Impact Report
Springboard Collaborative 2019
2019 was far and away the most dynamic year in Springboard Collaborative history!
Dear friends, supporters, & advisors:
It feels as though we packed five years of organizational development into 12 months.
- The full-time team grew from 18 to nearly 50.
- Our budget more than doubled, from ~$5M to ~$11M, more than half of which was driven by fee-for-service revenue.
- We forged a leadership team based on Springboard Collaborative’s core functions: business strategy, impact strategy, partnerships, and partner success.
- We successfully launched a franchising model, iterated on Springboard Collaborative’s web app, relaunched our academic year programming, and began testing a la carte options such as the family workshop curriculum and teacher professional development.
- We raised Springboard Collaborative’s profile in the field, getting press from David Brooks and NPR.
- We gained support from legendary investors including Meg Whitman, Arthur Rock, New Profit, the Jenesis Group, the Overdeck Family Foundation, and the Bezos Family Foundation.
- Amidst seismic change, Springboard Collaborative delivered some of our best ever outcomes.
- By the close of 2019, we had helped 14,022 students reach reading goals and 3,665 students read on grade level. We’re on a mission to help 100,000 students reach reading goals and 30,000 students read on grade level by 2023!
We intend to do the same next year, so buckle up!
Onwards!
Alejandro
CEO & Founder
Springboard Collaborative
Program locations
- Philadelphia, PA
- Oakland, CA
- Washington, DC
- San Francisco, CA
- New York City, NY
- San Jose, CA
- Wilmington, DE
- Norwalk, CT
- Baltimore, MD
- Fresno, CA
- Stamford, CT
- Stockton, CA
- Salinas, CA
Chapter 2
Flagship programs
King Elementary has partnered with Springboard Collaborative for two years now, and it’s made a huge impact. My Springboard coach is with me every step of the way to ensure that our teachers, students, and families are getting the most from the programs. I'm growing, too!
Learn more about Springboard Collaborative’s program model here!
This reminds me of a conversation I had with one of our families during Springboard Afterschool last February...
Great to see you at the workshop, David!
Wouldn’t miss it! I love family workshops because I get to spend time with Cynthia and learn how to support her. She’s so excited to practice what we learn at home, especially because it means she gets to be more like her older brother, Henry.
Ever since Henry did Springboard Collaborative last year, I couldn’t wait for it to be my turn. He reached his reading goal and got a backpack full of school supplies and books!
That’s great to hear! What kinds of things have you learned?
I learned to take a book walk! I look at the pictures before I read the book so I can figure out what it’s all about.
And I learned to ask questions before, during, and after Cynthia reads to make sure she understands the book!
Afterschool
Reading growth goals
- Met goal
- Met and exceeded goal
- Did not meet goals
End-of-program gains
- 10 weeks average reading growth: 2.5 months
- Afterschool student growth: 4.1 months
Action plan completion rate
Teachers create customized action plans for students to help them reach their reading goals. Then, teachers and families work together to support students in reading at home, completing their action plan, and ultimately reaching their growth goals!
An analysis of nearly 10 million students found that 15 minutes seems to be the “magic number” for substantial positive gains in reading achievement. We strive to help students build (or maintain) the habit of reading at home for at least 15 minutes per day!
Reading with an adult
Minutes per day
- Before Springboard Afterschool
- During Springboard Afterschool
Goal: 15 minutes per day
Reading independently
Minutes per day
- Before Springboard Afterschool
- During Springboard Afterschool
Goal: 15 minutes per day
Summer
Reading growth goals
- Met goal
- Met and exceeded goal
- Did not meet goal
End-of-summer gains
- End of school year
- Typical end of summer: possible 3-month loss
- After Springboard: 6.4-month gain
Action plan completion rate
Teachers create customized action plans for students to help them reach their reading goals. Then, teachers and families work together to support students in reading at home, completing their action plan, and ultimately reaching their growth goals!
