Our Work

Leveling the Education Playing Field for Disadvantaged Youth

Purpose:

To level the education playing field for disadvantaged youth (Organizational Mission).

Method:

We will focus J2W resources and capacity, using multiple platforms, that work in synergy to address the targeted challenges (Program Strategy).

End State:

Disadvantaged youth have measurable improvements in post-high school productivity (Impact Measurement).

Problem Statement Pathway for Low-Income Students Economically-disadvantaged students generally perform worse in school than their higher income peers

J2W Programming Framework Build partnerships to identify gap areas, develop solutions, and test concepts while bridging grade bands

J2W Foundation Program Theory of Change

Strategy to Achieve Theory of Change Work to ensure more access to quality early childhood education programs, coupled with supplemental after-school/summer programs throughout elementary school, to better ensure students are on-level by 3rd grade. Students on-level by 3rd grade regularly attend school, feel connected, and have higher on-time graduation rates.

Community-Level Impact Measures of Performance

For more information, please see Data Analysis section at the bottom of the page

Data Analysis

  • Goal: To demonstrate community-level academic and social emotional learning impact in all three geographic service areas.
  • Method: From 2021-2031, evaluate key academic and social emotional learning indicators within the entire elementary school (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade) student body for each district.
  • Results:
    • At the end of calendar year 2022, we have now been able to assess the key indicators within each of our service area school districts. Much of the data is being considered baseline data coming out of COVID-19 and its associated (and expected) learning loss. Moving forward, in 2023 and beyond, we will use this data to help inform our partners on developing strategies to address this loss.
      • For kindergarten readiness, we assess Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP) testing in Virginia and Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) testing in Maryland.
        • Pre-COVID, Dorchester demonstrated 44% readiness, dropping to 29% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022, and rising slightly to 32% readiness in the fall of 2022. We coded this “red” for a health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Winchester demonstrated 67% readiness, dropping to 64% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022, and dropping further to 48% readiness in the fall of 2022. We coded this “red” for a health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Fairfax demonstrated 63% readiness, increasing to 73% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “green” for a health score.
      • For 3rd grade on-level reading, we analyze Standards of Learning (SOL) testing and the Maze reading assessment in Virginia and the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) and DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) testing in Maryland.
        • Pre-COVID, Dorchester demonstrated 26% MCAP readiness, inching slightly higher to 27% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “red” for a health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Dorchester demonstrated 36% DIBELS readiness, inching slightly higher to 43% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “yellow” for a health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Winchester demonstrated 54% readiness, dropping to 50% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “red” for a health score.
        • Winchester began Maze assessments post-COVID, beginning in the fall of 2022. Initial benchmark assessment reflects 61% readiness, scoring “yellow.”
        • Pre-COVID, Fairfax demonstrated 76% readiness, dropping to 73% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “green” for a health score.
      • For 3rd grade on-level math, we analyze SOL testing in Virginia; and MCAP and iReady testing in Maryland.
        • Pre-COVID, Dorchester demonstrated 32% MCAP readiness, dropping to 20% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “red” for a health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Dorchester demonstrated 6% iReady readiness, increasing to 31% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “yellow” for a health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Winchester demonstrated 77% readiness, dropping to 49% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “red” for a health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Fairfax demonstrated 84% readiness, dropping to 66% readiness at the end of school year 2021-2022. We coded this “yellow” for a health score.
      • For elementary school attendance, we measure chronic absenteeism rates, hoping to see reductions in loss of school time. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year (equaling 18 or more days in year) and includes both excused and unexcused absences.
        • Pre-COVID, Dorchester reported 27% chronic absentees, with a drop to 13% chronically absent by the end of the 2021-2022 school year, receiving a “green” health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Winchester reported 16% chronic absentees, with an increase to 18% chronically absent by the end of the 2021-2022 school year, receiving a “red” health score.
        • Pre-COVID, Fairfax reported 5% chronic absentees, holding steady at 5% chronically absent by the end of the 2021-2022 school year, receiving a “green” health score.
    • As expected, the most recent standardized testing resulted in significant decreases in student performance when comparing 2018-2019 pre-COVID results against 2021-2022 post-COVID numbers.
    • We expect to test our overall theory in change by beginning to compare these impact metrics starting in 2023 as data-informed strategies are launched.