A trifecta can be defined as “a situation when three elements come together at the same time.” And when it comes to helping students improve their academic work, it’s hard to beat the trifecta of students, parents and teachers.
Bridging gaps between these three groups is what Academic Intervention Specialist Chamarla Brame focuses on every day. “Part of what I do is solve little mysteries,” she says. “And part is acting as facilitator to improve communication among the ‘trifecta’—and improve academic progress in the process.”
The mysteries that Chamarla and our afterschool team solve require them to reach out to students in 6th through 12th grade math and language arts classes to find out why they’re having trouble in the class. Then they meet with teachers to get in-depth information about the class—including its syllabus, homework, quizzes and tests. Armed with this knowledge, they then meet with parents and develop an intervention plan for the student.
Using this approach, combined with having students attend after-school programs at one of our three sites, has helped students make extraordinary academic progress. For example, one student increased his grade by 12 points, improving to an 82.
“Every element—student, teacher and parent—needs to work together to produce an effective solution,” says Chamarla. “It’s all about collaboration and communication. If we have that, the power of the trifecta does the rest.”