Our Vision
Our Mission
How We Work
To live out our vision and mission, we focus on the who and the how by centering the people and practices that drive our work forward.
The People: Who We Serve
Success Coordinators
We view Success Coordinators - often the school counselors - as the drivers of change. We build their capacity to lead postsecondary initiatives in their school buildings.
Middle School Students
The Success Bound curriculum addresses opportunity gaps in school systems by focusing on culturally relevant pedagogy and equity lenses. It aims to empower all students by affirming their identities and fostering future possibilities in high school and beyond.
Schools, Resources and Communities
While we believe all communities benefit from our work, we are dedicated to supporting and collaborating with schools, districts, and organizations that have often been disinvested in.
The Practices: How we Transform Middle Schools
Free Digital Curriculum
We provide schools, districts, and community organizations with lesson plans and learning materials that support students in understanding their identity and culture, developing foundational skills, and exploring education and career pathways for the future.
Implementation Support
We offer tailored support for schools, school districts, and organizations in implementing our postsecondary program effectively.
Supporting Policy and System Work
We ally and partner with other organizations doing deep policy and system work to ensure that learning environments are aligned to the developmental needs of middle school students.
Our Core Values
Solutions Oriented
We bring purpose to what we do and continuously aim to move each other and our schools forward, acknowledging that there is no one right way to do things. We come to meetings with an open mind and lead with yes by meeting people where they are. We are respectful of each other’s time by leaving meetings with clear action steps and a follow up so everyone knows how to move forward. We hear problems but focus on solutions while being flexible in our support. We are prepared and ready for action.
Asset Based
We prioritize action and language that focuses on the strengths and potential of individuals and school communities, rather than looking at situations or people from a “deficit” lens of what’s missing or what is wrong. We believe in the potential of ourselves, all students and schools to succeed.
Empowerment
We approach our work with the goal of empowering ourselves and others to create environments where everyone can be successful in owning and leading the work. We share power and recognize that the teachers, counselors, students and staff are the experts in their experiences, not us. We are there to help guide our partners to take leadership over the work, enabling us to take a step back and let our partners shine. We continue to advocate for students and staff, providing opportunities for collaboration and professional development that encourage partners to lead.
Culturally Responsive
We recognize and incorporate the strengths all staff, students, partners and team members bring into our work. We meet people where they are with freedom from assumptions. We reflect on our own cultural lens and celebrate differences among our peers and partners by bringing real life experiences into the work. We do this by showing vulnerability and showing up to spaces as our whole selves to allow for others to do the same. We believe in high expectations for every school, staff member, student and stakeholder (including parents and families) to reach their highest aspirations.
Community Building
We see ourselves as bridge builders. We see and understand where people are coming from and help build connections to make systems work better for all that are involved. We prioritize relationships and getting to know each other and our partners as people. We build coalitions and trusted relationships among others within our community to encourage collaborative learning. We prioritize sharing power so all are able to bring their ideas and experiences to the table.