One at a Time: Male-Led NGO Helping Female Students Gain Admission in Sokoto

Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago was once reputed for gang violence, struggled to support its predominantly minority students, and was had been on academic probation for nearly two decades. A revolutionary approach to academics that uses a skills-based model tailored to the needs of each individual student and emphasizes true mastery of a skill rather than memorization and regurgitation has had remarkable success, bringing Juarez up to among the top 50 schools in the state for graduation rates and test scores and making it a destination school for students of color.

In 2011, the Colorado Education Initiative (CEI), an education advocacy and research organization, launched the Colorado Legacy Schools project. The program funded innovative ways to increase the number and diversity of students taking AP classes. Instead of applying for funds to train teachers and subsidize test fees, Paonia High teamed up with two nearby schools to more than triple their collective AP offerings. It’s a promising model for rural, resource-limited schools trying to bring more college-prep opportunities to their few students.

Brilliant Footsteps International Academy implemented an integrated education model that combines Islamic studies, vocational training, including barbing, calligraphy and culinary arts and hands-on STEM learning. The school uses problem-based, student-led projects to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, while also focusing on gender inclusion in a region where girls are typically excluded.

The Bay Area Urban Debate League serves students in low-income communities by providing debate opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t be able to access or afford. Teaching debate and participating in tournaments teach students valuable life skills like argumentation, critical thinking, research and logic. In 2023, the Bay Area Urban Debate League served 300 middle and high school students.

During the 2017-2018 school year, students in Arizona missed out on $65 million in free federal financial aid. The Be a Leader Foundation counsels first-generation and low-income students - during the inaugural year of the program, Be a Leader saw a 26 percent increase in students who filled out the FAFSA form.

The ecosystem of D.C. charter schools that has evolved over the last two decades represents a cornucopia of creative and nontraditional approaches to education, in addition to fairly traditional college-prep schools, and is now producing some of the highest graduation rates, college acceptance rates, and average test scores in public schools in the nation.

A nonprofit organization, the Internationals Network for Public Schools, delivers a first-class education to the children of illegal immigrants, helping to break the cycle of poverty and provide them a path to advance in life.

After implementing the International Baccalaureate curriculum, graduation rates at Seattle's historically underperforming Rainier Beach High School increased 25 percentage points from 2011 to 2015. In a city whose public schools are known for racial tracking in advanced classes, Rainier's programs are uniquely focused on serving its predominantly minority student body. With funding in jeopardy, in the coming years, Rainer will have to prove the worth of the programming.

DeWitt Clinton High School offers formal career pathway programs that allow students to gain real-world work experience and sometimes even earn industry credentials while completing their high school diploma requirements. There are pathways available for everything from visual arts to agriculture to health care careers, and the high school has seen its graduation numbers go up and absenteeism rates drop since establishing the programs.

The Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative pools the resources of nine rural school districts to give students better access to career and technical education, with programs focused on building trades, hospitality and tourism, health sciences, education, and the environment. The Collaborative also connects students to local businesses for job shadowing, internships, and career fairs.