June 10, 2015
The GO Project recently released its GO School Report, which details our progress, successes and challenges for the GO School year (October 2014 - April 2015). Please read further to enjoy a snap shot of the 2015 GO School achievements.
May 14, 2015
Our golfers braved the fog, the mist, and pending threat of thunderstorms on June 15, all to benefit the children and families of the GO Project. Despite the bad weather, our players stepped up to raise almost $100,000, a record-breaking amount that far exceeded our goal. Their support means GO can enroll 615 students – our highest number yet - and provide critical programs and support to help them to succeed at school, at home, and in life.
A special thank you to Sal Lentini and Doug Kepple for spearheading and hosting this event for the second year in a row. Please check our events page to see how you can get involved in our upcoming events.
May 14, 2015
Leaders in Education and Government Discuss Solutions to New York's Opportunity Gap
Deputy Mayor of Strategic Initiatives, Richard Buery, New York University Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, Pedro Noguera, Superintendent of District 1, Daniella Phillips, and leaders from New York's philanthropy, education and business communities came together to discuss improvements to New York's public education system at a Breakfast Panel hosted by the GO Project, an educational non-profit organization, on May 14.
Moderated by GO Project Executive Director Erica Ahdoot, panelists Deputy Mayor Buery and Professor Noguera discussed models, practices and research that could be adopted to reform New York's under-performing public school system, in which only 40% of students graduate on time, with low-income and minority students making up a large proportion of those falling behind. The panelists defined the challenges faced by students as an "opportunity" or an "access gap", rather than an "achievement gap", highlighting that low-income families currently lack access to quality educational resources.
The Deputy Mayor cited the city's new Universal Pre-K and Community Schools Initiatives as important steps toward improving outcomes for New York's struggling students, stressing that the needs of the whole child must be met in order to build successful schools, particularly communities dealing with poverty, "If a child is hungry at 7:59 am, they are going to be hungry at 8:01 am," Mr. Buery said.
Professor Noguera agreed, adding, "Family engagement is key to ensuring a child's success, but it is difficult to administer. Once schools open their doors to families, they need to be equipped to address their complex needs."
When the topic of standardized testing was raised by a Dean from Grace Church High School, the panelists offered their varied perspectives. Dr. Noguera outlined his concern that standardized tests fail to measure soft skills such as social and emotional skills, and overall college-readiness, "If a child drops out because they are addicted to drugs but they did well on a test, that's a failure." The Deputy Mayor responded, adding, "Assessments are important, but the emphasis needs to be on their quality and ability to improve teacher instruction."
The Breakfast Panel, Achieving Educational Equity: Working Together to Close New York's Opportunity Gap is the first in its kind to be hosted by the GO Project. The non-profit's programs for struggling and under-resourced public school students operate through partnerships with private organizations in the downtown area: Grace Church, Grace Church School, LREI, Friends Seminary and Avenues: The World School. The breakfast panel took place at Grace Church School.
"It's encouraging to see members from academia, city government, and private and public education agree on what is needed to make real change in this city: early intervention, family engagement, and a whole-community approach," Ms. Ahdoot said. "We can't close this city's opportunity gap without an investment in all of these critical areas."
April 23, 2015
Thank you to all who joined GO for our Annual Spring Benefit on April 22! Hosted by Rachel Dratch and sponsored by the Weinstein Company, Carolina Herrera and Ramy Brook, the event raised more than $460,000 in support of our services for struggling and under-resourced public school students. See the coverage in Manhattan Magazine's Scene Gallery or view our photos on our Facebook Page.
December 16, 2014
Read article published on New York Non-Profit Press site.
Gayle Villani, former Vice President of Programs at PENCIL, will join the GO Project, an early education non-profit organization, as its new Associate Executive Director this January.
Villani launched her career as a corps member with the Teach for America program in 1992, and continued teaching in variety of low-income communities, including New Orleans, Compton, and South Central, Los Angeles. After relocating to New York City, Villani joined Vivendi Universal (formerly Joseph E. Seagram & Sons), where she managed grant-making for early childhood and pre-collegiate education, as well as the company's school-based partnerships in New York City and across the U.S. In her most recent role at PENCIL, Villani transformed the organization's programming into a comprehensive school-based partnership model, in which teams of business volunteers leverage their unique private sector skillsets and expertise to prepare students for college and career success.
