Since 2011, Taft has contributed and pledged more than $450,000 to Ralph Waldo Emerson School 58. The funds help support a full-time community/school coordinator, a part-time parent liaison/after-school assistant, funding for additional after-school programs, transportation home from those programs and more. In addition, Taft employees volunteer at the school in many different ways.

Following is a summary of activities and academic progress for the 2012-2013 school year:

• 11 after-school programs were offered each semester. Four other Taft-funded programs were offered as well during the school year.
• 42% of the students were enrolled in after-school programs.
• Transportation home was provided for approximately 134 students enrolled in after-school programs. These buses also helped transport students that were part of the Project 75 tutoring program who otherwise may have not been able to participate.
• In addition, Taft funding helped provide transportation for additional enrichment programs during the school day, including a trip to the Indianapolis Art Center and the Federal Courthouse.
• In partnership with the United Way of Central Indiana, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, IPS Police Department and Reach for Youth, Taft created a law exploratory and career readiness program for sixth graders. Students learned about various career opportunities in law and safety and took a field trip to the federal courthouse.
• Taft recognized eight Taft scholars for second semester grades.
• Taft also honored 14 students for most improved in their classroom over the course of the school year.
• 69% of the students who participated in Project Seed achieved grade level math scores on the Acuity assessment.
• 82% of the students in Project Seed showed positive gains on post-test scores compared to pre-test scores. 73% of the students showed more than an 11 point gain.
• 100% of the behavior grades of students who participated in Taft-funded after-school programming were consistent or improved during the school year.
• Students involved in Taft-funded programming were twice as likely as their peers to improve behavior by two letter grades.
• 169 parents attended nine scheduled parent workshops that provided instructional tips for parents to support their child's academic success.
• Teachers spent many hours visiting 61 homes with a total of 76 students. The parent liaison conducted 85 home visits, and the combined number is an increase of 32% over last year’s home visits.
• Taft employees volunteered at ReadUP, Cub Scouts, the first day of school and other school programs.
• Taft provided underwriting support for 119 students in grades 4-6 to attend a performance of Jackie and Me at the IRT in January.
• Taft provided the school with Indiana Ice tickets to use as incentives and other rewards for students and families.

To learn more about Taft’s partnership with IPS, please click here.