Our Goal:
Increase the graduation rate to 75%
Our Results:
- Graduation rate in LAUSD has gone from 48% to 56%
- We’ve taught 4,ooo parents to understand their child’s school
- Proficiency rates have increased at these schools by 50%
An Educated Workforce Means a Healthy Economy
Education determines whether a person will end up in poverty. An 
educated workforce makes our region more competitive. If we want our region to prosper, we have to invest in educating our children. Today, over half of our middle schools aren’t meeting national education standards. United Way is focused on reaching kids in middle school because studies show that when they succeed there, they are much more likely to graduate ready for college and the workforce.
Empowering Parents
United Way and our partners convened 4,000 parents in 2011 to understand their child’s school, their choices and mobilized them to advocate for key policy changes.
The Leadership Matters Middle School Pilot
The Leadership Matters Middle School Pilot is training 8 LAUSD middle school principals and their leadership teams by directing increased resources and technical assistance to the schools. The goal of the program is to prepare students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds for success in high school, thereby leading to reduced dropout rates, increased graduation rates, and improved readiness for college and career.
The Leadership Matters Middle School Pilot will train LAUSD middle grades leadership teams of four, including the principal, an assistant principal or counselor, and two department heads, in Program Improvement high-needs schools. The goal is to improve teacher effectiveness, implement school-wide student support systems, and involve parents in creating learner-centered environments at home and at school. Leadership teams convene every month to two months to tour and observe high performing middle school sites with similar demographic profiles. They will then receive on-site coaching and support to implement best practices on their own campuses.
Tracee’s Story: Educating Parents to Help Kids Succeed
Tracee Kellogg had her son when she was just 17. He struggled in school and she had no idea how to help him. “I was so young myself and I didn’t understand what he was going through,” says Tracee. So, the single mother decided to get her own education by taking parent classes at United Way partner African American Parent/Community Coalition for Educational Equity (AAPCCEE)
When she started to see her daughter struggle in middle school, Tracee was well prepared. “They taught me the questions to ask, so I could talk to my daughter and all the other people who were involved in her education.” The vigilance paid off. Her daughter’s grades went up and Tracee has made it her mission to share her experience with other parents. “So many kids aren’t getting the right classes they need to graduate. Parents really have to get involved to make sure everything is lining up for their kids’ future.”
Desiree was struggling in one of LA County’s overcrowded middle schools. This is her story of how she was able to cope and succeed. View Desiree’s video story.