Family workshop attendance
An analysis of nearly 10 million students found that 15 minutes seems to be the “magic number” for substantial positive gains in reading achievement. We strive to help students build (or maintain) the habit of reading at home for at least 15 minutes per day!
Reading with an adult
Springboard families spent more time reading with their children:
Minutes per day
- Before Springboard Summer
- During Springboard Summer
Goal: 15 minutes per day
Reading independently
Minutes per day
- Before Springboard Summer
- During Springboard Summer
Goal: 15 minutes per day
As you can tell, our families really love Springboard Collaborative. Our school has never had more students reading on grade level! I hear we’re not the only ones.
That’s really wonderful! I’m also eager to hear about your experiences with some of our newest offerings. Helen, talk to me about our partnership at Walter Elementary.
Chapter 3
Innovations
Last year, my school, Walter Elementary, was lucky enough to try out Springboard Schoolyear. As a Site Leader, I received training from Springboard Collaborative staff on running family workshops and boosting family engagement.
We even incorporated family engagement into existing initiatives, such as report card conferences and our annual literacy night. Being a Schoolyear Site Leader helped me better understand the needs of our families and grow as a leader myself!
The Philadelphia district Office of Research & Evaluation found statistically significant evidence that Springboard Schoolyear increased grade-level proficiency by 11% relative to the control group during the 2016–17 pilot. 96% of families report that they “understand exactly what [their] child needs to do to become a better reader.”
That's great! During the 2019-20 academic year, we iterated on Springboard Schoolyear to launch the Engage Fellowship. Teacher fellows took part in professional development and professional learning communities (PLCs).
Engage and Schoolyear resulted in some incredible lessons learned, with Engage serving as a jumping off point for our 2020 COVID-19 response. We are excited to leverage these lessons learned to continue supporting teachers and families during the academic year.
Helen, you also mentioned Walter Elementary was part of the very first cohort of Affiliate partners last summer. How are flagship and affiliate partnerships different?
Great question! Through this new model, Springboard Collaborative trained teacher-leaders like me to use their playbook and run the programs more independently and affordably.
To borrow a teaching analogy: Springboard Collaborative’s flagship programs are the "I do" and the affiliate model is the “we do.”
Exactly! We also piloted an a la carte menu that includes Springboard Collaborative’s family workshop curriculum as a stand-alone product.
Exploring new offerings
We added five new independent Springboard Summer affiliates!
Our a la carte menu also includes Springboard Connect, a web- and text-based tool that helps families cultivate and sustain home literacy habits. We began the pilot phase in Summer 2019, and we'll roll out Springboard Connect to all Springboard Collaborative families in 2020. Our hope is that Springboard Connect will soon reach many more families than have ever had access to our in-person programs.
Some of my students and their families participated in the Springboard Connect pilot last summer. Springboard Connect gives me greater insight into how much students are reading at home and ways I can support them in school!
I hear you’ve been using Springboard Connect! How do you like it?
It’s wonderful. It helps me remember to set aside time to read with Amir, and Springboard Connect even suggests strategies based on his progress that we can use when we read.
Yeah, Mom even took me out for ice cream when I met my reading goal!
Learn more about Springboard Connect here!
Here’s what families are saying!
“[Springboard Connect] gives me different ideas for how I can ask questions and talk to Kenedi about the book… for example talking about the character inside and out.”
“I love it because I get super busy but as soon as I get this, my gear’s on! I just get my kid and sit down and read with her.”
“It let me know how to make sure my child understands what she is reading.”
Chapter 4
It takes a village…
Wow, it sure has been a busy year for Springboard Collaborative!
You'd better believe it. We set an aim to help 100,000 kids reach reading goals by 2023. We have our work cut out for us!
All this hard work didn’t go unnoticed, either. Parent engagement is the next big frontier in education, and Springboard Collaborative is leading the charge. Just take a look at Springboard
in the news!
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