Ripple Effects, Inc. Announces Prestigious U.S. Department of Education “Race to the Top” Grant Success
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 15, 2014 -- “The U.S. Department of Education’s choice of The Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) as one of five winners out of more than 200 applicants for the prestigious Race to the Top grant is great news for the people of Kentucky,” said Alice Ray, CEO of Ripple Effects, Inc. “With a vital component of this application being Ripple Effects for Teens and Ripple Effects for Kids social-emotional and behavioral training programs, we feel honored to be part of this truly innovative effort to personalize student supports for some of the poorest students in the country."
"These are bold, locally directed improvements in learning and teaching that will improve both student achievement and educator effectiveness," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. "The best ideas in education don't come from anyone here in Washington," the secretary added.
More than 200 school districts applied for the Race to the Top $120 million grant, part of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package from 2009. This is the second year the department has given funds directly to local schools to implement their own improvement plans that align to the administration's goals.
“The use of technology to address students’ need for non-academic supports through this grant represents the most personal of personalized learning applications,” said Alice Ray. “In the privacy of a computer, students address their “most secret” personal problems and find solutions that impact their inner and outer lives and their school performance. Hundreds of thousands of youth each year are receiving motivational counseling, skill training and personal supports through this program. The result? Research shows grades go up and behavior problems go down.” See this video of students and staff talking about the benefits of the program in their own words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SZvjXxvPjk
As it has in other locations, use of Ripple Effects is expected to improve student achievement and student emotional growth, close achievement gaps, decrease dropout rates, increase high school graduation rates, and assure students can fully participate in KVEC’s Career-driven Education model implemented under a current i3 Development grant.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s(SAMHSA’s) National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) deemed Ripple Effects a “preventative intervention for children’s mental health.” Like the Department of Education, NREPP’s standards required evidence from the results of at least one published study based on an experimental or quasi-experimental design (NREEP, 2010). Moreover, when the National Drop Out Prevention Center reviewed the research, it deemed Ripple Effects a model program at three levels: Prevention, Intervention, Recovery (NDPN, 2009).
Although Ripple Effects is a key part of this large U.S. Department of Education grant with a customized state wide system implementation, the key commercial products of Ripple Effects -Ripple Effects for Teens, Kids and Staff – are available now for individual schools and youth oriented services. Any questions regarding this grant or orders can be directed to info(at)rippleeffects(dot)com or calling 1 888 259-6618.
About Ripple Effects:
Ripple Effects, Inc. is a woman owned privately held company headquartered in San Francisco, California and an NREPP approved “preventative intervention for children’s mental health.” Ripple Effects has been recognized for leadership as a double bottom line, social enterprise, with awards from Haas Business School and the University of Washington Business School. It has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Business Week magazine for its success in making good works and good business practice as well.
In its 10+ year history, Ripple Effects has helped over 1 million students and has been in use in over 3,000 schools. For more information, please visit http://www.rippleeffects.com
Ripple Effects, Ripple Effects, http://rippleeffects.com/, +1 415-227-1669, [email protected]
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