Escape to College Requires College Prep

Dec. 9, 2009 - PRLog -- Uplift, Inc. and its President, Ida Byrd-Hill,  has spent the last 7 years advocating for students to receive a high quality education. Here are our results:

Detroit School of Arts                                                         2008-2009
   Instituted Integrating Math and Science in Every Day Life workshop series
   Served as Evening/Weekend tutor Carnegie Math Credit Recovery Algebra/Geometry
   MME Math proficiency increased to 17.58% from 12.70%
   MME Science proficiency increased to 27.27% from 23.53%

Hustle & TECHknow Preparatory High School            2006-2007
   Created unique English class to solve illiteracy problem
   Class moved schools’ collective Lexile Reading grade level from 4.2 to 7.8
   Sent three quarter finalist to the National Vocabulary Championship
   80% graduation rate,  100% postsecondary matriculation
   Educational Program of the Year 2007, Automation Alley

Duke Ellington Conservatory of Music and Art            2005- 2006
   Orchestrated merger of two existing  Detroit Public Schools.
   Increased Middle School MEAP scores to 84% in Reading  from 44%
   Enhanced teacher –parent partnership
   Increased parent involvement at home and at school

Hanstein Elementary                                                      2002-2004
   Orchestrated increase in MEAP scores  to 78.1% in Reading from 28.1% in 2002-2003
   Orchestrated increase in MEAP scores  to 69.1% in Math 39.1% in Math in 2002-2003
   Enhanced teacher –parent partnership
   Increased parent involvement at home and at school

We believe the processes involved in creating these high performing school can be replicated and hereby launches the Escape to College Campaign.


Young people need to escape from the drugs, gun battles and negativity that surround them constantly. They need a positive voyage.  College can be that voyage if students have the academic preparation to get them there. The same skills are needed for admissions into the more lucrative areas of the military and the skilled trades. As the Detroit News article, Detroit Hits Educational Bottom illustrates, Detroit schools struggle with skills acquisition.

The ESCAPE to COLLEGE campaign is a four-part summit based on the book, Follow Your Inner Compass Teen, to motivate students to follow their inner compass – their passion and to create a community conversation demanding schools provide REAL college preparation studies.

The Four Summit Parts are:

Create a Future Lifestyle Map                                                    December 29. 2009                  2-5pm       
Set your pictorial vision and goal                                              January 7, 2009                         4-7pm

What’s Your Personality Type?                                                 January 21, 2009                       4-7pm
Personality, Passion and Career   

Credentials- Admission Ticket to Life                                      February 18                                4-7pm
Training, Grades, Test scores are
admissions tickets to all lifestyle choices

Work the Plan                                                                              March 18, 2009                            4-7pm
Plan and execute your vision and goals

Uplift Inc. is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit Idea Incubator  and brainchild of Ida Byrd-Hill, who has spent a decade eliminating economic, institutional and societal barriers teens face preventing their  individual and collective success.

"Students need something to look forward to. College is that something - a new world, a new environment, a new vibe. College changed my life forever,” states Ida Byrd-Hill, President of Uplift, Inc., who escaped to the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor from the projects of Flint Michigan.

If college changed your life ---   Help change a student’s life

Join the ESCAPE to COLLEGE campaign. Make a donation at Uplift, Inc.  Click here and you will be redirected to our Donations page. Look for an email with dates regarding the first of four summits. For more information, call 877-429-2370 or e-mail ida@upliftinc.org.

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Upheaval Media, Inc. provides schools, school districts, colleges and youth organizations with books, web-based programs and workshops to incorporate academic skills into every day life to improve student performance at school and on standardized exams.