Rewarding Achievement (REACH), a program of The Council of Urban
Professionals (CUP) sponsored by The Pershing Square Foundation, is an
innovative pay-for-performance initiative that aims to improve the
college readiness of low-income students, especially those from ethnic
and racial groups that are underrepresented in higher education.
To encourage students to enroll and excel in the most rigorous courses
and to reward dynamism and innovation in our schools, REACH will make
substantial cash awards to selected schools and their students,
principals and assistant principals, based primarily on the number of
Advanced Placement exams passed.*
With $1 million in seed funding from the Pershing Square Foundation, CUP
has launched REACH in 31 New York City high schools, including six
parochial schools. At these schools, REACH will give students up
to $1,000 for each AP exam they pass and, for incremental passes, two
matching awards: one to the school and the other to the student’s
principal and assistant principal.**
In addition, to invest in their AP teachers and programs, all
participating schools will receive $2,000 this month and are eligible to
apply for Innovation Grants of up to $10,000. Totaling $100,000,
Innovation Grants are intended to help educators develop and share best
practices to deliver quality AP programming and instruction.
Finally, REACH has budgeted $100,000 for a Development Program to help
additional schools serving low-income students invest in their AP
programs so that they can become part of REACH in future years.
Ultimately, REACH hopes to be a model that can be replicated nationally.
Unlike traditional philanthropic programs, REACH does not require that
participating schools follow a particular educational model.
Instead, REACH sets an audacious goal – increasing the number of high
school students who are doing college-level work – and encourages
students, educators and schools to innovate in pursuit of that goal.
Then, REACH rewards success and evaluates how it’s achieved so that best
practices can be identified and disseminated.
To inquire about participation in the REACH Development Program or to
learn more about REACH, contact
info@nycup.org.
*AP and Advanced Placement are registered trademarks of the College
Board, which is not affiliated with REACH.
**Payments
to principals and assistant principals are subject to the approval of
the Conflicts of Interest Board of the City of New York