This is a pivotal time for this city. We must reclaim education as a community value.
Introducing Ninth Grade Counts
The transition from 8th to 9th grade is a pivotal time for students who struggle academically. Ninth Grade Counts will deliver a citywide network to give young people the support they need to stay on track.
How to connect this summer:
Educators & Parents:
Click here to learn what you, as an educator, can do to connect students to Ninth Grade Counts. In addtion, check out how to let parents know how they can connect their 8th grader. We offer full listing of Ninth Grade Counts service providers in our Service Directory in English and in Spanish and a FAQ info sheet.
Click here to download a district based release form.
Non-profits & Public Partners:
Click here to learn what you, as a service provider, can do to connect students to Ninth Grade Counts. In addtion, check out how to let parents know how they can connect their 8th grader. We offer a full listing of Ninth Grade Counts service providers in our Service Directory in English and in Spanish and a FAQ info sheet.
Click here to download a district based release form.
Why Ninth Grade?
Research shows that academic indicators can predict which students are most likely to drop out. For example, students who fail a core course in ninth grade are four times more likely to drop out sometime during their high school career. For this reason, Ninth Grade Counts is the first initiative to come out of the extensive research and analysis lead by Connected By 25.
How Will We Do it?
By aligning the existing programs that already serve these students, we can increase their capacity to serve more kids. By making these programs more accessible to the young people who need them most, we will better serve our city’s youth. FAQ.
Who is Helping?
The job is too big for any one organization to take on alone. Almost 50 local corporations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and education and advocacy groups are involved in the Ninth Grade Counts initiative. Click here to see who is helping .
Now it’s your turn.
To learn more about Ninth Grade Counts, contact Tripp Somerville at the Portland Schools Foundation (503) 234-5404 tripp@thinkschools.org or Kali Ladd at (971) 235-6836 kali@thinkschools.org.