Shirley Proctor Puller Foundation

The Shirley Proctor Puller Foundation provides safe, reliable, accessible out-of-school-time programming to black and multi-race K-8th graders in the at-risk community of South St. Petersburg. SPPF's M.A.S.T.R. Kids (Math, Art, Science, Technology and Reading) intervention model has produced robust evidence of achievement gap progress and closure. Each year since inception, 70-80% of students attending the summer program have avoided the "summer slide." During the 2021-2022 school year, SPPF served 190 unduplicated students. Of the students who attended the program with fidelity, 28% were reading at grade level in July 2022 vs. 8% in August 2021. Student demographics are as follows: 57% female/43% Male 91.6% Black/African American, Non-Hispanic or Latino 1.7% Black/African American, Hispanic, or Latino 6.7% Multi-Racial 45% of scholars from households with income below federal poverty level; 67% from households with less than $30,000 in income With the goal to advance literacy and close the achievement gap, the SPPF M.A.S.T.R Kids program uses a literacy plus STEAM curriculum approach to encourage a love of learning. Classrooms are led by certified Teachers with experience in driving and achieving success with children in "at-risk" environments. Field trips and extra-curricular activities are used to reinforce classroom concepts. Students build core skills in English and Math and practice these skills in fun and engaging real-world activities. A fundamental component of our program is the use of an online i-Ready curriculum. The pre and post i-Ready assessments are used as primary success metrics given high ratings for reliability, validity, and strong correlation to Florida state testing and standards. SPPF is on pace to reach 500 students by 2025, less than 10% of students in south St. Pete with a need for focused academic support to help close the achievement gap.