WHAT:
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Beat the Odds is an action-oriented, collaborative school-based initiative to It is based on research that finds that demography is not destiny, and suggests that there is well-founded hope that Arizona students of all backgrounds can achieve at or above grade level. Beat the Odds is not a prescriptive, one-size-fits-all program or tool. It provides educators with a flexible framework for making decisions about those things within their control; evaluating existing programs, tools and efforts; and working together at the school and district level to maximize student achievement. It benefits students of every race and economic group. |
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WHO:
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The Beat the Odds Institute, an initiative of the nonprofit Center for the Future of
Arizona |
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WHEN:
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Throughout the 2007-2008 academic year |
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WHERE:
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On campus at 27 K-12 public schools in Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert and Tolleson |
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WHY:
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The research study “Why Some Schools with Latino Children Beat the Odds … Currently, Arizona’s overall high school graduation rate and its student The current generation of students will enter the workforce as the baby boom generation is leaving it. The boomers represent a significant portion of the current middle class, which is at its earning and tax-paying peak. Without an intervention, Arizona’s future labor force will be ill-prepared for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century workplace. These citizens and their families are likely to suffer economic hardships and poor quality of life. The state’s economic vitality also will suffer. |
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HOW:
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The 27 Beat the Odds School Partners throughout the academic year will implement and practice the Beat the Odds framework for making decisions and working together that have been shown to lead to better than expected student achievement. Beat the Odds mentors will work one-on-one with the principals to help them assess and benchmark their school’s current status, develop an action plan based on specific need areas for their school population, and provide resources to help achieve the goals of the action plans. They also will learn from each other as they share success stories and challenges in regularly scheduled Beat the Odds School Partner meetings and training sessions, and within password-protected areas of the new Beat the Odds Institute website funded by the Arizona Board of Regents (www.beattheoddsinstitute.com). Center researchers will track the schools’ progress in terms of increased student achievement based on the state-mandated Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test and other assessment data provided by the schools, and implementation of the six Beat the Odds concepts school-wide. Those that meet their goals will be certified by the Center for the Future of Arizona as a “Beat the Odds School.” |
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BTO |
-Preliminary and follow-up school evaluations |
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BTO
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Beat the Odds Mentors: Eleven retired and sitting principals who work Mentor Team Leader: Ms. Terry Eisenberg |
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DONORS:
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Primary funding for the development and implementation of the Beat the |
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The Beat the Odds initiative is an outgrowth of the “Beat the Odds” research study. The nationally acclaimed study released in March 2006 was a joint project of the Center for the Future of Arizona and the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University. Jim Collins, author of the New York Times bestseller “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t,” actively collaborated in theresearch. The research revealed six keys to success that were common to all the schools with high performing third and eighth grade students but typically were not evident in the seemingly identical comparison schools. The successful schools exhibited a culture of discipline, exemplified by disciplined people who engaged in disciplined thought and who took disciplined action. |
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The Center for the Future of Arizona is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to creating a state in which opportunities and quality of life exist for all citizens. A self-described “do tank,” the center’s activities extend beyond research to include community collaboration, center initiatives, and defining and shaping public policy. The center’s first major achievement following its inception in 2002 was the creation of a dynamic, nonpartisan statewide agenda called The Vision for the Future of Arizona. The state vision has been endorsed by more than 70 Arizona public and private organizations. Arizona is reputedly the only state in the nation with a unified vision for its future, and an organization working to guide it towards the fulfillment of that vision. The Phoenix-based nonprofit was founded in 2002 by Arizona State University President Emeritus Dr. Lattie Coor and public policy expert Dr. Sybil Francis, who are the center’s chairman/CEO and executive director, respectively. It is governed by a distinguished board of directors and funded by donations from individuals, foundations, trusts, corporations and community organizations. More information: www.arizonafuture.org MEDIA CONTACT: |
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