Stellar Diverse Student Achievement Center’s Services
Direct Programs and Services
The Stellar Achievement Center offers a wide range of programs and services to African-American and other culturally diverse students, as well as to the individuals and institutions that support them. Each program and service are based on our vision and mission, which aim to assist culturally diverse students in achieving academic and personal success. By synthesizing the best research and practice, we provide high-quality, highly effective programs that motivate and empower students. We also enhance relationships between families and schools to establish and improve support networks for our students' success.
Student Services
Academic Coaching +
Academic Coaching offers support to students through the development of study strategies to improve their academic performance. Study strategies include time management, organization, note taking, test preparation, communication and goal setting. It is the rapport between student and coach that builds an individual student success plan to stimulate and motivate students to achieve their scholastic goals by providing structure, support and feedback. Academic Coaches also bridge communication gaps between parents (home), teachers (school), and students.
Mentorship and Personal Development+
Mentorship and Personal Development establish a relationship with a mentor to provide students with a supportive, shared experience that offers guidance in developing specific competencies and self-awareness within a safe and protected environment. The mentoring bond will target three of the core elements of student development: Positive Self-Identity, Principles of Civic Responsibility, and Sense of Global Community. These elements will be infused into activities that the mentor and mentees share. Mentorship and personal development will also cultivate growth in the following areas: communication, behavior/habits, morals and values, health/wellness, and money management.
College Connections™+
College Connections provides students and families with complete guidance through successful completion of the college enrollment process. This process includes admission applications, financial aid, scholarships/grants, college outreach programs, career/major alignments, and SAT/ACT preparation. Each student will progress through the college readiness checklist ensuring all requirements are met for the ideal college match. College Connections™ assesses each students’ high school transcript for areas of strength and improvements. Students will be referred to additional Stellar services when needed. Student profiles are created to assist with connecting students to opportunities that propel their future college careers.
Additional Services
Foster Bridges ™ +
The Foster Bridges program is designed to support the educational success of African American and other diverse foster children. Stellar works in partnership with child welfare agencies and other education and community programs to promote the educational success of foster children as supported by the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. Stellar’s staff and associates will operate as liaisons between guardians, schools, teachers, and foster students to ensure school stability, enrollment, access, and academic progress for foster children. Stellar coaches will provide academic support and mentorship for diverse foster children in order to promote their academic and professional success.
Our services include:
- Academic Coaching-Academic coaches will work with foster students to enhance their academic skills, using an individualized academic success plan that will highlight study strategies that are key to their success. If required, the academic coaches will seek out and monitor academic tutoring and counseling as a part of the success plan. The coaches will also work with teachers and guardians to build a positive support base for each student both in and out of school.
Mentorship/Personal Development--Mentors will establish and maintain relationships with foster students to offer support within the three core elements of student development:
- A positive sense of self
- Civic responsibility
- A sense of global community.
College Connections-- Stellar will provide foster students with guidance through the college enrollment process. Support will include preparation for ACT/SAT, college selection, completion of admission applications, submission of financial aid forms, connection with college outreach programs, and career/major alignment. In addition, Stellar specialists will provide support to foster students during each college year through graduation.
Hey Listen ™ Motivation Series+
Hey Listen TM is a motivational series that consists of informational and marketing products that are designed for parents and students. The products include posters, banners, videos, and series of lectures that seek to raise awareness among students and parents.
Products for students will emphasize:
- Staying in School
- The Power of Mathematics and Science
- The Importance of Reading
- Character Development
- High Self-Esteem
- Respect for Others
- Civic Responsibility
- Community Service
- Planning for College
Products for parents will emphasize:
- Parental Involvement
- Communicating with Teens
- Healthy Choices
- Planning for College
Collaboration for the Access of Underrepresented Students to STEM and Education (CAUSE)+
The Collaboration for the Access of Underrepresented Students to STEM and Education is a partnership between Stellar, local student agencies, and regional colleges and universities established in order to increase the number of minority students majoring in the STEM and education disciplines. Under this effort, Stellar associates work with middle and high school students to prepare them for success in mathematics and science. We work with our partners to provide internships, workshops, summer camps, and projects aimed at increasing interest in the STEM and education disciplines among African American and other diverse students.
STAR→Graduation™ Services+
We use Student Tracking and Retention through Graduation (STAR→Graduation™) to monitor the students that participate in most of Stellar’s programs and services. STAR→Graduation™ allows us to assess the effectiveness of our programs by determining the long-term impact that we have on the educational and professional lives of Stellar’s students. We also offer STAR→Graduation™ as a service to schools, colleges, universities, and other organizations that seek to monitor the progress of students in specific programs. New standards of accountability require institutions and organizations to closely monitor the long-term effect they have on students long after the students have left their programs. Stellar’s staff and associates employ innovative strategies and techniques to track student progress, even beyond high school and college graduation. Stellar specializes in tracking minority students, a feat that few institutions have mastered. STAR→Graduation™ was designed as a complement to grants and research projects aimed at conducting longitudinal studies to identify factors that lead to long-term, sustainable success for diverse students. The type of data that we collect include, but are not, limited to:
Educational History
- Middle school grades
- High school grades
- Transition into postsecondary education
- College grades
- Extra-curricular activities
Personal Informaion
- Hobbies
- Learning style
- Work history
- Family characteristics
- Personality traits
Also as a part of its STAR→Graduation™ services, Stellar employs best practices and proven strategies to improve the retention of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Stellar offers direct retention support to students, helping them to overcome common challenges that prevent students from completing academic programs. STAR→Graduation™ specialists help Stellars’ students to:
- identify the college programs that are best aligned to their unique interests, talents and skills
- provide academic support and enrichment
- promote social integration
- facilitate summer and professional internships
- preparation for graduate school In addition to direct services for students, Stellar associates work with institutions to develop, revise, and evaluate retention programs and services for at-risk students.
Program Evaluation Services+
Stellar collects and analyzes data to assess the effectiveness of its programs and services. Program evaluation is central to our operation as we work to refine our efforts to improve educational services for diverse students. In order to operate with the highest level of accountability for our funders, partners, and constituents, we employ comprehensive assessment and evaluation systems and techniques. Our approach to evaluation is based on the best practices in assessment.
We have expanded our assessment and evaluation base in order to provide a set of evaluation services that is customized to fit the needs of several types of educational organizations.
Evaluation services include:
- Data management
- Literature reviews
- Problem statement
- Statistical analysis (Qualitative and Quantitative)
- Survey design and administration
- Measurement tool design
- Project evaluation reports
Although we can provide evaluation services to all types of programs, we specialize in those programs that serve African American and other diverse students. Each member of our assessment and evaluation staff has a proven track record of success with programs that serve minority students at all levels.
Educational Consulting Services+
Stellar has assembled a team of experts who specialize in all matters related to education. Stellar’s consultants work with PK-12 institutions, schools districts, institutions of higher learning, community organizations, non-profit organizations, and government organizations to develop and strengthen educational programs, especially those programs that serve African American and other diverse students. These consultants have expertise in all aspects of education, ranging from student and parent engagement to strategic operation and organizational design. Specific areas of expertise include:
- Professional Development
- Student enrichment
- Parental involvement
- Minority student recruitment
- Student retention
- Curriculum and program development
- Assessment of student learning
- Program evaluation
- Research design
- Agency collaboration
- Cultural competence
- Motivating low-achieving students We are dedicated to helping our partners to streamline and intensify their operations in order to provide the highest quality of service to students.