Orchard Foundation

THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION IS A NONPROFIT LOCAL EDUCATION FUND ESTABLISHED AS A RESOURCE FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA THAT WORKS WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN A NINE-PARISH SERVICE AREA: ALLEN, AVOYELLES, CATAHOULA, GRANT, LASALLE, NATCHITOCHES, RAPIDES, VERNON AND WINN. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA STUDENTS BY PROMOTING BEST PRACTICES; RECRUITING, RETAINING, AND REWARDING EXCELLENT AND INNOVATIVE TEACHERS; BUILDING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP; AND STRENGTHENING SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION'S ACTIVITIES AS DESCRIBED ARE CARRIED OUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION, THE RAPIDES FOUNDATION.THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION IS A 509(A)(3) TYPE I SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION.

THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION'S WORK IN COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS ENCOMPASSES THREE AREAS THE CENLA WORK READY NETWORK, COLLEGE AND CAREER COACHING FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND JUMP START PROGRAMS TO EXPOSE CENLA EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS TO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA REGION. THE CENLA WORK READY NETWORK IS A SYSTEM DESIGNED TO LINK EDUCATION WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS AND ALIGN THEM WITH REGIONAL ECONOMIC NEEDS. DURING 2021, ALL PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE FOUNDATION'S SERVICE AREA, CENTRAL LOUISIANA TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAMPUSES, AND REGIONAL BUSINESS AND CAREER SOLUTIONS CENTERS ACCESSED ACT'S WORKKEYS CURRICULUM, A CAREER TRAINING COURSE THAT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR CERTIFICATION WITH WORKKEYS ASSESSMENTS. WORKKEYS IS A JOB SKILLS ASSESSMENT SYSTEM MEASURING REAL WORLD SKILLS THAT EMPLOYERS BELIEVE ARE CRITICAL TO JOB SUCCESS. WORKKEYS ASSESSES THREE CORE AREAS: APPLIED MATHEMATICS; WORKPLACE DOCUMENTS; AND GRAPHIC LITERACY; WHICH DETERMINES A STUDENT'S NATIONAL CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE (NCRC) LEVEL, AN OBJECTIVE DOCUMENTATION OF AN EMPLOYEE'S SKILLS THAT CAN BE ACCEPTED NATIONWIDE. DURING THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR, 4,591 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN ACT'S WORKKEYS CURRICULUM TRAINING, AND 4,770 NATIONAL CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATES WERE EARNED BY CENLA RESIDENTS.IN 2021 THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH LOUISIANA CENTRAL (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE) TO ASSIST EMPLOYERS IN UTILIZING WORKKEYS AND NCRC IN THEIR HIRING PROCESSES. ALL NINE PARISHES IN THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION SERVICE AREA ARE ACT CERTIFIED WORK READY COMMUNITIES: ALLEN, AVOYELLES, CATAHOULA, GRANT, LASALLE, NATCHITOCHES, RAPIDES, VERNON AND WINN.DURING THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR, THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION PARTNERED WITH CAREER COMPASS OF LA TO WORK WITH AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO PROVIDE COLLEGE AND CAREER COACHING SERVICES IN ALL HIGH SCHOOLS AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS IN THE SERVICE REGION. A TOTAL OF 7,621 STUDENTS WERE SEEN IN GRADES 8 THROUGH 12 BY COLLEGE AND CAREER COACHES. CAREER SEMINARS WERE ATTENDED BY ANOTHER 22,568 STUDENTS IN GRADES 6 THROUGH 12. 92% OF THE SENIORS COUNSELED APPLIED TO A POSTSECONDARY PROGRAM. