ROC the Future to present 13th annual report

On Thursday, ROC the Future Alliance—a coalition of over 30 local educational nonprofits, government organizations, and community agencies—will host its 13th annual State of Our Children Address.

The event will also feature a report card release, documenting the organization’s progress toward its goal of positioning more than 11,000 Rochester youth on a path to upward mobility by 2030.

“The State of Our Children Report Card is a reflection of our collaborative efforts to position every child in Rochester on a path to academic success,” RTFA executive director Brian Lewis says. “The theme ‘Scholar by Scholar’ and the stories of resilience, progress, and possibility that we’ll share in the report reflect our unwavering commitment to collective care, equity, and cradle-to-career success for every child in our community.” 

At the end of that “cradle-to-career” axis, RTFA’s goal is to ensure that “all Black and Brown students at our partner schools within the Rochester City School District and charter schools are graduating college or career ready, with an initial graduation rate milestone of 80 percent by 2030.”

In the 2024-2025 school year, the RCSD graduation rate was 60 percent, with Black or African-American and Hispanic or Latino students graduating at 64 percent and 53 percent, respectively. These rates are lower than the statewide results, which showed graduation rates of 85 percent for all students, and 80 percent and 79 percent for Black and African American students, and Hispanic or Latino students.

However, even while lagging behind New York, RCSD’s graduation rate has shown marked improvement. In the 2012-2013 school year, only 48 percent of students overall graduated; 48 percent of Black and African-American students and 47 percent of Hispanic or Latino students graduated that year. 

The district’s graduation rate peaked at 71 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

In the report, RTFA highlights programs such as RochesterWorks’ School to Work Navigator and Kool Nerd Connect. Both offer career pathways to students who are over-age, under-credited, or underserved, often in emerging STEM industries, and do not require four-year degrees.

RTFA reports that the School to Work Navigator program, which is housed at Edison Career and Technology High School and the Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, is “impacting the lives of more than 1,000 students.”

Kool Nerd Connect engaged 368 RCSD students in health care career awareness classes during the 2024-2025 school year. The program partnered with Highland Hospital, American Medical Response and the primary 911 and emergency medical services in the area.

“What’s great about working with Kool Nerd Connect is that they are career-focused,” says Eric Aforismo, senior human resources and recruitment manager for Highland Hospital, in the RTFA report.

“A lot of groups want to help kids find work in low-paying hourly positions,” he adds. “But that’s not changing socioeconomic status; it’s not changing our community. We are teaching students that hospitals are more than just scary places—they represent thriving economic futures for young people and our city.”

The RTFA report also highlights the coalition’s work on literacy, particularly among young readers. For example, it states that the Level Up for Literacy events at East High School provide literacy workshops and free books to families. Through a grant from the University of Rochester, there is also the Joy of Literacy Initiative, which gives families tools and activities to do at home that mirror exactly what happens in a classroom.

In addition, Let’s Get L.I.T partnered with EDceptional to program its Family Literacy Program last summer. Along with promoting increased reading among families, they conducted weekly surveys to understand how often parents read with their children at home.

The surveys found that the average time was 15 minutes per week, which the organizations noted is not enough to make a meaningful impact on early-grade literacy. They also reported that there was not enough financial investment in learning. 

“Nearly all participants spent significantly more on video games and Air Jordans than books for their kids,” the RTFA report states.

Similar to graduation rates, young readers in the RCSD are behind their counterparts across the state. In the 2024-2025 school year, grade 3 readers statewide had a proficiency rate of 54 percent on the English Language Arts assessment; RCSD’s rate was 22 percent.

Once again, mirroring a similar trend with graduation rates, the district has made progress. In the 2017-2018 school year, 17 percent of grade 3 students scored at a proficient level on the ELA exam.

The RTFA annual report event will also feature live performances by the World of Inquiry School #58 band and Mentors Inspiring Boys & Girls, and acknowledgement of community awards.

In addition, guests from Tulsa, Okla., will participate in a fireside chat with Lewis and Mayor Malik Evans: Deputy Mayor Krystal Reyes and Ashley Philippsen, executive director of ImpactTulsa, an educational advocacy organization. RTFA members say that Tulsa is a municipality with challenges and opportunities similar to Rochester’s.

“We’re excited to share best practices from leaders who are transforming their communities the way our colleagues from Tulsa, Okla., are,” says Lewis.  

The event is scheduled for Thursday at the Theater at Innovation Square from 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets are available online.

Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.

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