Jodi Parrish
Some D and F students are making dramatic changes to the way they learn and improving their grades in the process, 7's Byron Barnett shows you how they're doing it in tonight's Parent to Parent.
Some kids having trouble making the grade are getting help thanks to an innovative approach to learning.
Vashti Crooks, mom
"She was in need of help in tutoring, and I called Biff and they had her come in and her grades changed immensely."
BIFF, which stands for Building Inspiration to Fight Failure was launched by the Boston Learning Center to help kids that were falling behind.
The program focuses more on motivating as opposed to coursework.
Ayele Shakur, Executive Director, Boston Learning Center
"We started to see that there were many students who didn't need more skills and drills, what they needed was a boost of motivation and a new attitude about school."
The program run by Ayele Shakur and her husband Gary incorporates creative ways of learning, like using juggling and card games to improve their skills.
Ayele Shakur, Executive Director, Boston Learning Center
"So again, they are learning memory strategies, speed reading techniques and they are figuring out their learning style."
It also teaches them new techniques to achieve their academic goals.
Ayele Shakur, Executive Director, Boston Learning Center
"We teach them some of the strategies and techniques, the accelerated learning strategies and then all of a sudden they realize you know what I can do this."
And parents are seeing real progress.
Michelle Feliz, proud mom
"I've taken away a lot of things, but what I am the happiest about is that my daughters grades went up 100 percent."
Michelle's daughter Jailene was getting D's and F's, now she's an "A" student!
Jailene Feliz, sixth grader
"It helped me to focus more in school and not be so distracted as much as I used to be."
The process pays off in the long run too.
Ayele Shakur, Executive Director, Boston Learning Center
"At the end of the program we see 78% of our kids improve their grades and 30% of them make dramatic leaps from C, D & F's to A's & B's.
And parents are thankful to see their children succeed.
Vashti Crooks, mom
"My biggest joy is to see my children excelling, and that is the joy of any parent to see their child excel."
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