Stamford Achieves endeavors to engage school district leadership in closing the gap by serving as an advocate and partner. It will assist various groups and sectors in the identification and local implementation of programs, concepts and best practices that have had success in other communities. The Organization will assist in securing and selectively providing funding for gap-closing initiatives in the schools and the community. The Organization will offer input on resource allocation decisions made by school district leaders in order to assure alignment with the goal of closing the achievement gap. It will seek to strengthen the gap-closing value of “out of school time” and summer programs and increase coordination between these programs and related in-school initiatives and programs. Stamford Achieves will work with individuals, community leaders and organizations to assist in providing parents the tools and skills to become more effectively involved in the education of their children in the schools that they attend. Some of the Stamford Achieves Initiatives are outlined as follows:

• Student Support Programs – Stimulate and/or support programs that enhance student performance and help close the achievement gap. For example, implementation of alternative learning programs that have been identified as a best practice to address student achieves. Additional support for tutors and mentors to help reinforce classroom instruction and prepare students for CMT, CAPT and SAT exams.
• Professional Development -- Stimulate and/or support professional development programs for principals, administrators, and teachers that are specifically targeted to help close the achievement gap.
• Best Practices Migration and Other Programs – Identify best practices, new programs or enhance existing programs that provide support and training for parents, pre-school instructors, and other community sectors to help close the achievement gap. Implement and/or fund summer and after school programs that will enhance student success;
• Outcomes Measurements -- Implement or support objective measuring tools that will provide meaningful measurements of all initiatives and education in Stamford that are designed to close the achievement gap.

Initiatives that create systemic change require significant funding and more than one year to realize results. To undertake the type of wide-range initiatives as described above, Stamford Achieves is pursuing strategies to secure considerable funding in the magnitude of millions of dollars per year for several years.