July 1, 2019
in Blog
by Impact

Mobile Food Initiative Helps Motivate Attendance in Tulsa Public Schools

A student-led initiative at Central High School in Tulsa hosted Food Truck Fridays as an effort to increase attendance during May, a month in which attendance historically drops. Food On The Move partnered with ImpactTulsa to provide free food and fresh produce to students who met the qualifying criteria.   Goal:  The goal of this initiative was to increase average daily attendance on certain historical dip days at the end of the school year. ImpactTulsa focused on understanding the best meeting structures and processes to use with the...

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December 20, 2018
in Uncategorized
by Impact

We know who is at risk. We partnered with schools and developed resources. Is it working?

by Andrea Stacy     In the fall of 2017, ImpactTulsa partnered with Tulsa Public Schools to address one of the early indicators of student success, attendance.  We have spent the past year encouraging students to “Be Here to Get There”! By creating and using a predictive model for chronic absenteeism, together we helped school leaders determine who is at risk of becoming chronically absent with 86% accuracy by the 20th day of school. ImpactTulsa has worked alongside principals, attendance teams, and school staff to put into practice...

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December 6, 2018
in News
by Impact

Carlisha Williams Bradley of ImpactTulsa: ‘Access to high-quality education for all students is one of the greatest civil rights issues’

1. Can you explain ImpactTulsa and the work you do?   ImpactTulsa is a collective impact organization that works with school districts, nonprofit organizations, businesses and civic leaders in support of a high-quality education for all students. We do this by measuring what matters, sharing best practices and aligning resources with the goal of policy and systemic change to better serve Tulsa’s students.   ImpactTulsa’s partnership aligns 15 public school districts and community leaders across the Tulsa area around data that shows opportunities for immediate action. The organization focuses...

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December 6, 2018
in News
by Impact

City Council to vote on truancy resolution

TULSA, Okla. -- The Tulsa City Council will vote on a proposed resolution to combat truancy at area schools Wednesday evening.   It’s not the first time the council has tackled the issue. When Tulsa Public Schools rejected the council’s first proposal, councilors went back to the drawing board. Now, they’re hoping to get the green light on a new plan with a pretty significant change.   “We had this task force going for the last six months and came up with a solution to have a ‘Therapeutic Court’...

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October 31, 2018
in Blog
by Impact

Attendance: We know who is at risk. What now?

    The research is clear: Students who are in class every day will be more successful than those who miss out. Students who are chronically absent – or students who miss more than 10% of school for any reason – are at a much higher risk of dropping out of school or failing their classes.  This is an average of 2 days per month.   ImpactTulsa used data to identify the student and non-student factors to develop a predictive model that can be replicated and customized by any...

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October 8, 2018
in News
by Impact

Introducing ImpactTulsa’s Executive Director, Carlisha Williams Bradley

Tulsa, Okla. —  Carlisha Williams Bradley, seasoned education and Tulsa community leader will join ImpactTulsa as Executive Director.   “As we approach our fifth year in supporting  better education outcomes for all students in the Tulsa region, Carlisha Williams Bradley is the perfect leader for the next phase of our work,” said Kathy Taylor, Impact Tulsa Founder and chair of the Leadership Council. “Carlisha is not only steeped in education policy but is a nonprofit leader, native Tulsan, social enterprise strategist and best-selling author.  Her lifelong passion and...

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September 20, 2018
in Blog
by Impact

Attendance predictive model: driving policy changes and interventions for students at risk of chronic absenteeism

By: Jessica Smith, Director of Early Learning     At every age, for every demographic, and in every school district, the story is the same: students who miss more school than their peers are more likely to have lower academic outcomes and also delayed development of crucial social skills needed for success.   In the United States, about 5-7.5 million students miss almost a month of school every year, meaning they are chronically absent. These absences lead to some serious consequences. Many national studies show this lack of instructional time...

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July 23, 2018
in Blog
by Impact

New outreach program: Parent Advocates reaching out to zip codes with low pre-K enrollment

In an effort to reach all 4-year-olds in the Tulsa area who need to be enrolled in pre-K, ImpactTulsa is launching a new outreach program where trained parents knock on doors where there is historically low pre-K enrollment.   Children who attend pre-K outperform those who do not. Kids who have pre-K as a foundation achieve more at every stage along the education continuum. To ensure all kids have the opportunity to achieve, ImpactTulsa is committed to the goal of increasing pre-K enrollment in the Tulsa area...

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July 9, 2018
in Blog
by Impact

How ImpactTulsa leverages different advertising streams to increase awareness about pre-K enrollment

We do everything from billboard campaigns to knocking on doors to make sure we reach the most people we can to spread the word about the importance of pre-K education.    Educating the public about the importance of pre-K education coupled with explaining how to get students enrolled are strategies used by ImpactTulsa to increase the number of Tulsa-area 4-year-olds attending pre-K. We disseminate awareness through commercial and grassroots communication channels.   “We try to get the word out through every possible medium,” said Jessica Smith, ImpactTulsa director of early learning. “We try to meet parents where they are – by providing special...

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June 18, 2018
in Blog
by Impact

Why we do what we do: Increasing pre-K enrollment is a priority and here’s why

Having your 4-year-old attend pre-K will prepare him or her for their future. At ImpactTulsa, we strive to enroll every Tulsa-area child in pre-K because it builds a strong foundation for later academic success. Here’s why:   The research is clear. Children who attend pre-K outperform children who do not. Children who do not attend pre-K are less likely to have the skills they need to do well in kindergarten and beyond. In fact, Georgetown University tracked Tulsa students from pre-K to eighth grade and found positive...

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About Us

ImpactTulsa measures what matters. We identify and share best practices from across the United States. We align resources to achieve transformative impact. This is the new way of working together. It is collective impact. Continue reading.

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ImpactTulsa
907 S. Detroit Avenue, Suite 1100B
Tulsa, OK 74120
918-271-5100
info@impacttulsa.com