Page 3 - 2024 November Report

WINDSHIELD AND REARVIEW PERSPECTIVE
Robert A. Krause
As a passenger, I can be critical of drivers. Within the first few minutes, an Uber driver can set me at ease
or ramp up anxiety. I want to see their commitment to 360-degree awareness. That means prioritizing the view through the windshield but also frequently checking the rearview and side mirrors. If I don’t see those actions quickly, I count the minutes until I’m out of the car.
All kinds of journeys require persistent awareness of one’s surroundings. It’s why JSF convenes leaders in our program areas, commissions linkage reports, and engages Discovery Associates. It’s why we prioritize grantee partners that are engaged in their fields. It’s also why we periodically engage in board evaluations and CEO reviews.
The theme of paying attention to all 360 degrees will guide our three days together in December. We will look back in several ways. We will honor Maridel Moulton for her faithful consulting work for JSF. We’ll conduct a board self-evaluation. We will conduct a CEO review. Finally, we’ll look ahead as to how we may conduct our work better through the board and CEO review.
The Grant Program Committee will also hear from one of the prospective grantees with a proposal that aligns with this theme. Cristo Rey Boston High School has an impressive
record of getting first-generation students into college and it has the data to prove it. Unfortunately, looking back, the data also reveals a lackluster college persistence rate. While it’s not uncommon for the demographic Cristo Rey serves, its leaders want these stats to improve. So, they looked around. They reached out to peer institutions with better college persistence rates.
Their key learnings form the core of their grant proposal. They learned, for example, that taking high schoolers to visit colleges can improve persistence rates. Now, they are looking forward. They propose adding a college visitation program to what they already provide to their students. Then they’ll look back. They are committed to collecting and analyzing the outcomes data to assess whether the program makes a difference.
Safe travels in December. I hope your Uber drivers check all of their mirrors.
Education / A Powerful force for change
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