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  • External link opens in new tab or windowPittsburgh, PA
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Success Is The Only Option

Create and adequately fund systems of quality schools requiring professional responsibility for results through providing equitable support for all students and teachers that provide quality choices for parents and their children.

External link opens in new tab or window☎ 412-260-7559☎ 412-260-7559

The Grade of “D” Is No Longer a Passing Grade!

Primary School Students 

For Students

  • I will bring my best effort to learn every day in all my classes.
  • I will be honest with my teachers and parents about how persistent I am in learning rigorous and relevant knowledge and skills that will prepare me for success in the 21st century.
  • I will learn to reflect upon my classroom experiences and share with my teachers and parents those characteristics that encourage me to give my best effort in learning and be successful.
  • I will share, when necessary, with caring, appropriate adults in a confidential manner those life experiences within and outside of school that make bringing my best effort to learning a great challenge.
  • I will actively participate in my learning (learning by doing).
  • I will learn to be an independent thinker and work collaboratively with others.
  • I will act responsibly to show progress over time in achieving our school or district’s learning goals related to Collaboration, Civility, Career Preparation, Core Content Literacy (math, reading, science, and social studies), Critical Thinking, Written Communication, Oral Communication, and Technology Literacy. (school / district specific)

Mother And Teen Son Work In Kitchen On Laptop 

For Parents/Primary Caregivers

  • Be my child's most important and influential life's teacher.
  • Regard myself as a key and equal partner with my child's school.
  • Believe that academic success is most dependent upon the amount of best effort my child applies to his/her learning, both within and outside of school, and commitment of their school to teach them the necessary content and skills to act as a lifelong learner.
  • Ensure that my child will place a high priority on being successful in school by providing an environment at home that is physically and emotionally safe.
  • Encourage my child to reflect on how he/she learns best and share relevant information with my child’s teachers that can maximize their potential to experience academic success and growth.
  • Strive to be a positive problem-solver with my child’s school when my child experiences frustration in learning.
  • Success for my child is the only option for which I plan, work, and provide in my child’s time away from school.
  • Realize that active parent involvement throughout a student’s K-12 education results in the most successful students.


A 21st Century Promise for Student and Teacher Success


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For Teachers and Administrators

We believe that:

  • All students learn every day when given the proper time and equitable supports.
  • Students ultimately decide what they choose to learn, when, from whom, and how, but educators can influence these decisions.
  • Both students and teachers give their best effort to learn over time when they have an internal sense, expectation, and experience that success is achievable.
  • Success breeds success, and schools control the conditions for student and teacher success.

We pledge to:

  • Create and maintain a safe, caring school environment for all students and staff, free from disruptions to the learning process as an essential first step for teacher and student success.
  • That all teachers and administrators will serve as powerful positive role models.
  • That quality teaching is knowing the needs and assets of students and providing the necessary and equitable instructional strategies to meet the diverse needs of all students to grow as effective independent learners.
  • Have strong and capable instructional leaders.
  • Create a culture of learning and professional responsibility for student performance.
  • Encourage reflection, personal growth, and responsibility for results with and for all students.
  • Assist all teachers in their efforts to be successful with all students by providing high quality, data-driven, job-embedded, relevant, and continuous staff development experiences.
  • Arrange and manage classroom learning environments to support all students’ active learning (learning by doing) of 21st-century knowledge and skills. 
  • Use instructional approaches based upon the new 5Rs of Rigor, Relevance, Relationships, Reflection, and Responsibility to maximize the probability of all students experiencing academic success.
  • Hold high expectations for all students to increase the probability of individual student success including, but not limited to, low-income, learning-disabled, gifted, and English as second language students.
  • Work collaboratively with fellow teachers, counselors, administrators, and parents as positive problem solvers to address student learning needs.

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For Policy Makers and Funders

We pledge to:

  • Create and maintain a funding system for public education that is adequate, equitable, accountable, efficient, and predictable to maximize all students’ progress in achieving rigorous and relevant 21st century academic standards and skills.
  • Work collaboratively with local school boards, state legislators, and officials, along with the federal government, to determine each partner’s equitable share of the cost, based on local measures of wealth, to adequately fund all students to high levels of academic achievement that includes, but not limited to, youth in poverty, learning-disabled, gifted, and English as second language learners.
  • Create and/or modify current educational policies and practices that will ensure a high probability that both students and their teachers will experience continued success in the classroom.

  • Examples of such policies/practices may include, but not limited to:

  1. The establishment of mastery models of instruction and learning, including formative assessment, reteaching, and retesting.
  2. Use of student grading and motivational approaches to promote mastery learning and student best academic effort that may be represented by the phrase “A, B, C, Not Yet.” The grade of “D” is no longer a passing grade!
  3. The scheduling of students with their teachers over multiple years. (Looping: three years or more)
  4. The infusion of 21st-century technology into the learning process and curriculum to support project/problem-based student learning.
  5. The creation of continuous, high-quality, job-embedded teacher professional development that is data-driven and based upon teachers’ needs (e.g., lesson study, instructional coaching, and differentiated instruction).
  6. High-quality pre-kindergarten, full-day kindergarten, and class size reduction with appropriate instructional strategies that individualize instruction (kindergarten through grade 3).
  7. Adoption of the 5Rs instruction and learning model (Rigor, Relevance, Relationships, Reflection, and Responsibility).

  • Encourage the formation and operation of positive school/community/business partnerships that contribute to: the rigor and relevance of student learning and teacher instruction; assist students and their families to positively address physical, social, and emotional needs that must be met to allow students to give their continuous best effort in learning; and connect students to post-secondary, career-oriented programs of study/training.
  • Create and adequately fund systems of quality schools requiring professional responsibility for results through providing equitable support for all students and teachers that provide quality support for parents and their children.

H.E.L.P. Human Engagement for Learning & Productivity


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Location 

Pittsburgh, PA

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Phone 

External link opens in new tab or window412-260-7559

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Email 

ronaldsofo@gmail.com


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Service Areas: We serve the Greater Pittsburgh Area.

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External link opens in new tab or windowhttps://vimeo.com/366777091/9e63b846c4

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