several thousand. Tucson Unified, for instance, laid off 560 teachers, but rehired 400.
5. In Arizona, which is suffering one of the nation’s worst fiscal crises, some classrooms were jammed with nearly 50 students when schools reopened last month, and the norm for Los Angeles high schools this fall is 42.5 students per teacher
(Source: NY Times)
The outcomes for the youth we serve are astounding: the youth say they can’t use this research-based, yet engaging program enough, and their change in behavior is evident after a few lessons. They also have improved their grades after only weeks of use. Their teachers report that their communication skills and the willingness to talk with adults about academic and social problems have improved dramatically and that teacher conflict is significantly reduced. Ripple Effects represents an innovative instructional system for students at risk of academic failure that is easy to use. We have been able to tailor the programs for universal use, as well as intense intervention in use by individuals. Ripple Effects is, and will remain the foundation of all the services we deliver to the at-risk youth we serve. We could not ask for a better program or company to support our mission to close the achievement gap.
Education Topics include but are not limited to:
Behavior Issues: Aggression, bragging, breaking rules, bullying, cheating-in school, conflict-with teacher, cursing, defiance, disputes, dropping out, fighting, gossip, graffiti, hitting, running away, skipping school, stealing, suspended, talking back, vandalism, weapons
Learning Issues Topics: Failing, goals, grades, instructions-following, learning style, school-unsafe, smarts, special ed, study habits, suspended, tests
Decision making: Problem-solving, problem-naming, brainstorming, alternatives-evaluating, solutions-trying, feelings-expressing, letting go, Laughing, happiness-practicing
Health Issues: Acne, addicted, depression, diet, dieting, eating disorder, habits-quitting, obesity, obsessing, panic attacks, weight
Problem Solving: decisions, problem solving, brainstorming options, calming down, predicting, consequences, managing feelings, experimenting
Who We Serve:
Mentors/support providers, site administrators, district office personnel, program coordinators/staff developers, teachers, educators, researchers, policy makers.