Today we’d like to introduce you to Doneda Bailey.
Hi Doneda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I established Noggin Educational Foundation in 2015 out of a desire to provide out-of-school educational services to low-income students and to begin to bridge the Achievement Gap. My introduction to the Achievement Gap came when my husband David was a 1st-year teacher, and his first teaching assignment was at a very under-resourced school. He was given only 1 ream of paper, 250 sheets, to teach 125 students 8th-grade math for the entire semester! As you can imagine, the lack of resources made things difficult for him to adequately teach his students. For us, the disparity was shocking. Some students’ grades were in the teens, parents weren’t involved, and serious behavioral issues occurred with regularity. His second teaching assignment was in an affluent area and there he had a very different experience. His students’ benchmark scores at the beginning of the year were almost perfect, students were motivated, parents were very involved, and David had all the resources he needed and then some to educate his students. Over the years, I listened to his stories about these two sets of students, and eventually, it didn’t sit well with me. I realized that there wasn’t much difference fundamentally between these students. Both had talent and purpose and were gifted in various ways, but there was a vast difference in the resources available and investment made in that first group of kids. I decided I could and should do something about it.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I developed Noggin from the ground up and knew nothing about the non-profit world, so it was a bit of a shock. I had never enjoyed sales, and now I was embarking upon something even more challenging than sales…fundraising! That was my first hurdle. I did, however, soon discover that there were a lot of people around me who saw the need and believed in what we wanted to do. One other significant challenge of growing a small non-profit is raising awareness among all potential stakeholders. In our case, we needed to find students to serve, volunteers to do the work, and donors to fund our efforts. This is an ongoing challenge, but by word-of-mouth and a lot of hustle, 8 years later I’m proud to say we are becoming known in the Metroplex and serve an average of 1000 students annually.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Noggin Educational Foundation?
Noggin Educational Foundation is committed to closing the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged children using a multi-pronged approach that includes private tutoring, summer STEM workshops and math and reading enrichment, career exploration, support to families, advocacy for families with special needs children, and teacher support. Our goal is to build foundational tools that enable our students to achieve success in school, increase college and career readiness, and therefore, change the trajectory of their lives.
We serve students who are struggling at school and at home due to a lack of support and opportunities. Statistics for students from low-income families are discouraging. Intervention is vital to give these students a better chance to succeed academically and ultimately, in life. At the time of joining Noggin, students are typically found to be several grades behind in their academic knowledge and are struggling to keep up in school. 85% of our students are African American or Hispanic and 100% qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch program, Medicaid, or other government assistance. Hence, we provide our services to their families free of charge.
Many of our students have special needs or learning disabilities. Not having the right services and accommodations in place for a special need or learning disability can be an insurmountable obstacle to a student who already has significant gaps in learning. Our Special Education Advocacy program pairs a professional advocate with a parent to help identify academic and behavioral goals and develop a plan to help their student achieve them in the classroom. Our program provides much-needed support to parents, acquainting them to the SPED program, making them aware of their rights as a parent, and empowering them to advocate for their students.
In the past few years, we’ve begun to provide wrap-around support to our families. We’ve recognized that so many factors get in the way of academic success for their children, and we are working hard to build relationships that make us trusted advocates. We partner with community organizations that provide free or reduced-cost resources that address needs such as mental health and wellness, legal issues, social-emotional learning, and more.
We also serve local schoolteachers, who are our tutors, by paying them competitive hourly rates, helping them make ends meet or have some expendable income. Teachers aren’t paid enough. They spend a lot of their own money to supplement what is needed in their classrooms. The economic well-being of our schoolteachers is critical for the academic and overall well-being of our students. The profession has been tough on them the past few years, and we try to make them feel appreciated, supported, and valued for the work they do in the classroom and especially for our students.
The one-on-one support we provide to parents, guardians, and students has an impact on more than just grades. Our families and their school-day teachers not only report academic improvement but an increase in confidence and improved behavior, Parents tell us their children show an increased love and enthusiasm for learning once the light bulb goes on.
How do you define success?
Success for us is a parent saying they have never felt so supported, a child saying they look forward to their weekly tutoring sessions because they’re fun and they help, and our teachers saying they get to do for Noggin what they wish they had time to do in their classroom. Success for us is when volunteers, donors, and partners recognize the need and join in our mission. Ultimate success for us would be to see our students graduate high school equipped with everything they need to soar and eventually reach back.
Pricing:
- $500 provides a semester of tutoring to 1 student
- $500 provides 10 hours of SPED consultation and advocacy
- $100/month provides year-round tutoring for a student
- $100 provides a backpack filled with school supplies
- $30 provides 5-7 age-appropriate books
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nogginfoundation.org/
- Instagram: @nogginfoundation
- Facebook: @nogginfoundation
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nogginfoundation/
- Twitter: @noggnfoundation
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@noggineducationalfoundatio6751
- Other: https://www.bethelight.life/