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION OFFERS SUMMER CAMPS FOR TEACHERS TO LEARN HOW TO TRANSLATE THE SKILLS NEEDED IN TODAY'S WORKFORCE INTO THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE EXCHANGE (WEE) CAMP GIVES TEACHERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES TO LEARN HOW CLASSROOM CONTENT AND LEARNING STRATEGIES ARE APPLIED IN THE WORKPLACE. DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, WEE CAMP FOR SUMMER 2021 WAS HELD VIRTUALLY. A TOTAL OF 26 TEACHERS PARTICIPATED IN THE CAMP AND COMPLETED A SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY ON THE FINAL DAY THAT INCLUDED A PRESENTATION OF A CAREER LESSON PLAN.ORDINARILY, ORCHARD HOLDS ITS ANNUAL STUDENTS EXPLORING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES EXPO (SECO) IN LATE FALL OF EACH YEAR. SECO IS A TWO-DAY EVENT THAT INTRODUCES 10TH GRADERS TO CAREER POSSIBILITIES. DUE TO COVID-19, SECO 2021 WAS CANCELLED.THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION FACILITATED A CARPENTRY COURSE, WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF HANDS-ON AND TEXTBOOK INSTRUCTION AND UTILIZES TEXTBOOKS CERTIFIED AND APPROVED BY THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (NCCER) TO INSTRUCT STUDENTS. CO-SPONSORED BY A LOCAL EMPLOYER, IT IS DESIGNED TO HELP STUDENTS GAIN TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL KNOWLEDGE AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO PURSUE A CAREER IN CONSTRUCTION. THE COURSE WAS OFFERED IN THREE AREA HIGH SCHOOLS, AND 17 NCCER CARPENTRY INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS (IBCS) WERE EARNED DURING THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR.THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION FACILITATED A NCCER WELDING COURSE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A LOCAL EMPLOYER IN 5 AREA HIGH SCHOOLS. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES TRAINING IN INDUSTRY FUNDAMENTALS, PRINT READING, LAYOUT/FABRICATION AND THERMAL CUTTING. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE COURSE ARE REGISTERED INTO THE NCCER DATABASE FOR POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT IN WELDING. DURING THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR, 43 NCCER WELDING INDUSTRY BASED CERTIFICATIONS (IBCS) WERE EARNED.

THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION WAS AWARDED $4,482,635 BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO RECRUIT, TRAIN, SUPPORT AND RETAIN EFFECTIVE MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA MIDDLE SCHOOLS. THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION AND PROJECT PARTNERS COMMITTED IN-KIND MATCHED FUNDING OF NON-FEDERAL FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $8,801,519 TO IMPLEMENT THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA INSTRUCTIONAL PARTNERSHIP OR CLIP. THIS IS THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION'S FIRST GRANT UNDER THE USDOE'S TEACHER QUALITY PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM.THE GOAL OF THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA INSTRUCTIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN NINE RURAL, HIGH-NEEDS SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN UP TO 70 SCHOOLS IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA BY PREPARING HIGHLY QUALIFIED EDUCATORS TO TEACH IN CRITICAL SHORTAGE AREAS MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH AND SCIENCE. CLIP ADDRESSES THE HIGH TEACHER TURNOVER AND SHORTAGES FACING RURAL SCHOOLS BY DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A MODEL OF MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHER PREPARATION. THE MODEL IS AN INNOVATIVE TEACHER RESIDENCY PROGRAM WITH INTEGRATED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INDUCTION SUPPORT. IN TURN, CLIP IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE MEASURABLE POSITIVE IMPACTS ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF LOW-PERFORMING RURAL CENTRAL LOUISIANA STUDENTS IN GRADES 6-8.THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION SERVES AS THE LEAD ORGANIZATION FOR THE CENTRAL LOUISIANA INSTRUCTIONAL PARTNERSHIP. CLIP PROJECT PARTNERS INCLUDE: THE NINE CENTRAL LOUISIANA SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF ALLEN, AVOYELLES, CATAHOULA, GRANT, LASALLE, NATCHITOCHES, RAPIDES, VERNON AND WINN; NORTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY'S GALLASPY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY-COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS; URBAN LEARNING & LEADERSHIP CENTER; EVALWORKS; AND THE RAPIDES FOUNDATION, WHICH WILL PROVIDE GRANT ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.APPLICANTS SELECTED FOR THE CLIP PROGRAM WILL COMPLETE A 15-MONTH ACCELERATED GRADUATE PROGRAM OF STUDY CULMINATING IN A MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING DEGREE FROM NORTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY AND A PROFESSIONAL TEACHING LICENSE. THEY WILL RECEIVE A STIPEND DURING THEIR TRAINING. WHILE COMPLETING THEIR GRADUATE COURSEWORK, CLIP RESIDENTS WILL BE IMMERSED IN AN ACADEMIC YEAR SCHOOL-BASED RESIDENCY IN A HIGH-NEEDS SCHOOL IDENTIFIED BY THE NINE PARTNER PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THEY WILL EXPERIENCE A VARIETY OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ALONGSIDE A TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED MENTOR TEACHER. NSU'S COLLEGE OF EDUCATION WILL LEAD THE MENTORING PROGRAM AS AN EXTENSION OF THEIR SUPERVISION OF THE RESIDENCY COMPONENT OF THE PROGRAM.CLIP RESIDENTS WILL RECEIVE CONTENT EXPERTISE IN STEM TEACHING TECHNIQUES BY NSU'S COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT ENSURING THEY WILL POSSESS THE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE TO IMPLEMENT STEM LESSONS USING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. UPON COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM, GRADUATES WILL BE PLACED IN CLIP-PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS AND WILL RECEIVE TWO YEARS OF INDUCTION SUPPORT WITH SUSTAINED COACHING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DELIVERED BY CLIP PARTNER URBAN LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP CENTER. CLIP WILL IDENTIFY, SELECT, TRAIN AND SUPPORT HIGHLY EFFECTIVE SCHOOL-BASED COACHES THAT WILL CARRY OUT THE RIGOROUS INDUCTION PROCESS. CLIP GRADUATES ARE EXPECTED TO BE RETAINED IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA HIGH-NEEDS SCHOOLS FOR AT LEAST THREE YEARS AS PART OF THE CLIP AGREEMENT. EVALWORKS, ANOTHER CLIP PARTNER, WILL PROVIDE AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM TO ENSURE PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ARE BEING MET.OVER FIVE YEARS, CLIP IS EXPECTED TO RECRUIT, RETAIN, AND SUPPORT 44 NEW HIGHLY QUALIFIED MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEEDS SCHOOLS IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA. ADDITIONALLY, 44 TEACHERS WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL BE TRAINED AS MENTORS FOR THE FIELD-BASED RESIDENCY, AND 44 SCHOOL DISTRICT EDUCATORS WILL ALSO LEARN COACHING TECHNIQUES TO IMPLEMENT A REGIONAL INDUCTION PROGRAM. THE FIRST CLIP COHORT OF 9 COMPLETED THE PROGRAM IN SUMMER 2020 AND BEGAN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING IN FALL 2020. IN SUMMER 2020, THE SECOND CLIP COHORT OF 9 STARTED THEIR GRADUATE PROGRAM AND BEGAN THEIR RESIDENCY IN FALL 2020. THE SECOND CLIP COHORT OF 9 COMPLETED THE PROGRAM IN SUMMER 2021 AND BEGAN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING IN FALL 2021. IN SUMMER 2021, THE THIRD CLIP COHORT OF 9 STARTED THEIR GRADUATE PROGRAM AND BEGAN THEIR RESIDENCY IN FALL 2021.

