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Focus Forward Initiative

Background

In 2005, United Way of New York City (UWNYC) established FOCUS FORWARD, an enhancement initiative to provide youth development services in support of UWNYC's core attendance improvement and dropout prevention services. The result is a holistic approach to dropout prevention that includes a strong case management component to address barriers preventing students from attending school, regularly paired with an after-school component to reconnect students to their school community while building on academic and social skills.

Mayor Bloomberg's Commission for Economic Opportunity recognized that a high school diploma is critical for linking young people to meaningful work and reducing poverty. UWNYC has a long history of involvement in our public schools and keeping students on track to graduation. Our best-known initiative in education is Community Achievement Project in the Schools (CAPS). This public/private partnership between UWNYC and the New York City Department of Education began in 1990. Through CAPS, public elementary, middle, and high schools collaborate with CBOs to provide attendance improvement and dropout prevention services to eligible students and their families. Students are identified based primarily on their poor attendance, since attendance is the best indicator of a need for support services. The core program model - supported by public funds - works during the school day to provide attendance, counseling, and family involvement services. FOCUS FORWARD enables CBO-School partnerships to provide opportunities both for credit recovery and personal development to the participants. Program evaluations show that this holistic approach to dropout prevention, a combination of day case management service and high quality after-school activities, has a greater impact on student attendance and student school motivation.

Key Services Offered

Focus Forward provides academic support and youth development activities and projects that result in increased knowledge, improved attitude, skills acquisition, and/or cultural/creative competence.

Focus Forward activities fall into three major categories:

• Academic: includes academic enrichment, intervention and support services, literacy through the arts projects, and science projects.
• Youth Development: includes arts enrichment, conflict mediation and recreation/sports.
• Higher Education and Career Exploration: includes high school preparation and college readiness courses.

Community service and family involvement are an integral part of Focus Forward, and activities for high school students place special emphasis on helping them accumulate credits towards graduation.

Objectives

The objectives of Focus Forward activities are to:

1. Enable students to earn an additional credit towards high school diploma requirements;
2. Provide students the opportunity to exhibit positive behavioral change;
3. Enable students to acquire skills transferable to educational or employment success;
4. Help students acquire an appreciation for cultures selected for study and for cultural institutions whose mission is to preserve cultural heritage; and
5. Provide students the opportunity to learn one or more forms of creative expression and to take part in a culminating showcase activity.

Program Highlights

• The emphasis on credit accumulation in the high schools made it possible for 226 students to gain at least one credit towards high school graduation, enabling some students to be promoted who otherwise would not have been.
• 71% of the CAPS students participating in FOCUS FORWARD reported improving their attendance.
• 99% of participants reported that they enjoyed the program.
• 88% of participants reported that they experienced positive changes in all areas of school motivation and preparedness.
• Over 75% of participants showed improvements in self-esteem and an increase in their self-confidence.

Our Partners in the Focus Forward Initiative  We rely on the expertise and support of many organizations to ensure the effectiveness of Focus Forward: Funding Partners Generous support from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation provides substantial resources for the overall Focus Forward initiative in New York City public high schools. Targeted support from National Grid Foundation makes possible the college readiness component. Con Edison helps fund the Science and Mathematics initiative. Service Providers United Way works with community-based organizations to provide Focus Forward activities and projects to over 1,300 students throughout the city. These agencies reflect the diversity and culture of the neighborhoods in which the schools are located.

For more information on the Focus Forward initiative, please contact Mabel Bejarano at (212) 251-2415 or mbejarano@uwnyc.org

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