DurhamCares

2012 Total Operating Budget: $250,000

What

The Achievement Academy of Durham teaches and supports young adults who have dropped out of school in order to reconnect them to the opportunities an education provides.  AAD students gain critical reading skills, earn their NC Equivalency Diploma, and complete college preparatory training so they can succeed in a post-secondary program and attain sustainable employment.

Why

The Achievement Academy of Durham was incorporated in December 2004 and gained non-profit status in June 2005. The organization grew out of many years experience in successfully helping disconnected, impoverished teens earn their GEDs. Our founding director had previously directed GED and alternative secondary education programs throughout the Triangle. Although successful in helping students earn their GEDs, she noticed that her graduates continued to live in poverty. Today, a lack of post-secondary education results in an inability to rise above a poverty-level income and removes hope of the kind of stable employment needed to support a family.

The Achievement Academy of Durham was created because no local agency would formally accommodate a GED through postsecondary program. Our organization was established to assist Durham youth in passing their GED and graduating with a postsecondary degree or recognized certification, enabling them to move out of poverty.

Since 2005, the Achievement Academy has grown from a single employee program serving six students to a staff of four serving forty students. A dedicated corps of 28 volunteer tutors makes it possible to continue providing individualized academic attention to students even as we have grown.

FAST FORWARD READING: This is a program for students who need to improve their reading skills before beginning to study for their GED subject area tests. Fast Forward readers work with volunteer tutors every day for 1.5 hours to improve their reading comprehension, reading speed, and vocabulary. Fast Forward students have reading homework every night and must be ready to talk about what they read with their tutors the next day.

GED CLASSES: Achievement Academy students receive a North Carolina High School Equivalency Diploma by studying for and passing GED tests in five subjects: Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. Students generally study one subject at a time. Our GED classes are 1.5 hours long. Class sizes are small, and we administer frequent practice tests so that students can assess their own progress and we can focus attention on the skills and topics in which students need the most help. GED students have homework every night. When a student passes an official practice test at the Achievement Academy, they must make an appointment to take the official test in that subject at Durham Technical Community College.

LEARNING LAB: Fast Forward Reading and GED students spend 1.5 hours each day in the Achievement Academy Learning Lab working on continuing to improve their reading comprehension and refreshing their basic math skills. Our reading labeprogram, SRA, is a self-paced set of activities that helps students build their reading speed, word knowledge, and comprehension to college level. Our math program, Cognitive Tutor, is a computer based program that reviews math basics, helps students visualize math using pictures, and emphasizes the logic of mathematical problem solving. Learning lab activities are independent, but tutors are always available to assist students as needed.

ACHIEVEMENT UNIVERSITY: In today’s job market, having a high school diploma is not enough. Continuing school beyond the GED is essential. In the Achievement University, students: (1) research job prospects and education/training requirements for careers that interest them, (2) apply to educational programs leading to certification in a vocational skill or to a college degree/diploma, (3) study for admissions testing requirements, (4) complete financial aid applications, and (5) work with Achievement Academy staff and tutors to complete the programs in which they enroll. Many Achievement Academy students actually complete their degrees at AAD by taking courses online in the Learning Lab. Achievement University students are valued tutors at AAD, and it is sometimes possible to arrange paid work-study employment for our GED graduates who go on to the Achievement University.

CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES: We employ a full time case manager to help our students access essential “wrap around” support services. Without this support, our students would have little hope of succeeding in any academic program.

Sandy Ogburn          

Director of Administration
Sandy has over 25 years of public service in Durham. Sandy served for 8 years on the Durham City Council. She developed the Duke Neigborhood Partnership Initiative which benefits the twelve neighborhoods and seven schools surrounding Duke University. She serves on numerous local boards whose focus is to make Durham a better community for all of our citizens. Much of Sandy’s community and professional work has focused on her passionate interests in public transportation development, affordable housing, urban resource planning, and responsive local governance.

Gayle Erdheim

Academic Programs Director
Gayle has over 25 years of experience as an educational administrator, researcher, curriculum designer, and instructor. Her diverse classroom experience includes work in therapeutic and correctional environments, community based educational programs, and college settings. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer and Founder/ Principal of a charter school. Her career as an educator has been devoted to designing programs that deeply integrate instructional and family support services and that enable youth struggling with challenging personal circumstances to succeed and thrive in school.

Achievement_Academy_2011_Report.pdf

Achievement_Academy_2010_Report.pdf