School may be out for summer, but for a dedicated and enthusiastic group of educators, their work is just beginning. In late June, 118 attendees from 19 school districts in six states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Virginia, and Florida) gathered for the 3rd annual RISE Network Grade 9 Symposium.
The objectives of the event were straightforward: reflect on current school structures and practices affecting Grade 9 success; establish a clear vision and actionable plan to improve student outcomes and close opportunity gaps; and form an energetic community of educators committed to reflection and improvement. The RISE Network team led participants toward those objectives through an intentional focus on student voice and educator experience, the importance of data and continuous improvement, and concrete examples of strong Grade 9 work in RISE partner schools.
A highlight of the event was a panel discussion with educators from throughout the RISE Network, who spoke about their experiences launching freshman success efforts and offered key learnings aligned to our Conditions for Grade 9 Success.
“It wasn’t until we started working with RISE and their protocols that we had something to ground our on-track data team meetings in,” said one panelist, Casey Cunningham, a teacher and Team Leader at Bulkeley High School in Hartford. “This represented a huge shift. As we saw that action items were being completed, the data followed and we could put things in place that created change.”
Ed Lavoie, who serves as First Assistant Principal at East Hartford High School, doubled down on the importance of data visibility. “We analyze information from the RISE Data Hub to learn about middle school students who have been identified as high-risk or vulnerable. Our support staff meets with incoming 9th graders and gets to know them before they start high school so we can best understand how we can support them and help them reach their goals.”
Other panelists spoke about the teaming process, on-track coaches, summer transition programs, and building a culture of Freshman success. “Culture is key and has to be embedded in everything you do,” said Dan Falcucci, Grade 9 Dean at Burncoat High School in Worcester, MA. “My team grounds our faculty meetings and newsletters in Grade 9 culture. We also ensure that events, like Bs or Better celebrations, are visible to the entire school to inspire other students.”
Expanding upon these critical concepts, the two-day Symposium also featured a session exploring adolescent brain development and research illustrating the long-term impact of Grade 9 on-track achievement; a deep dive into on-track data teams including a simulated data protocol; a conversation focused on mindsets and biases; and breakout sessions detailing various elements of a comprehensive Grade 9 strategy.
As the event went on, participants’ excitement and a sense of community was palpable. Educators were feeling energized and inspired to take what they had learned back to their schools to help build or improve upon their freshman success efforts.
“I love seeing how RISE continuously uses data-driven evidence to talk about the impact of attendance and grades and what we can be doing to best support our students,” said one attendee, Ed Walker, Dean of Students for Worcester Technical High School in MA. “From listening to the RISE representatives, as well as colleagues from different schools in different states, I’m constantly hearing new and innovative ideas that push my thinking.”
Joy McDonald, Educational Specialist/Data Analyst for Henrico County Public Schools in VA, echoed this sentiment. “We were put in cross-district groups so we could learn from others and make connections,” she noted. “Then it was also great to have time to work within our school team.” McDonald shared her appreciation for the various protocols shared by RISE throughout the event, which she said will help to better structure her team’s efforts. “I can’t think of anything we’re not going to use. With the work we’ve done here, we can prioritize the essential components of a successful ninth-grade transition. The Symposium has helped us learn what we should start on first and then what to continue to work on through this framework.”
Thomas Agosto, who serves as Assistant Principal for Stamford High School, said he was thrilled with how receptive his team was and how many ideas they had captured to bring back and implement in their school, raising their Grade 9 work to a new level. “Being at the Symposium has confirmed my belief that it takes a team effort,” said Agosto. “There’s an African proverb; ‘If you want to go fast, go by yourself. If you want to go far, go together.’ It’s clear that RISE shares that philosophy. One person can’t do it themselves; it’s a team effort and a school-wide effort to keep students on track.”
The enthusiastic positivity of these educators was reflected in overall feedback from participants from a survey following the event, where 100 percent of respondents agreed that the Symposium is a high-quality and thought-provoking professional learning experience that they would recommend to others interested in advancing Grade 9 success.
“True to the way that we think about continuous improvement, we made some intentional changes this year to bring in more student perspective and the realities students experience in the 9th-grade year,” said Sam Purdy, Director for Engagement at RISE and event lead. “A lot of evidence in the moment and in participants’ survey responses showed that people came away with new strategies and systems to incorporate into their schools.”
Several participants have decided to continue their learning journey with RISE by participating in a summer book club exploring “The Make or Break Year.” And upwards of 20 schools – many of whom attended the Symposium this past year – have signed up to participate in the third iteration of the Freshman Focus Network, a professional learning community that aims to create a network of schools dedicated to reimagining the Grade 9 experience.
Ed Walker, whose team at Worcester Tech attended the Symposium for the first time this year, said he is always looking for ways to improve and that the event will help him and his team to do just that. “Often, after years as an educator, you feel like you’ve tried everything,” he said. “Coming to the RISE Network Symposium, you realize you haven’t tried everything. I’m leaving with a renewed sense of leadership and ways to improve practices to support our students. I’m leaving with a renewed inspiration to go back and do better and be better.”
Learn more about the Grade 9 Symposium and click here to fill out a form indicating your interest in our first-ever Postsecondary Symposium, coming in the Fall of 2025! You can always follow along with RISE to receive news and updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (X), including an album of photos from the 2024 Symposium.