Going Outside Expectations
REAL School Gardens is becoming Out Teach
National Nonprofit Changes its Name
To Better Reflect Focus on Teachers
For more than a decade, REAL School Gardens has been working for a future in which all students have access to the kind of engaging and hands-on education that can change their lives, schools, and communities. The nonprofit quickly discovered that teacher development and support is the key to success in this mission, and it now works with schools across the country to support and coach teachers. Today, the organization announced it has changed its name to Out Teach to better reflect its focus on equipping teachers to unlock student performance with the power of outdoor experiential education.
Being a teacher is hard work. Each day, the nation relies on teachers to ensure that every student not only learns about math, science, and literacy, but also masters 21st Century workforce skills, all the while developing their social-emotional abilities. Even the most dedicated teachers need high-quality professional development to help their students succeed.
However, studies show that less than half of all teachers receive effective professional development, and only one in five report they receive tailored coaching. Teachers in low-income schools have even fewer effective professional learning opportunities, despite a much greater need. Across the board, science instructions suffers because of a lack of professional development. In fact, 40% of elementary students receive less than one hour of science per week and it shows. On national tests, 62% of 4th graders are not proficient in Science.
To give teachers the tools and training they need to succeed, national nonprofit REAL School Gardens has spent the past 15 years empowering more than 6,500 teachers in low-income elementary schools with job-embedded professional learning and engaging outdoor learning labs, helping them harness the power of outdoor experiential learning to improve student outcomes. Because when teachers succeed, students succeed.
That investment in professional development has produced measurable results. Data from 1,382+ teachers in the program last year shows:
- 96% showed increased effectiveness across 7 measures of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
- 95% reported being better prepared as educators as a result of our training, and say they are able to apply the content of the professional development to their work right away.
- 94% reported that their students were more engaged as a result of the program.
Using an evidence-based approach, the organization equips teachers use outdoor spaces to deliver experiential lessons that accelerate learning, build critical thinking skills, and increase student engagement. Research shows the program measurably improves teacher effectiveness and student engagement, the two strongest predictors of long term student success.
Now, to clearly reflect their commitment to teachers, the organization is changing its name to Out Teach. A new name and tagline “Out Teach – Go Outside Expectations” and a new logo highlight the importance of teachers and the need for training to help them radically shift their daily practice from traditional teacher-centered instruction to more effective and inspiring student-driven learning.
Out Teach partners with schools and districts to provide years of job-embedded professional development so teachers can easily implement effective outdoor experiential lessons. Instead of just changing a few teachers’ practices, Out Teach works with teachers, principals, and instructional leaders to create a new school culture. By coaching and inspiring teachers to lead outdoor experiential lessons, the organization works to unlock the performance of every student.
Though their focus on teachers remains the same, the new name helps position the organization to expand its professional development offerings to new districts and regions across the country. Now, as part of a national expansion plan, Out Teach is also announcing its new commitment to scale up its teacher professional learning programs to reach 15,000 teachers by 2023.
Out Teach is well on their way. Over the past two years the organization has:
- Doubled its regional footprint, partnering with 17 school districts across 7 cities
- Provided 2x more teachers with job-embedded instructional coaching, having trained 1,382 in 2018
- Developed an online Coaching Center, offering on-demand training videos and support to 3,300 teachers
- Started offering proven professional development programs to any school with under-used outdoor space
- Reached 57,610 students, becoming a national leader in outdoor experiential learning and professional development for teachers
Now, as Out Teach, the organization is strongly positioned to finish scaling its impact and reach its 2023 goal.
Out Teach gives teachers the tools they need to get outside – beyond the classroom – to create unforgettable learning experiences and measurable results for their students. Because teachers who lead effective outdoor experiential lessons ensure that every student looks forward to school and is excited to learn. By inspiring curiosity and a sense of wonder, teachers can help students build a foundation of real-world knowledge and experiences to last a lifetime.
About Out Teach
By coaching and inspiring teachers, and building them engaging outdoor learning labs, Out Teach unlocks student performance with the power of outdoor experiential learning. We equip teachers to use outdoor spaces to deliver exciting, engaging lessons aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core, and standards. We also partner with corporations to build dynamic Outdoor Learning Labs, full of features teachers can use to deepen student understanding of key concepts in Math, Science, and Literacy. Out Teach is currently executing a national growth plan, and by 2023, will be in 15 cities across 5 regions, reaching 15,000 teachers and 200,000 students every year.
For more information, contact Alison Risso, 202.621.2375 or email@example.com
Out Teach would like to thank the team at Red Deluxe for all of their work on this rebranding.
About Red Deluxe
Red Deluxe Brand Development is brand consulting and campaign development firm that works with corporate and nonprofit clients across the country to plan and execute effective messaging projects, including research studies, program naming, rebrands, and national PSA campaigns. More information about Red Deluxe can be found at www.reddeluxe.com.