An all-in effort to help students recover from the impacts of the pandemic and thrive

Baltimore, MD (July 5, 2022) – A diverse group of public and non-profit organizations are announcing their support for the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS), a coordinated, research-based, locally-driven, all-in effort to help all students recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and thrive. This initiative will be launched today at a White House event by the Biden-Harris Administration: WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET .

The NPSS will encompass a nationwide three-year effort to bring together committed, high-quality education, service, and youth development organizations to recruit, screen, train, support, and engage an additional 250,000 Americans serving as academic tutors, high quality mentors, student success coaches, wraparound integrated student support coordinators, and post-secondary transition coaches for students in PreK through high school. These adults will work side-by-side with educators and other personnel in and out of school settings in roles that research shows result in gains in reading and math, high school and college graduation rates, reductions in chronic absenteeism, and improved student well-being and mental health. 

The NPSS brings together the Biden-Harris Administration, led by the U.S. Department of Education and AmeriCorps, the Johns Hopkins Everyone Graduates Center, and a diverse coalition of local, state, and national education, service and youth development organizations committed to providing holistic academic and other supports that the research shows will help our students succeed. 

“Since President Biden took office, we’ve prioritized supporting our nation’s students,” said White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice. “Today, we’re doubling down on those investments and launching a national effort to support student success—with the President calling on states and school districts to further leverage ARP funds, and calling for a quarter million more adults to offer the instruction and empathy our kids need to make up for lost time.”

The NPSS will work with school districts, AmeriCorps state service commissions, national and local student support providers, and community-based non-profit organizations to increase the number of students receiving evidence-based people-powered student supports based on locally determined needs and using existing revenue – including American Rescue Plan funds, federal education funds, state and local resources, and AmeriCorps programs. It also will help to address longstanding inequities and opportunity gaps in education, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. More information is available here.

“President Biden called on Americans to care for our youth and get our students back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic caused extensive disruption in our nation’s schools and a disproportionate impact on underserved communities. AmeriCorps members have shown that they can help school districts address the impacts of the pandemic, whether it’s providing tutoring and mentoring or leading after school programs and helping students apply for college or financial aid,” said Michael D. Smith, AmeriCorps CEO. “We look forward to accelerating impact and expanding our reach through NPSS with even more state and local education agencies, foundations, business and nonprofit organizations.”

“Now—more than ever—students need to feel supported, seen, heard, and understood by adults in their schools and communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona. “Today’s announcements and the launch of the National Partnership for Student Success will mean more students have a trusted adult in their corner, and more adults are prepared to address students’ academic, emotional, social, and mental health needs. Together, we can help all children make up for unfinished learning, recover from the pandemic, and prepare for future success – both inside and outside the classroom.”

“The coalition of organizations that have come together to support the NPSS is extraordinary and recognizes that there is no one size fits all approach to meeting the needs of all learners equitably. Communities, service organizations, and educators alongside parents need to have the tools, information and people-powered support to meet this moment and ensure that all young people are thriving and on a pathway to success,” said Erin Mote, Executive Director, InnovateEDU

“President Biden has called on Americans to serve their nation at this critical time, surrounding our teachers and students with the support they need to recover and thrive,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President of Voices for National Service. “AmeriCorps is already playing a leading role in supporting students across the country and we believe the National Partnership for Student Success offers even more opportunities for Americans to step up and serve schools and communities through national service. We encourage those who want to serve to join AmeriCorps to engage in this all-out, historic effort to ensure young people have what they need to succeed in school and life.”

The Everyone Graduates Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Education will collaborate with other leading non-profit organizations to serve as the Hub for the NPSS. The NPSS Hub will connect school districts, state and local education agencies, federal agencies, philanthropy, and national and community organizations, to support increased access to and implementation of evidence-based student support programs, provide technical assistance and research to enhance program effectiveness, and help to recruit and connect AmeriCorps members and other volunteers to the effort. Technical assistance leaders from Accelerate, City Year, Communities in Schools, MENTOR, the National College Attainment Network, and the National Student Support Accelerator will use their proven track records of success to maximize the effectiveness and availability of tutors, mentors, post-secondary advisors, student success coaches, and wraparound integrated student supports. 

“This collaborative approach aims to bring stakeholders together, increase the supply of student

supports, establish effective approaches, and provide technical assistance to support schools

and communities in implementing and improving high-quality, evidence-based student supports.

The Johns Hopkins Everyone Graduates Center is honored to serve as the Hub for these activities,” said Robert Balfanz, a Johns Hopkins research professor and director of the Everyone Graduates Center.

“The National Partnership for Student Success announced today by the Biden administration will bolster and strengthen our nation’s public schools,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “We look forward to working with the Biden administration and other key national stakeholders to implement this initiative and drive the groundswell of support for our public schools across this nation.”

“Coming out of the pandemic, educators, school staff and parents are working together to meet kids’ increased needs, in the classroom and beyond. That means tutors and mentors, student support and success coordinators, and a village of caring adults to help kids’ academic growth, social development and mental health. We are pleased to support this effort—which harnesses the power and resources of government, youth development and service organizations—to work in tandem with public schools, teachers, and school staff, not in competition with them, and help our students access the tools they need to recover and thrive,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers. 

“Students who face historical and structural inequities, including students of color and students experiencing poverty, often must navigate the path to postsecondary education without adequate guidance or a strong college-going culture in their high schools. COVID has only exacerbated this issue,” said Kim Cook, CEO of the National College Attainment Network. “By tapping the power of the National College Attainment Network’s more than 500 member organizations, the National Partnership for Student Success will empower more students across the country to achieve their postsecondary goals.”

“This moment calls us to ensure that all students have access to the resources, relationships and opportunities they need to succeed in school, college, career and adulthood, including the additional capacity provided by student success coaches,” said City Year CEO Jim Balfanz. “By collaborating with educators, parents, communities and other champions of NPSS, we can make schools, and growing up in America, more joyful, engaging and equitable for all.”

“As the country’s largest in school provider of wraparound around/integrated student supports, we at Communities In Schools are thrilled to see the administration and NPSS focus on building an army of collaborators connecting students to resources and aligning existing assets. Our overburdened educators experience a deep challenge in getting students turned onto learning because there is so much that is getting in the way of living. We need to rethink how our systems bring a people-powered, relationship-centered approach to the fight,” said Rey Saldaña, President and CEO of Communities In Schools.

“Mentoring is proven, time-tested, and central in our efforts to meet the vast intersectional needs of our nation’s students that have been amplified by the pandemic — from identity development, to learning and relational loss, to trauma and uncertainty. This is our opportunity to reinvent people-powered personalized student supports so that our educators, school support staff, and community-based organizations have the resources and coordination necessary to help every student develop, thrive, and strive. By focusing on delivering on relationships for all students, we can meet this moment of reinvention in our schools — and most importantly, for and with all students. MENTOR is proud to serve as one of the lead [technical assistance organizations] for the National Partnership for Student Success to expand the prioritization, provision, and integration of high quality mentoring in the experience of all students,” said David Shapiro, CEO, MENTOR.  

“This is a coalition of problem-solvers, and we are excited to work with like-minded groups seeking to focus on kids’ needs right now. Accelerate is committed to ensuring that evidence-based practices are implemented to help students in as many districts as possible in the years ahead,” said Kevin Huffman, CEO of Accelerate.

“Our team at the National Student Support Accelerator is thrilled to contribute to this national effort to provide students with the learning experiences that they need to engage in school and to thrive. This effort to expand high-impact tutoring really is the best opportunity we have to meaningfully improve outcomes for students across the nation,” added Susanna Loeb, Director of the National Student Support Accelerator.

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