The Albany Promise Cradle to Career Partnership Releases 2014 Report Card

The Albany Promise Report Card summarizes projects in the key areas of Early Childhood Success, Third Grade Literacy and Fourth Grade Math Success, and College and Career Success, all aimed at improving educational outcomes for the city's children.

ALBANY, N.Y. (February 25, 2015) – Albany-area education, business, community, and government leaders today convened at the University at Albany to release the 2014 Albany Promise Report Card, which offers an update on the progress being made to improve student achievement from cradle to career in the City of Albany.

The partnership, co-convened by University at Albany President Robert J. Jones, City School District of Albany Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, Community Co-Convener Mark Bobb-Semple, and SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, has been operating since 2012, when it released a baseline report to the community.

“The Albany Promise has transformed the way leaders in Albany collaborate to improve outcomes for children from cradle to career. Never before have we had this level of collaboration from as many institutions and organizations across all sectors. The partnership’s structure, ability to use data rigorously, and commitment to shared accountability is successfully improving student outcomes at every stage, and SUNY is proud to be a part of it. There is a lot of work to be done moving forward, but I am confident the partnership will continue to galvanize this community and support its students,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher.

The latest report summarizes the projects launched in 2014 in four key areas: Early Childhood Success, Third Grade Literacy and Fourth Grade Math Success, and College and Career Success. The report also documents the evolution of the partnership’s goals, shared measurement structure, and process.

The 2014 Report Card outlines:

• The first-ever district-wide assessment of incoming kindergartners
  2014 marked the first year that the entire kindergarten class was assessed with a literacy-based tool, enabling the partnership to measure increases in kindergarten readiness each year moving forward.
• High-quality professional development of early childhood providers
  Over 55 providers from 22 programs attended monthly professional development opportunities aimed at increasing the quality of early childhood programming in the City.
• The alignment of in-school and out-of-school time
  After-school providers are being trained in the behavior management system used during school hours to improve consistency for students and allow for more learning time to be added to the students’ day.
• Increased PSAT and SAT participation
  In partnership with Albany High School, the Albany Promise implemented the first-ever universal, in-school administration of the SAT on October 15, 2014, raising the participation level from 53 percent to 82 percent. Black and Hispanic student participation rose from 46 percent to 61 percent.

“This report card is a document of which the whole city should be proud. We’ve come together like never before to work hand-in-hand to improve the academic outcomes of our students, with a critical eye towards our most vulnerable populations,” said City School District of Albany Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard. “As superintendent, I am thrilled to have the support of so many community partners working together with the District to ensure we are all rowing in the same direction.”

“Through the Albany Promise, our entire city is working together to change the educational outcomes for our children, with special attention paid to our most vulnerable populations,” Mayor Sheehan said. “Our city’s future depends on having a well-educated, well-trained workforce, which is a critical component of the City’s equity agenda, and I look forward to the next year of progress.”

“This is the first time that such a broad group of influential leaders have come together and pledged their collective service to improving the well-being and future prospects of our City’s youth,” said Mark Bobb-Semple, president of the board of directors for the African American Cultural Center and community co-convener for the Albany Promise. “Last year, we were successful in forging meaningful partnerships that will strengthen the Albany Promise’s efforts to achieve racial equity among our students and unite our communities behind their success. We are encouraged by the progress we have made and though there is much more work to be done, we are committed to doing everything in our power to uplift the individuals and families across this city who have been left behind for far too long.”

In 2014, the University at Albany became the backbone organization for the Albany Promise partnership. The Albany Promise is part of the StriveTogether national network, and has been designated as an emerging partnership.

“As an urban-serving university, we take our role in improving the educational outcomes of the youth of this city very seriously. Together in 2014, the partnership’s action teams embraced complicated issues and began to work collaboratively to make real change happen in our community,” said University at Albany President Robert J. Jones. “As we move forward, we must remember that the success of all students is not just the responsibility of our school district, but of our businesses, higher education institutions, local government, non-profit organizations, and philanthropic partners.”

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