HISTORY OF ASCEND COMMUNITY PARTNERS INC.

Much like the history of early African American education in the United States, ASCEND Community Partners Inc. started in a house.  

 In May 2020, after receiving an urgent request to assist a small group of African American students who were in danger of failing their various grades, ASCEND's founder, Dr. Nicole A. Jones pulled together a community of parents, families, friends, and volunteers to help. 

With the very little resources we had, the team created a make-shift school in the family room of a volunteer's home and prepared a hot breakfast each morning, a healthy meal each afternoon, and organized daily walks in the park for physical exercise. With no space to divide the students and no time to perform diagnostic tests or grade assessments, the team spontaneously developed a curriculum then combined the students and taught them the basics of literacy and the fundamentals of reading and writing.

The team assumed no child knew any of the information. The teacher volunteer taught everyone, everything, at the same pace, while each student sat attentively and eagerly participated.  For three consecutive weeks, every Monday through Friday from 7:45 in the morning to 12 noon, the students learned a fundamental in literacy, practiced class activities, then completed their daily school assignment. At the end of each session as a part of the curriculum, the students were required to present what they learned in front of the parents and volunteers.

Despite the age and group differences, not one student complained or was disengaged with the lessons. Furthermore, when the students presented what they learned, the parents were equally intrigued by the lesson, with most of the parents acknowledging they themselves had not learned much of the information presented.

At the end of the three weeks, the students had not only caught up and submitted their school-assigned assignments but they also improve their overall ability, to read and write, in and each of their subjects as well as present the content well.  

From that experience, we learned that regardless of the students' grade levels the foundation of literacy is the same and regardless of their age the basics of literacy are still needed to build on other elements of education. Because of that moment in time, ASCEND Community Partners was formed.

At ASCEND, we understand that our efforts to teach those educationally stigmatized is not a new endeavor. Historically, there were those who sacrificed their convenience and placed themselves and their families in unsafe conditions to educate the uneducated. 

At ASCEND we simply build on the activism of our predecessors by serving individuals regardless of their background and level of understanding with great encouragement, dignity, and respect.