NYU Wagner Graduates Are Finalists for Robin Hood Foundation College Success Prize

The much-acclaimed Kinvolved—an entepreneurial public-service venture started by two NYU Wagner alumnae—has been selected as one of three finalists for the Robin Hood College Success Prize for its unique educational attendance software. A grand prize of $5 million will be given to the finalist team whose intervention is proven to be capable of raising the graduation rate of full-time community college students with remedial needs by 15 percentage points. The finalists' interventions will be evaluated in a randomized-control trial that will run for three years, beginning with the fall 2015 freshman class at the City University of New York.

The Robin Hood Foundation's inaugural challenge attracted more than 100 applicants from the United States and a dozen other countries around the world. The pool was narrowed to 18 semi-finalist teams in August 2014, with these teams each receiving $40,000 to further develop their products, along with an invitation to participate in an interactive workshop with a nonprofit behavioral ideas lab.

The trio of finalists—Beyond 12, Education Advisory Board, and Kinvolved—were selected on January 30. Kinvolved was co-founded by 2012 NYU Wagner graduates Miriam Altman and Alexandra Meis. Their digital app increases real-time communication among student support networks, positively influencing attendance and graduation rates. Their tool has been deployed in numerous secondary schools, allowing teachers, guidance counselors, and child guardians to keep track of and readily communicate about tardiness and absences.

Good luck, Kinvolved!