It all begins with the morning handshake.
“This simple, seemingly nonconsequential act serves a greater purpose for us. It’s a connection point,” said Lee Vreeland, president and CEO of An Achievable Dream, “an opportunity to get a feel if something is off with a student that particular day when they enter the school. Are they sleepy? Has something happened to them prior to coming to school that will affect their learning for that day? That one handshake provides an immediate opportunity for intervention.”
For Vreeland, a student’s mental health concerns and social and emotional development play just as critical a role as academic excellence does in developing the whole child. This holistic approach to education, in which the nonprofit has excelled for the past three decades, is critical to success in life, Vreeland said.
An impact that lasts a lifetime
The nationally recognized nonprofit continues to level the playing field for K-12 students in primarily underserved communities throughout Newport News, Virginia Beach and Henrico County divisions by focusing on this differentiated instruction. Working in collaboration with representatives from area universities and colleges, the military, local businesses, municipal governments and law enforcement, the school is able to nurture relationships that set the tone for a lifetime of positive character development.
The SAME framework goes beyond basic education
In addition to the strong emphasis on relationships, Vreeland said social-emotional and character development skills are woven throughout the specialized curriculum. Referred to as the SAME (social, academic and moral education) framework, the curriculum includes classes and activities focused on ethics, etiquette, conflict resolution, healthy living, financial literacy and Speaking Green.
An Achievable Dream’s differentiated instruction fosters success and growth
In addition to traditional classes, the 200-day school year is augmented with a weekly Saturday School for small group instruction, a four-week summer intersession, immersive field trips and a daily Morning Program that reminds students of their school’s beliefs and their own personal expectations. Uniforms are required and, according to Vreeland, set a tone of expectation and remind students they are part of something bigger than themselves — part of the An Achievable Dream family.
“It’s nearly impossible to decrease or remove under-desired behaviors by doing it the same way for all kids. That’s not realistic,” she said. “Differentiated instruction allows us to meet students where they are emotionally and academically. It’s the most productive pathway and allows each student to reach their full potential.”
Educating the whole student matters now more than ever
Prior to the pandemic, Vreeland and her team began developing Achieve SAME Pro, which harnesses the successful AAD curriculum and culture to make it accessible to educators and school administrators everywhere. Achieve SAME Pro provides schools with the diagnostic assessment tools, training implementation and monitoring components needed to design a program in those classrooms with the greatest needs. Though it’s not the full-scale program implemented in AAD partner school divisions, it provides schools with AAD’s best practices and curriculum.
“We have seen how the holistic approach became even more crucial as we moved to virtual learning during the pandemic,” Vreeland said, “when our team was constantly innovating to ensure our students’ academic needs were met and learning loss was minimal. As we move out of the pandemic, our students’ SOL scores are exceptional, especially when compared to students with similar risk factors and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
Forward-thinking for a better tomorrow
Vreeland said one of the biggest challenges for teachers is being able to stay ahead of the societal issues and concerns that may be the source of worry for young people.
“We have to be constantly concerned where their headspace is,” Vreeland said. “There has never been as challenging a time in education as there is now. Teachers are responsible for so much more — catching students up after the pandemic academically, dealing with the trauma of the pandemic that is now being acted out in the classroom, working with students who haven’t had the necessary IEP screening for learning issues for nearly two years, and so much more.”
She said the AAD model can provide a more nuanced perspective and understanding into what is occurring in those targeted classrooms and how to begin working toward a resolution.
Alumni success
Alumni remain connected to the organization, and their stories demonstrate the impact that AAD has had on their lives.
“There are not enough words to explain what being a Dreamer has done for me,” said Sherrelle Sardik, Class of 2006. “An Achievable Dream has provided us with opportunities that some of us could have only dreamed about. I cannot say where I would be without An Achievable Dream, but I know where I am because of it.”
Brian McGowan, Ph.D., Class of 2011, agreed. “This may sound cliché, but I would say the ability to dream is what I appreciate the most. AAD exposed me to so many opportunities that I never would have imagined. The college tours, tennis lessons, etiquette dinners, shadowing a bank teller, and the after school professional development opportunities. The list goes on. AAD exposed us to a variety of opportunities that made dreaming beyond our immediate circumstances possible.”
For more information on how to nurture future Dreamers, please visit achievabledream.org.
