GRAD Partnership

The GRAD Partnership is a national initiative that encourages and supports communities in efforts to use high quality student success systems, also known as early warning/on-track systems, that empower schools to graduate ALL students ready for their future.

The GRAD Partnership is led by the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University and includes the American Institute of Research, BARR Foundation, Carnegie Foundation for College Success, Schott Foundation, Talent Development, and Rural Schools Collaborative. The project has received funding support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. https://www.gradpartnership.org/

“We need new and improved student success systems and structures to enable all to thrive in pandemic-impacted times.”

  • Rural Schools Collaborative selected NST as one
    of only two regions across the nation
  • Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this bold initiative will promote the use of high-quality student success systems so that schools are empowered to graduate all students ready for the future
  • Nationally and regionally, our focus is on 9th Grade year’s Attendance, Behavior and Completion of courses
  • GRAD Partnership for Student Success aligns with K16 Grant’s strategies to retain students through inclusive supports

North State Together is partnering with Rural Schools Collaborative to bring support grants to 10 rural high schools in the Northern California region:

  • High Schools will receive:
    • $5,000 support grant annually for 2 years ($10,000 total)
    • Support & guidance from your regional coordinator and cohort peers
    • Access to technical support and resources from Rural Schools Collaborative and the GRAD Partnership team

  • High Schools commit to:

    • Provide matching funds of $5,000 annually for 2 years ($10,000 total)

    • Adopt or enhance a student support system at your school

    • Share stories, successes, and challenges to strengthen work

The goal of this project is to build capacity for rural schools to design their own plans of how best to help students graduate.

  • Provide a best-practice framework to build school’s existing strengths and assets vs. being prescriptive or requiring schools to add “one more thing” to the school year.
  • Each school is different and each school knows best what will work best for them. This is a true pilot with access to a group of peers to learn with you.

GRAD Partnership Timeline

Year 1:

  • Applications received to NST – August 31, 2022
  • Schools selected – September 9, 2022
  • Letter of Agreement and Matching Fund Commitment Signed & Returned – September 30, 2022
  • Planning Phase to identify intervention(s) & team(s) – October – December 2022
  • Launch/Implement Student Success System – January – June 2023

Year 2:

  • July 2023 – June 2024
    • Assess lessons learned from Year 1
    • Make changes based on lessons learned
    • Continuous improvement of Student Success System