What Is Elev8’s Impact?

Elev8 supports student achievement:

• Over the last three years, nearly 7,000 youth have benefitted from Elev8's out-of-school-time learning programs, including math, science and technology classes; homework help; mentoring; anti-violence initiatives; community service and leadership opportunities; and arts and cultural activities.
• Many of Elev8's OST programs deliberately reinforce and extend classroom learning- 70% of surveyed youth say Elev8's after-school programs allow them to practice things they learn in school, while more than 80% say Elev8 staff challenge them to do their best.
• Examples of the local impact of these programs abound:
  • In Oakland, three quarters of interviewed parents reported improvements in the academic performance of students attending Elev8's extended-learning programs.
  • In Chicago, increasing numbers of Elev8 students are being accepted into competitive high schools known for keeping students "on track" to graduation.
  • One Elev8 New Mexico school has seen scores on standardized math tests increase by 45% since the introduction of Elev8.

Elev8 provides high-quality school-based health services-because healthier students perform better:

• There were nearly 28,000 visits to Elev8's School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) during the 2010-2011 school year.
• According to annual surveys, the vast majority of students in Elev8 schools say that SBHCs allow them to receive services sooner and to access information and resources that are otherwise unavailable.

 Elev8 provides critical resources for families:

• Over the last three years, nearly 2,700 parents and other members of the community have tapped vital support services, including emergency services, through Elev8. In Baltimore, for example, during the 2010-11 school year, Elev8 helped over 100 parents and other family members obtain job training, financial support and counseling.
• Elev8 tax clinics have helped numerous families access the income tax refunds and credits they're entitled to. In Oakland, in 2011, Elev8 secured a combined tax refund of more than $100,000 for 50 low-income families.
• This work adds up to powerful results at the local level. In Laguna, a small American Indian rural reservation where 100% of the middle school students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, Elev8 New Mexico has returned more than $400,000 to the community, by helping families access various work supports, including earned income tax credits, childcare subsidies, health insurance, and food stamps.

Elev8 transforms schools into better places to learn and work, including making them safer:

• According to annual surveys, students in Elev8 schools feel safer at school and in Elev8 activities than in their surrounding communities.
• One Elev8 New Mexico school reported a 50% decrease in disciplinary actions in the three years following Elev8's launch; youth arrests in the surrounding neighborhood went from 60 to 1 in a single year.
• Suspensions in one Elev8 Chicago school were down more than 80% in 2009-2010.
• Across schools, Elev8 has substantially broadened student acceptance and use of counseling services, which school staff link to notable declines in disciplinary problems.

Elev8 schools strengthen the whole community:

• Elev8 schools support safety and community health.
• Elev8 students and parents are actively engaged in their communities. In Oakland, for example, there are 50 parent leaders who support Elev8's Family Resource Centers, recruit families for school events, conduct "parent patrols" to ensure safety to and from school, and lead school fundraising efforts.
• Parents and students from Elev8 schools in Baltimore, Chicago, Oakland and New Mexico have come together in Washington, DC on several occasions to share their policy priorities with federal lawmakers. They are also active advocates for their communities with local and state agencies and elected officials.
• Elev8 smartly leverages resources and encourages public and private investments that help communities thrive.