How To Turn “At-Risk” Into “On Track”

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book Company. I am Devin Pentozi, your host. We are here in sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at the Scabsee Conference. And we are so happy to be here with Cedric Ritchie. Hey, how you doing, boss? Good, Cedric. Cedric is uh with us. He's in the Richland One uh County School District, and he's here with us at Excel Learning Academy. We're so excited that you could be here with us today.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

Oh man, thank you for having me. I'm glad to be here as well. All right. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Cedric, tell me a bit about what brings you here to SCAPSE.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

SCAPSY is a wonderful conference. Um I've been coming for over 10 years. Wow. It's a wonderful opportunity to merge with like-minded individuals and get some uh awesome skills and learn learn from each other and collaborate and uh helping the next generation.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Oh wonderful. And uh I understand you're presenting here at the conference, is that right?

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Yes, I am. I am presenting here. I've been uh presenting for the last six years or more, but uh I'm I'm presenting it today as well.

Equity-Driven Leadership With Data

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Okay, what are you presenting on?

Results At Excel Learning Academy

SPEAKER_00 1:08

So it's on equity-driven leadership and using data to uh enhance students' experience. What does that look like? Uh so it looks like being very intentional, uh, using data not as a tool to punish and to be, but using data as a tool to reinforce our beliefs and making sure that every child is seen and that uh equity is across the board and making sure that uh students are not labeled and that we are using our best as educators to make sure we have high student achievement even when it doesn't look promising.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

That's great. And and what kind of achievement have you seen, Cedric?

SPEAKER_00 1:43

So in my program with Excel, uh we service at-risk students, uh, students who are not on track to graduate or who statistically would have a lower chance of graduating. And uh we use culture building and and uh equity to make sure that we assist those students with on-time graduation so that they can have a better quality of life once they leave high school. And we've been very successful with that at Excel and we're proud of it.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Do you know the percentage, uh, for instance?

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Oh, for sure. Um our graduation rate uh over the last five years has averaged 98.6 percent. We have um outscored uh all-state testing uh for EOCs. Um our five-year average for our algebra one is uh 87 percent. Our um English two is 88%, 61% on biology, and 62% on U.S. history over the last five years average. And all of those uh exceed both the state and the district uh averages. So we're taking students who are off the beaten path, and we're getting those students prepared, and we're having success with those students just by changing the culture and changing the way we view it.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Cedric, that is amazing. Do you what is your what is your recipe for success there? Because good grief, that's I mean, that's wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

Right. Um, so it's it's culture, is is is we just we believe that the students can. Okay. Um it's it's amazing, it's amazing what you can do when when nobody tells you that you can't. And and and the students come in, we partner with our families, we uh we engage our students, uh, we have high expectations, we set the bar and we meet them where they are and bring them up. And so it's about it's about a culture. It's everybody working together. Um, it's not my way, it's not their way, it's our way. And uh it's a belief system.

Message To The SCAPSE Community

SPEAKER_01 3:32

That's wonderful, Cedric. Um, do you have anything you'd like to share with the SCAPSE community?

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Absolutely. Keep on doing what you're doing and keep on making sure that we are setting the bar high for the next generation. Uh, we have to make sure that these students are being successful, and it's not all about our numbers, but it is about the students and the lives that we touch. So just keep doing the good work.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

That's awesome. Well, thank you so much again. That's Cedric Ritchie with uh principal at Excel Learning Academy in Richland 1 County School District. Thank you for joining us today, Cedric.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Absolutely, thank you for having me.