IN 2021 THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO ADMINISTER SCHOOL READINESS INSTITUTES FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA PRE-K, HEAD START AND CHILDCARE PROVIDERS. THE TRAINING INSTITUTES ARE OPEN TO ANY EARLY CHILDHOOD PROVIDER WITHIN THE FOUNDATION'S NINE-PARISH SERVICE AREA. THE NETWORKS SEEK TO EXPAND ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY, PUBLICLY FUNDED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS. ORCHARD ADMINISTERED 28 TRAININGS IN 2021, REACHING 442 EDUCATORS AND PROVIDERS. TO EXPAND THE REACH, ORCHARD PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BECOME CERTIFIED AS MAKING THE MOST OF CLASSROOM INTERACTIONS (MMCI) / CLASS GROUP COACHING INSTRUCTORS THROUGH TEACHSTONE. TOF HAS NOT OFFERED THE TRAINING FOR CERTIFICATION AS MMCI INSTRUCTORS SINCE 2019. TOF CURRENT MMCI INSTRUCTORS HAVE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE MMCI WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. ORCHARD HAS TRAINED A TOTAL OF 31 MMCI INSTRUCTORS FOR THE REGION, 29 IN PRE-K AND 2 IN INFANT/TODDLER, INCLUDING ONE INSTRUCTOR WHO HOLDS BOTH CERTIFICATIONS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 24 MMCI INSTRUCTORS FOR THE REGION, 21 IN PRE-K AND 3 IN INFANT/TODDLER, INCLUDING ONE INSTRUCTOR WHO HOLDS BOTH CERTIFICATIONS.THE READ TO SOAR EARLY LITERACY PROGRAM WAS LAUNCHED IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA COMMUNITIES DURING 2018. DEVELOPED AND ADMINISTERED BY THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION, READ TO SOAR IS A FREE, 8-SESSION WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN AGES 5 AND UNDER AND THEIR PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS. SESSIONS HELP DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN A CULTURE OF READING AT HOME BY EDUCATING PARENTS, BUILDING A CHILD'S HOME LIBRARY AND INCREASING AWARENESS ABOUT COMMUNITY RESOURCES TO HELP ENSURE THE CHILD HAS THE TOOLS FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS. IN 2021, ORCHARD LED 12 READ TO SOAR WORKSHOPS, REACHING 140 CHILDREN FROM 107 FAMILIES. 3,400 BOOKS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO PARTICIPANTS.THE MATH TO BUILD ON EARLY MATH LITERACY PROGRAM WAS LAUNCHED IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA COMMUNITIES DURING 2020. DEVELOPED AND ADMINISTERED BY THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION, MATH TO BUILD ON IS A FREE, 8-SESSION WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN AGES 5 AND UNDER AND THEIR PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS. THE PROGRAM HELPS DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN MATH SKILLS THROUGH READING AND ACTIVITIES BY EDUCATING PARENTS, BUILDING A CHILD'S HOME LIBRARY AND INCREASING AWARENESS ABOUT COMMUNITY RESOURCES TO HELP ENSURE THE CHILD HAS THE TOOLS FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS. IN 2021, ORCHARD LED 14 MATH TO BUILD ON WORKSHOPS, REACHING 138 CHILDREN FROM 109 FAMILIES. 3,200 BOOKS WERE DISTRIBUTED TO PARTICIPANTS.

DURING 2019-2020, THE ORCHARD FOUNDATION COORDINATED KAGAN INSTRUCTIONAL INSTITUTES FOR 325 AREA EDUCATORS. THE INSTITUTES FEATURED HANDS-ON CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS THAT ARE ENGAGING, RIGOROUS AND MOTIVATING FOR STUDENTS AND THAT CAN IMMEDIATELY BE BROUGHT BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM AND IMPLEMENTED IN A COOPERATIVE LEARNING MODEL. ORCHARD ALSO HELD TRAININGS FOR NEW AND ASPIRING LEADERS IN AREA SCHOOLS. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED FOR TEACHERS WHO ARE DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE BEST PRACTICES IN INSTRUCTION AND LEADERSHIP. 74 PARTICIPANTS WERE TRAINED IN THE 5 DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING FRAMEWORK BY THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE AND OBSERVE OTHERS TO DEVELOP THE EXPERTISE NEEDED TO RECOGNIZE HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION.119 ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND PRINCIPALS WERE ALSO TRAINED IN THE 5 DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING AND 4 DIMENSIONS OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP.A DISTRICT LEADERS/SUPERINTENDENTS NETWORK PROVIDES SESSIONS FOR SUPERINTENDENTS AND KEY CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERS, FOCUSED ON THE ROLE OF CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERSHIP IN DEVELOPING AND SUPPORTING PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP. 43 LEADERS PARTICIPATED.