A+ Achievers

  • A+ Achievers

    A+ Achievers is the newest initiative of OHLCF; it is aimed to help males to develop assets necessary to make healthy life choices, set realistic goals, act with determination and ultimately build vibrant successful lives for themselves through direct contact and relationships with caring and positive adult role models. A+ Achievers is made up of a group of Alpha Brothers that subscribes to the W.E.B. Dubois theory that it will take the 10 percent of enlightened African Americans to reach out to the rest of our race and provide the leadership needed for us to fully obtain and reach our goals. A+ Achievers Brothers will support and be paired with a selected group of African American males from an Elementary School in Washington, DC.

     

    Young people who face adversity in and around their neighborhoods and communities often look at the world as an unfriendly and even hostile environment. Many drop out of school. While such a lifestyle accounts for the devaluing of a person, it is just as weakening and costly to the community. A+ Achievers will hope to engage the students to gain a better self-image by establishing a solid foundation of knowledge in everyday interactions.

     

    Is elementary school too soon to begin the conversation about dropping out of school and graduating from high school? Absolutely not… Students don't drop out of school for any one reason. It's usually a complicated mix, including individual traits, home life as well as school and neighborhood characteristics. But many researchers believe children exhibit clear warning signs early on that can help identify those at risk of dropping out. The main predictors are often shorthanded using the "ABCs" - attendance, behavior, and course performance. The outbursts and other behavioral problems make it difficult for teachers, and students who get in trouble often wind up in the principal's office. Each trip to the principal means an average of 45 minutes out of class, and if a student gets suspended, it's even longer. This sets up a cycle where students fall even further behind, leading right into the third warning sign of dropping out: doing poorly in course work. 

     

    A+ Achievers will focus on the positives that are related to school. The Mentors will share real life success stories of the benefits from have a well rounder life, that starts will a quality education and staying in school and getting a high school diploma. High school graduates make an average of $8,000 more a year nationally than high school dropouts, according to a report released in 2008 by the Alliance for Excellent Education.

     

    A press release quoted alliance president Bob Wise as saying "diplomas mean dollars." 

    “Graduating more students from high school prepared for college is good for the individual in terms of higher earnings, but it also benefits the nation in terms of increased tax revenue, additional spending on homes and automobiles, job creation, and a more robust economic growth,” Wise was quoted as saying. The earnings varied by state most high school dropouts see the result of their decision to leave school very clearly in the slimness of their wallets. The average annual income for a high school dropout in 2009 was $19,540, compared to $27,380 for a high school graduate, a difference of $7,840.