Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools

Connecting academic achievement to real-world agency

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States. During the disrupted 2019-2020 school year, leaders at Northridge Middle and Reedy Creek Elementary were navigating significant academic performance challenges exacerbated by the pandemic's sudden pivot to remote and hybrid learning environments.

Educators recognized a persistent gap: students who performed well academically often struggled to connect their strengths to a sense of future direction, while students struggling with traditional metrics needed new ways to discover their value. The question wasn't whether students could learn — it was whether they could see themselves as builders of something meaningful during a period of immense uncertainty.

Crucially, to remove all barriers to entry during a difficult economic period, this 12-week Dream Chaser Kids deployment was fully funded by the Wisdom Tree Foundation, allowing all 35 participating students to engage at absolutely zero cost to their parents.

A 12-week cohort inside existing school rhythms

The program ran as a focused 12-week cohort across the two CMS schools, serving students in grades 4–8. Facilitators used the Dream Chaser Kids model without requiring curriculum overhaul — it plugged directly into existing advisory periods and elective blocks, providing stability when typical routines were shifting.

78% increase in pathways and agency thinking

To accurately capture this mindset shift, we deployed the validated Children's Hope Scale pre- and post-program. This instrument specifically measures goal-directed energy and pathways planning in youth.

The data showed a 78% average increase in agency and pathway thinking across the cohort. This is the primary quantitative finding from the CMS deployment, demonstrating that even amidst broad academic disruption, targeted talent development yields measurable psychological resilience.

A model that fits — without rebuilding what's already working

One of the strongest signals from the CMS deployment was structural: the program required no curriculum overhaul, no new hires, and no technology platform beyond what students already used in school. Facilitators ran the program using the Dream Chaser facilitator kit — slides, scripts, digital tools, and print materials — without requiring Leslie or any external trainer to be on-site.

The district now has a documented model for deploying Dream Chaser in any school with an advisory period, an elective block, or an after-school program. The per-student cost at the 12-week scale sits at $43–$54 — well below comparable STEM enrichment or youth development programs at the district level.