MBK Yonkers, the journey to impact

Challenges faced by Yonkers Public Schools

Yonkers Public Schools serve a student population comprised of 62 percent Latine, 16 percent Black, and 73 percent living below the poverty line. The district has been historically underfunded and has faced significant challenges. Before 2016, the graduation rate was 70 percent, compared to the 2016–2017 national adjusted cohort graduation rate of 85 percent. Additionally, the district struggled to support English Language Learners (ELLs) and parents unfamiliar with the best practices for college readiness. Eager to meet the community's needs, Yonkers’ Mayor Mike Spano, in collaboration with the former District Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada, accepted the MBK challenge and committed to changing the population level outcomes for young people in Yonkers public schools. 

Data-driven culture

To initiate change, Yonkers Public Schools decided an initial step to take was to prioritize data visibility. The district did so by making data and reports on student achievement more public. Additionally, school academic counselors began sitting with students to analyze their transcripts and facilitate the next steps in their education journey to put them on track to graduate and ensure their path forward to become college- and career-ready. High school leadership teams also intentionally engaged parents, aligning expectations around academic progress and the path to being college- and career-ready; ultimately helping parents ensure the children were prepared and on track for graduation. The ultimate aim was to create a shared belief that high school graduation and college attendance are attainable norms for BYMOC in Yonkers. Visual reminders, such as college pennants displayed in classrooms, reinforced a new culture, exposing students to diverse educational possibilities.

Building a common language and integrating resources

Another way Yonkers achieved success was by ensuring all stakeholders throughout various high school campuses spoke the same language regarding education. To that end, high school educators created and shared practical resources with students and parents, including credit recovery opportunities, cross-age tutoring, and Professional Learning Communities, which are ongoing meetings where educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. They also provided mentorship, volunteer hours, and job support for students. Greg Joyner, program coordinator for MBK Yonkers, worked with BYMOC in the city to develop essential life skills, such as public speaking, financial literacy, time management, and more. Other comprehensive strategies included increasing parental involvement, setting clear student expectations, using personalized teaching approaches, and ensuring consistent school leadership. The district also pushed back against limited financial resources, securing funds from the state and community donors to maximize student abilities.

Results and achievements

The intentional efforts of Yonkers Public Schools and MBK Yonkers increased the graduation rate to 91 percent by 2021, a stark difference from what used to be only 70%. The 2% dropout rate, which was previously 30 percent, is unprecedented for an urban district and reflects the significant impact of their collective endeavors.