ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY
A leading new nonprofit, Andern Education Research, Inc. is a top public benefit organization of its kind. AER plans to considerably increase the number of well-educated young people of color who are prepared to assume and excel in positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. The mission of AER is to develop, promote, support, and provide educational opportunities to students of color and families who live in low income and underserved areas of the community. AER aspires to carry out its mission through four key Initiatives: Incubator, GEMs, SMILE, and Wellness.
MARKET OPPORTUNITY
The need for access to quality education is greater than ever. Gaps in academic achievement based on race continue to plague educational institutions across the country. Many students of color are unable to realize their full potential because they lack access to quality educational experiences, and face ongoing social and health issues. This lack of educational access results in an inadequate pipeline of diverse leaders at the highest levels.
AER aims to change this disparity in the Los Angeles area by improving the quality of the charter school system, by providing access to elite private high schools for top performing students, by investing particularly in the African and Hispanic American male student, and by assuring that our students of color are receiving proper health and fitness education on a day-to-day basis thereby promoting a well-rounded healthier student.
The specific service areas in which AER will serve in Los Angeles include the following: South Los Angeles, Watts, Compton, and Inglewood.
TARGET MARKET
AER concentrates wholly on low-income students of color in the South Los Angeles, Watts, Compton and Inglewood areas who are currently enrolled in charter schools. With 98,000 students in the charter system at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), 60,564 are low-income families. Additionally, an estimated number of more than 50,000 of these students are minorities. These students are the target market of AER.
As of 2012, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) holds over 183 active charter schools, far more than any other U.S. city. Charter school enrollment has been increasing at a rapid rate with the total charter school enrollment for the Los Angeles Unified School District at roughly 98,000 kids in the 2011-2012 school year.