Since launching in late 2007, REACH has become a game-changer. By investing in academic interventions and merit scholarship awards for students and professional development for teachers, REACH has boosted academic rigor on a large scale, and the results have been tremendous. The number of AP exams passed at REACH schools has risen by 19.1%, outpacing national increases by 200% and New York State by nearly 300%. A 26% increase in passes by black and Latino students drove these increases. And that’s only half the story. In a recent study of AP impact, only 11% of students who did not take an AP exam in high school went on to graduate from college in four years. 21% of students who took an AP and got a ‘1’ (lowest failing grade) graduated, and 32% of students who earned a ‘2’ (also below our scholarship threshold) graduated. By growing our AP prep program from 610 students in year one, to 2300 last year, and nearly 3000 this year, we are positively impacting thousands of students beyond our scholarship winners. And with our scholarship winners, last year alone, 1,250 students earned nearly $1 million in REACH Scholar Awards, and their teachers and schools earned nearly $500,000 in performance-based grants to re-invest into school AP programs and teacher training. As importantly, notwithstanding deep budget cuts in education, most REACH schools have expanded AP offerings, and these investments in rigorous academics are yielding strong results, with the preparation of thousands of inner-city students for college success and, at the top end, the doubling of REACH students applying to and excelling at even the most selective colleges and universities.