"I am thrilled to join the team at the GO Project. The program is a uniquely comprehensive and effective intervention model that is having a tremendous impact on students and families. I am excited to work with the team to build upon the work and to have an even deeper impact on a greater number of students and families," Villani said.
While the GO Project was founded in 1968, the organization only became a 501(c)(3) in 2010. Since that time, the year-round educational intervention program for academically struggling, under-resourced public school students and their families has experienced significant growth, doubling its budget in four years and securing a professional team of 13 full-time staff and more than 200 part-time educators, specialists, teaching assistants and interns. Over the course of their 46 year history, GO has established a track record of high-quality educational programming and deep family and community involvement. Villani's appointment corresponds with the GO Project's further expansion and plans for replication—the organization is increasing its services in the Lower East Side by 25 percent within three years and will launch in a New York City neighborhood within four years.
"We're so pleased to welcome Gayle to the GO Project," Erica Ahdoot, Executive Director of the GO Project said. "Gayle's long-term experience with program development, evaluation and implementation, as well as her commitment to developing strong partnerships between public and private stakeholders, will help advance the GO Project's work in achieving education equity for students in New York City."
Reporting to the Executive Director, the Associate Executive Director will work with the GO Project's seasoned Program Leadership Team to execute, refine and evaluate programs, as well as prepare the organization for future expansion.
November 21, 2014
The Young Leadership Council's Fall Cocktail Party took place on November 20 and was a huge success! GO's friends, supporters, and volunteers came together to celebrate and support the GO Project and raised $53,000 in funding for our programs. We hope to see you again next year! View our photos online.
November 4, 2014
NY1 Noticias aired a story about the GO Project's partnership with The New School to provide free English classes to GO Families, empowering them to advocate for their child at their public school. Requires Spanish!
August 29, 2014
While most people associate the summer with slowing down, at GO, the warmer months are some of our most productive! The average GO student gains three months in reading and math skills during our five-week summer program. That's significant, when you consider the average low-income student loses two months in reading and math over the summer. But GO Summer isn't solely about academics, as you'll see from these photos. Our students build confidence through dance, singing, drumming, fencing and yoga. And most importantly, they have fun! Thanks to all the students, staff, volunteers, families and partner schools who made GO Summer 2014 a success. We look forward to seeing you in the school year!
July 22, 2014
The GO Project is proud to announce that it is a recipient of a $50,000 grant awarded by HSBC's Future First program.
Future First, HSBC's flagship global education program, aims to tackle child poverty through education projects. It was established in 2006 and has given some of the world's most marginalised and impoverished young people access to education and life skills, as well as a brighter and better future.
HSBC has committed $40 million to Future First, a program that has so far reached out to 862,000 children in 60 countries. Of the total commitment, $25 million extends the program to a host of new countries and expands its scope to cover all children 'at-risk'.
Douglas Flint, HSBC Group Chairman, says, "We feel privileged to have been part of Future First's work since 2006. They do incredible work that makes a meaningful difference to some of the world's most disadvantaged children. At HSBC, we believe that education is one of the most powerful tools to reduce poverty and inequality, and with Future First, we can help deliver projects that provide young people with a more sustainable and prosperous future. I wish everyone involved the very best success with this important program."
The GO Project is thrilled to have the support of HSBC and proud to be recognized internationally for its work providing education and enrichment programs for New York City's under-resourced and academically-struggling public school students.
July 16, 2014
This summer, Scholastic donated more than 1,000 new leveled books and teacher resources to the GO Project, and then set our students a challenge—participate in Scholastic's famed summer reading contest and try to beat the world record!
The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, an interactive online reading program, asks participants to log reading minutes and earn rewards for reading challenges. Parents and educators can also track student progress and access a multitude of resources such as book recommendations, reading activities, and online forums.
But with a 2013 record of 176,438,473 minutes, GO students have their work cut out for them... it's a good thing that they love reading! To track their progress and view a live timer tracking minutes for the world record, please visit the event page.
On behalf of the students, staff and families of the GO Project, a big thank you to Scholastic for providing such an essential resource for organization. The books Scholastic donated will spark imaginations, broaden horizons and inspire our students for years to come. We look forward to working with Scholastic in the future as we bring the love of reading into more of our students' hearts and minds!
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