What We Do

OUR PLEDGE, OUR PURPOSE, OUR PRACTICE

Since its inception, the Adelaide L. Sanford Institute (ASI) has maintained an unswerving commitment to the attainment of excellence for our youth in all facets of their development. The hallmark of our call to service is quality of purpose and execution. We subscribe to high standards and practices that empower and elevate communities of color in Central Brooklyn. Our locus of control centers on students, parents/caregivers, and all those who provide services to these constituencies. We have evolved from a nascent, grassroots entity to a local force that is propelled by the urgency of the educational crisis and the severity of the systemic inadequacies that characterize and threaten school success in particular and life in general for the youth and families in our target communities.

We continue to expand our influence by maximizing opportunities for viable and productive collaborations that enrich our efforts to sustain academic proficiency, social responsibility, and cultural competency among our youth. The authenticity of our model of community engagement and transformation is embedded in our strategies that continue to draw the public’s support, interest, and positive feedback.
The impact of our work can be seen in the numbers that we have reached:

Since 2006, ASI has…

 Strengthened the pedagogical skills of over 6000 education practitioners working in Central Brooklyn schools;
 Provided advocacy, awareness, and capacity building services to over 5000 Central Brooklyn parents to increase their ability to ensure school success for their children;
 Conducted strategy sessions for over 400 community leaders to influence decisions vital to the education of students attending Central Brooklyn schools; and
 Engaged over 3000 students in activities and programs designed to enhance the socio-emotional development and leadership skills of Central Brooklyn students.

In keeping with our stated goals, originally adopted in 2006, our strategic plans focus on four major areas:
 professional development for educators (Goal I);
 parent empowerment and advocacy (Goal II);
 direct services to students (Goal III); and
 education policy decision-making (Goal IV).

While we target a specific constituency for our initiatives, in many instances, our broad-based outreach ultimately encompasses more than one stakeholder category. As a result, many of our endeavors satisfy more than one of our four goals. The structure of the 2015-2016 program year provided the context for the realization of our mission and purpose, and also expanded our collaborative relationships with human service organizations.