The Steppingstone Foundation 2009 Annual Report

Letter from the Chairman
2
As Steppingstone marks its 20th year in 2010,
we can be proud of so many accomplishments:
more than 1,100 Scholars have graduated from
The Steppingstone Academy, and nearly 200
have graduated from college. We have affiliate
programs in Hartford and Philadelphia and have
launched the National Partnership for Educational
Access. The Steppingstone Foundation, started
by a schoolteacher and a young entrepreneur, has
more than delivered on its mission; it’s changed
the lives of countless Scholars and has served as
an example of what is possible.
While I am proud of all that Steppingstone
has accomplished so far, I am even more excited
about what lies ahead. Recently, we completed a
strategic plan and are now on a course to serve
more students in Boston, and to become a leader
in the field of college access and readiness. The
growth initiatives in the strategic plan build on the
success of The Steppingstone Academy in Boston,
Philadelphia, and Hartford.
In 2011, Steppingstone will launch a new
initiative called the College Success Academy, which
will provide after-school and summer programming
to students attending partner public schools in
Boston, with a goal of increasing the number of
students attending and graduating from four-year
colleges. Unlike The Steppingstone Academy, the
College Success Academy will not rely on placement
into independent and public exam schools. Therefore,
Steppingstone can help more kids get on and stay
on the path to college. We will start with two pilot
public schools in Boston next summer. If we succeed
as we plan to, we will add more schools and students.
The second area of growth that I am excited
to share with you is the National Partnership for
Educational Access, or NPEA. We launched NPEA
three years ago and had targeted about 30 other
programs we thought might be interested in sharing
best practices. We underestimated the interest by a
little! As I write, there are 169 member organizations,
collectively serving over 30,000 students around the
country. In addition to hosting an annual conference,
NPEA will convene members locally––beginning in
Boston––in order to develop opportunities for
collaboration. For example, NPEA will organize
college tours for students in participating programs
that don’t have the resources to sponsor tours themselves.
Finally, we will link the growing number of
NPEA-affiliated students with college admissions
officers eager to recruit them, while also giving these
students the opportunity to connect with other
students going to the same college.
I am very grateful for the support that you have
given Steppingstone. Without the generosity of those
listed on the following pages, there would be no
Steppingstone Academy and no NPEA. In the same
way, without your continued support, all our plans
for growth and the College Success Academy would
be just that—plans—rather than the opportunities
that you make possible.
Thank you for your wonderful support and for
the confidence you have in Steppingstone.
Brian J. Conway
Chairman, The Steppingstone Foundation