We are an Organization Dedicated to Helping At-Promise Students Achieve

Each year, more than half a million young people drop out of high school*. This dropout crisis affects local communities, strains resources, and is not going to go away without an intervention.

Five years ago, co-founders Eileen Holmes and Linda Dawson sought a solution. They knew two things: proven strategies to curb dropout rates existed, and the demand from teachers wanting access to these practices was rapidly growing. What was missing was a means to link the two. So, in 2005, they organized the At-Promise Students National Conference to link experts with hundreds of educators.

The tremendous success and positive attendee feedback of what was to become the first annual conference made it clear that there was a strong need for these professionals to continue to learn and exchange strategies throughout the year to most effectively reach students at risk of dropping out and keep them in school. In 2007, the Reaching At-Promise Students Association was created to establish a professional network devoted to reaching those students who traditional teaching methods leave behind and rooted in the desire to transform students from "at-risk" to "at-promise."

Today, RAPSA is a leading professional development and networking organization for those working with the at-promise student population, and has a membership of hundreds of educators internationally, including teachers, administrators, counselors, coaches, volunteers, and community members.

*Institute of Education Sciences, 2008