All Hands Raised brings adults together to help children and youth from cradle to career.<\/h4>\n

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Six years ago Portland, Ore., one of the most eclectic U.S. cities, was coming to terms with a graduation rate below 60 percent, growing child poverty levels and rapidly increasing diversity among its students. The community needed to work together to improve outcomes for kids, and the All Hands Raised cradle-to-career partnership is making it happen.<\/p>\n

Over the past six years, nearly 6,000 soon-to-be ninth graders in Multnomah County (home of Portland) have chosen to go to school \u2026 during summer vacation.<\/p>\n

Each summer, incoming high school students have the opportunity to participate in Ninth Grade Counts, a collaborative of programs delivered by the six partner school districts and other nonprofits that give students a head start on high school. Students who participate may meet with their future teachers, try out high-school level courses and map out best routes to class through hallways void of upperclassmen. They also have the opportunity to earn .5 elective credits that count toward high school graduation before classes officially start.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey walk into their first day of school with something on their transcript already,\u201d said Justin Birmingham, grants and partnerships administrator at Reynolds School District serving eastern Multnomah County. \u201cWhatever we can do to give those kids a leg up, that is our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ninth Grade Counts (NGC) started in 2009 as an effort by All Hands Raised<\/a>, a StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network partnership. One of five collaborative action teams, NGC includes 22 distinct summer transition programs that target at-risk incoming ninth-graders from Multnomah County\u2019s six major school districts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had shock in our community about how abysmal our graduation rate was,\u201d said Dan Ryan, CEO of All Hands Raised. \u201cThe data was clear. If we could help students attain six credits in their freshman year, they\u2019d be four times more likely to graduate. That became our first action to improve the graduation rates.\u201d<\/p>\n

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#MultnomahCounty<\/a> moving the needle on #graduationrates<\/a>, w\/ help from @AllHandsRaised<\/a> http:\/\/t.co\/3y1nwCSCjb<\/a> #Oregon<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ad0CWREDZq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 StriveTogether (@StriveTogether) May 15, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n