Root 2 Rise High School Program
The cornerstone of Root 2 Rise is a student-centered approach to education, which motivates and empowers every student. Founder and executive director Denise Hanson employed this philosophy throughout her 30-year career in education. The Root 2 Rise High School Program places disenfranchised and disengaged students in their neighborhood elementary or middle schools under the direct supervision of the classroom teacher to serve as academic tutors & behavioral mentors for younger students. The students selected to be Tutor-Mentors are often disengaged from the academic process and at risk of not graduating from high school. Tutor-Mentors sign a rigorous contract holding them to a high standard. They receive training in tutoring and mentoring prior to being placed in the classroom. They also receive employability skills training and financial literacy instruction. Upon successful completion, they receive academic credit and a stipend for their committed work.
Since 2017, our partnerships with Wisconsin & Oregon school districts have given over 300 high school students the leadership opportunity to serve as academic tutors and behavioral mentors in neighborhood elementary and middle schools, enriching the lives of more than 6,000 younger students. The benefits of Root 2 Rise extend far beyond the classrooms.
Root 2 Rise Thrive Program
For many of our Tutor-Mentors, Root 2 Rise was a welcome first glimpse into a promising future that is now within their grasp. However, many of the varied and formidable obstacles impeding their access to success don’t disappear when they graduate from high school.
Root 2 Rise Thrive is our new comprehensive program dedicated to supporting students as they transition to adulthood. We maintain a relationship with anyone who participates in Root 2 Rise by helping these former Tutor-Mentors transition to college, career, and community by fostering professional growth, improving banking and financial literacy, obtaining drivers’ licenses, preparing résumés, and paying college tuition. This holistic and fluid approach helps former Tutor-Mentors thrive.
Root 2 Rise Thrive offers direct support to former Tutor-Mentors from 18 to 26 years and also connects them to other agencies or groups that can provide appropriate assistance. We work with the Worksmart Network and Centro Hispano.
Root 2 Rise has forged a partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater School of Education to provide tuition for up to four asynchronous online courses to our current and former Tutor-Mentors. We also have a partnership with the Morgridge Foundation (part of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) to train Tutor-Mentors in a STEM lesson so they can in turn teach this lesson to their young students.