R I S E Resources for Indispensable Schools and Educators

For nine years, all of us at RISE have worked tirelessly to build an organization around the idea that schools are only as effective as the educators in them. Temp Keller began this mission in 2000, and in taking up Temp's vision, I am thankful for your support, and proud to tell you that the conventional educational world is now recognizing RISE's idea as critical to the success of every child in every low-income public school in America.

"It is amazing how big a difference a great teacher makes versus an ineffective one. Research shows that there is only half as much variation in student achievement between schools as there is among classrooms in the same school. If you want your child to get the best education possible, it is actually more important to get him assigned to a great teacher than to a great school."

- Bill Gates, 2009 Annual Letter on US Education

"We have a great need for better models, to think differently about how to recruit, train, and support teachers--and to figure out what it will take to get talented teachers and principals to the schools where they are needed most."

- US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, August 20, 2009

In June, Temp and I told you about our major effort to evaluate how RISE has done in its nine years, and promised to tell you the specifics of what we had learned by engaging FSG Impact Advisors (www.fsg-impact.org) and from talking to the teachers and principals who have participated in the RISE Network. More importantly, we promised to fill you in on what we plan to do with the feedback we gathered.

Four main points emerged from our review:

The RISE Network is the only venue in America where the teachers low-income students need most (talented, second-stage teachers with 2-7 years of experience) can find the "right fit" schools that need them most (emerging low-income charter, autonomous and turnaround public schools).
Principals using the Network have found RISE to be a valuable teacher recruiting resource.
Job seeking teachers valued the information that the RISE Network provides--particularly the data from the Teaching Conditions Survey [which allows teachers already at Network Schools to rate their institutions in specific areas (such as school leadership, empowerment, and professional development)].
Most principals valued the Teaching Conditions Survey as a tool for improving conditions at their school.

This information gave us confirmation of our value and the direction on how to focus our energy. As a result, we have updated our business plan to emphasize the most important outcomes of our program--focusing on the teacher recruitment aspect of our program, and improving the delivery of the RISE Network.

Our goal for 2009-2010 is to expand while reducing our cost of operations. Specifically, we will:

Launch in at least three new metro areas in 2010, and are considering Washington, D.C., Denver and New Orleans as targets.
Expand in California beyond the boundaries of the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles areas we currently serve.
Grow to almost 200 schools in the RISE Network.

At the same time, we plan to radically reduce the costs of delivering the Network to schools and teachers. This year, two thirds of program costs will be funded by earned revenue—a 125% increase from last year. In order to do this, we will:

Shift outreach to schools from a metropolitan Executive Director driven model to a regional one, where senior staff members are responsible for the relationships in multiple metro areas.
Leverage our strong partnerships, applying the Haberman Foundation’s Star Screener to identify mission-aligned teaching candidates and the New Teacher Center’s Teaching Conditions Survey to inform candidates of the current teachers’ perceptions of teaching conditions in Network Schools.
Automate the application and analysis modules of the Teaching Conditions Survey, reducing the cost of delivery. In the past years, the metropolitan Executive Director presented the results to the school personally.
Target the schools we know are most in need of our programs, reducing the cost of our outreach.
Target the teachers we know are most needed for the schools we serve by using data that we gathered in the first year of use of our new online platform.
Offer schools pricing options which reflect the way they use the Network and their budgeting practices.

For nine years, RISE has been thinking differently. Today I am convinced that RISE is deploying the kind of model Secretary Duncan speaks of—bringing real value to the recruitment of talented teachers where they are needed most.

Our tenth anniversary year presents a climate that encourages us to expand RISE’s reach and impact. The bold growth needed to answer this opportunity depends on your generosity. Your continued support of RISE is critical this year as we grow well beyond the base that Temp and our colleagues have built these last nine years. We’re confident that with your help, 2010 will be decisive, and that RISE will reach its 10th anniversary as a recognized leader in bringing about the change called for by all who care about America’s children.

Sincerely,

Jim Ahrens, President

Gifts will be recognized with a thank you note and receipt that includes RISE's Federal EIN number for your records and tax deduction. Please do not hesitate to contact RISE at 510.273.3131 or info@risenetwork.org with any questions, wire transfer information, securities gifting instructions, etc.