The READY Report

November 2024

READY to Talk

ROC the Future Alliance, a StriveTogether partnership, is known for bringing key community stakeholders together to eliminate disparities and advocate for improved cradle-to-career outcomes for Rochester's children. ROC the Future’s goals are centered on childhood development, early literacy and racial equity as a means to help families achieve economic mobility.

In this segment for our ongoing monthly series “Pass the Pencil,” Executive Director Brian Lewis discusses the latest initiative from the ROC the Future Alliance. The “Know Your Numbers” campaign focuses on placing 11,000 young people on the path to upward mobility. READY partners with ROC the Future Alliance because this goal aligns with our own vision to ensure more local students have access to quality schools and educational opportunities. To learn more about the “Know Your Numbers” campaign, visit their website.

In this month's edition of the READY Report, you will find ways to get involved in upcoming events, information about our School Finder to help families with the school selection process, and updates on the READY School Incubator and Liberation Teaching Academy.

As we look ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday, we reflect on the tremendous work that READY parents, families and educators are doing to increase access to quality schools for students in Rochester. We are thankful for your efforts, partnership and support.

Yours in service,

Shanai Lee, MBA, EdD

Founder and Executive Director

READY, Inc.

Bowling 4 STARS

SPONSOR A TEAM TODAY

We'll see you on the lanes!

Bowling 4 STARS brings together bowling, arcade games, and delicious, local food for a cause we all care about: supporting our students and improving local education! Our goal is to raise $25,000 for scholarship funds for graduating students of the Rochester City School District and area charter schools. Recipients must be pursuing careers in education and/or teaching, emphasizing our mission of increasing access to quality schools in our community and transforming our education landscape with a talent pipeline of diverse, highly effective educators to power our schools!

There’s still time to join our title sponsors, Exploration Elementary Charter School and University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men, along with partners including the City of Rochester, National Parents Union, Rochester Preparatory Charter Schools, and others. While all team slots are filled, we are actively seeking sponsors to help us reach our goal! Please respond here by November 15, to join us as a sponsor.

READY School Incubator Update

READY is committed to reimagining and rewriting education to work for ALL students in Rochester! Our recent trip to Denver is the latest in an ongoing effort through our READY School Incubator to reimagine education and teaching - our Fellows and team toured a range of innovative schools and education centers and came home inspired to adapt these new ideas to our own city and education context.

The Incubator began in September with an incredible panel discussion, a visioning activity and collaborative projects to dream up new ways of teaching and learning. In October, we headed to Denver for an inspiration visit, experiencing several area schools, familiarizing ourselves with Moonshot edVentures' design rubric and helping the Fellows develop and refine their theory of learning and signature learning experience. This 3-day trip exposed Fellows to new teaching strategies and introduced them to novel curriculum elements and goals, further bolstering their knowledge of school design. The real success? Participants can see how an idea can change in implementation and how to re-shape elements of design to better respond to the dynamic needs of students, families, and educators.

Get READY! It’s School Selection Time

The Rochester City School District kicks off the 2025 school selection process on December 6, 2024. EdCeptional’s common application, GoodSchools Roc, is always accepting applications for area charter schools that expand Rochester’s portfolio of school options.

Our popular community resource, READY School Finder, supports the school selection process by giving users an in-depth look into how schools are performing and serving Rochester children. Here are just a few of the useful features the School Finder offers:

Explore the academic programs available at schools.
Compare school options based on academic programs and resources offered.
Access direct links to individual school websites and accountability data sites.
Discover how to register for the best fit public schools for your family.

A beta version of the School Finder will be launched on November 12. To be among the first to test the site, please register here by November 8. Members of the beta testing group who participate in surveys and a virtual focus group will receive a $50 gift card as a token of appreciation for their commitment to promoting awareness and demand for quality schools in Rochester.

To join the beta group, you must be 1) a resident of the city of Rochester and 2) have a student who is enrolling or currently enrolled in the Rochester City School District or an area charter school.

We are READY to take this work to the next level!

The fall session of the READY Liberation Teaching Academy is underway with scholars of UPrep and this fall’s curriculum, developed by the Center for Black Educator Development, focuses on the fundamentals of servant leadership. The curriculum also focuses on advocacy for these apprentice educators, ensuring school and local policies support the launch and sustainability of nurturing learning environments.

We’re excited to continue our efforts from summer 2024 with even more scholars who are committed to exploring careers in teaching and pillars of servant leadership. We know these scholars will help us reimagine the future of education locally, creating more innovative and responsive resources, methodologies and techniques to reach our students.

Stay tuned for more exciting developments in our next edition.

READY Reading Room: Fueling Dialogues in Education!

Enjoying updates on our work? Here are a few articles, reports and research we’re reading! Join the discussion by reading an article and telling us what you think. We enjoy engaging with our community on bigger educational conversations and can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Here are some articles and reports that have caught the attention of READY’s team:

ICYMI!

Missed a past edition or just want to revisit a project update? Below is a convenient list of our recent newsletters for you to re-read or easily share!

Check out recent newsletters:

Stay Connected: Follow READY on Social Media!

Want to stay up-to-date with all the latest news, events, and initiatives from READY?

Follow us on social media! Join our growing community of supporters on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to stay informed and engage in major community-level discussions on education, reform and what’s needed to increase the number of quality schools locally.

Don’t miss out—click, follow, and be part of the conversation today!

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