How To Turn “At-Risk” Into “On Track”

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A 98.6% graduation rate with students who arrive not on track to graduate doesn’t happen by accident, and it definitely doesn’t happen by labeling kids and hoping for the best. From the SCAPSE conference in Myrtle Beach, we sit down with Cedrick Richie, principal at Excel Learning Academy in Richland One School District, to get specific about what equity-driven leadership looks like when it’s built into the daily culture of a school. 

Website: spotlight4success.com

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:06):
Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book
Company.
I am Devin Pentozi, your host.
We are here in sunny MyrtleBeach, South Carolina, at the
Scabsee Conference.
And we are so happy to be herewith Cedric Ritchie.
Hey, how you doing, boss?
Good, Cedric.
Cedric is uh with us.
He's in the Richland One uhCounty School District, and he's

(00:27):
here with us at Excel LearningAcademy.
We're so excited that you couldbe here with us today.

SPEAKER_00 (00:31):
Oh man, thank you for having me.
I'm glad to be here as well.
All right.
Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
Cedric, tell me a bit about what brings you here
to SCAPSE.

SPEAKER_00 (00:38):
SCAPSY is a wonderful conference.
Um I've been coming for over 10years.
Wow.
It's a wonderful opportunity tomerge with like-minded
individuals and get some uhawesome skills and learn learn
from each other and collaborateand uh helping the next
generation.

SPEAKER_01 (00:54):
Oh wonderful.
And uh I understand you'representing here at the
conference, is that right?

SPEAKER_00 (00:59):
Yes, I am.
I am presenting here.
I've been uh presenting for thelast six years or more, but uh
I'm I'm presenting it today aswell.

SPEAKER_01 (01:06):
Okay, what are you presenting on?

SPEAKER_00 (01:08):
So it's on equity-driven leadership and
using data to uh enhancestudents' experience.
What does that look like?
Uh so it looks like being veryintentional, uh, using data not
as a tool to punish and to be,but using data as a tool to
reinforce our beliefs and makingsure that every child is seen
and that uh equity is across theboard and making sure that uh

(01:30):
students are not labeled andthat we are using our best as
educators to make sure we havehigh student achievement even
when it doesn't look promising.

SPEAKER_01 (01:39):
That's great.
And and what kind of achievementhave you seen, Cedric?

SPEAKER_00 (01:43):
So in my program with Excel, uh we service
at-risk students, uh, studentswho are not on track to graduate
or who statistically would havea lower chance of graduating.
And uh we use culture buildingand and uh equity to make sure
that we assist those studentswith on-time graduation so that
they can have a better qualityof life once they leave high

(02:04):
school.
And we've been very successfulwith that at Excel and we're
proud of it.

SPEAKER_01 (02:07):
Do you know the percentage, uh, for instance?

SPEAKER_00 (02:10):
Oh, for sure.
Um our graduation rate uh overthe last five years has averaged
98.6 percent.
We have um outscored uhall-state testing uh for EOCs.
Um our five-year average for ouralgebra one is uh 87 percent.
Our um English two is 88%, 61%on biology, and 62% on U.S.

(02:35):
history over the last five yearsaverage.
And all of those uh exceed boththe state and the district uh
averages.
So we're taking students who areoff the beaten path, and we're
getting those students prepared,and we're having success with
those students just by changingthe culture and changing the way
we view it.

SPEAKER_01 (02:52):
Cedric, that is amazing.
Do you what is your what is yourrecipe for success there?
Because good grief, that's Imean, that's wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 (02:58):
Right.
Um, so it's it's culture, is isis we just we believe that the
students can.
Okay.
Um it's it's amazing, it'samazing what you can do when
when nobody tells you that youcan't.
And and and the students comein, we partner with our
families, we uh we engage ourstudents, uh, we have high
expectations, we set the bar andwe meet them where they are and

(03:20):
bring them up.
And so it's about it's about aculture.
It's everybody working together.
Um, it's not my way, it's nottheir way, it's our way.
And uh it's a belief system.

SPEAKER_01 (03:32):
That's wonderful, Cedric.
Um, do you have anything you'dlike to share with the SCAPSE
community?

SPEAKER_00 (03:36):
Absolutely.
Keep on doing what you're doingand keep on making sure that we
are setting the bar high for thenext generation.
Uh, we have to make sure thatthese students are being
successful, and it's not allabout our numbers, but it is
about the students and the livesthat we touch.
So just keep doing the goodwork.

SPEAKER_01 (03:52):
That's awesome.
Well, thank you so much again.
That's Cedric Ritchie with uhprincipal at Excel Learning
Academy in Richland 1 CountySchool District.
Thank you for joining us today,Cedric.

SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
Absolutely, thank you for having me.