A+ Schools is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that rallies the community to support public schools so every kid succeeds in every school every day. They do this by raising funds for high needs schools to cover everything from basic needs to field trips through A to Z Funds, partnering with schools that have the highest rates of chronic absenteeism – missing 10% or more of the school year – to work with their staff, families, as well as communities to address the barriers that keep kids from school.
They work city-wide to build a movement of people Showing Up for their kids by convening the Pittsburgh Learning Collaborative – a group of over 130 organizations working together to help all of their kids get to school and learn – and providing data through their Annual Report to the Community – so they have a common set of facts around which their community can strategize to make improvements.
At A+ Schools, they envision a Pittsburgh where every kid succeeds, in every school, every day. They are on a mission to ensure:
- Every community is a place where all kids can get to school safely and on time.
- Every family has what they need so kids come to school ready to learn.
- Every school is a place where all students and staff feel they belong and are excited to be.
More About A+ Schools
They helped to Reimagine Perry High School. In 2018, they were invited by Perry High School staff to help them strategize and come up with a plan to reimagine their neighborhood high school to meet the needs of their students and making it a place where every Northside high school student would want to come. Over the course of 6 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment, students at Perry now experience:
- Project-based learning that is codesigned by teachers and community institutions like the Kamin Science Center (link to article), Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Artist Image Resources, the Warhol Museum and others, bringing their curriculum to life with hands-on activities.
- College in High School courses delivered by the University of Pittsburgh’s Justice Scholars Institute with over 100 students now taking college level courses and earning credit at Perry (link to story).
- Improved school spirit and attendance incentives supported by A+ Schools’ A to Z Fund.
A+ Schools also partnered to get kids to school at Arlington.
Coming out of the pandemic, many students lost their yellow buses due to a bus driver shortage, with Pittsburgh Arlington PreK-8 being hit the hardest with over 200 students that now had to walk to school. This loss of transportation led to a 64% chronic absence rate in the first year back out of the pandemic. Following that year, they partnered with the school and the Brashear Association to buy two vans and support the Brashear Association with the creation of their Nana Nudge program (NPR link). This effort, along with work done by school staff to engage families and create attendance incentives led to a significant decrease in chronic absence in the following year.
How You Can Help
A+ Schools raises a dedicated fund to support partner schools—they call it the A to Z Fund. Your donation to this fund directly supports improved student attendance by providing basic needs, attendance incentives, school supports, and resources for improving family engagement.
Did you know- Only 9 schools (out of 54!) in PPS have PTOs. While parents are active in every school, the ability to fundraise for field trips, student activities, and other enrichment opportunities are not available everywhere—creating a huge difference in the educational experience of children across the city. A to Z Funds help bridge those gaps, providing community funding for those extras that families can’t always afford. The more A to Z Funding they have available, the deeper they can partner with schools who need that support the most.
To donate to the A+ Schools, visit https://givebutter.com/4i7LHq.
Story A+ Schools
Photography by TreFlicks
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