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The Stonecrest Economic & Educational Development Study (SEEDS) is a multilateral study aimed at examining the effects of economics on educational outcomes in the Stonecrest community in Georgia. SEEDS is a program of FIERY MINDS, Inc. FIERY MINDS is a 501(c) certified nonprofit organization dedicated to providing tutoring and educational resources to communities of color.

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  • The objective of SEEDS is to identify a relationship or lack of relationship between environmental forces (i.e., family involvement, household income, community mentorship, and local business development) and students' academic performance in grades k-8. Whether or not a student's environment and lifestyle outside the classroom positively or negatively affect their academic performance is the question we seek to answer in this study. We believe that once we can answer this question affirmatively, we will be able to develop programming, curriculum, and pedagogy to improve academic performance in k-8 students.

  • To discover the correlation between student academic performance and environment, we will examine four important environmental forces in every student's life: family involvement, household income, community mentorship, and local community development. Using our methodology called F7, we will survey local households and LSBs (local small businesses) in Stonecrest, Georgia, in addition to households and LSBs in nearby cities close to Stonecrest. The surveys will focus primarily on asking Stonecrest residents about their financial security, local community investment, career opportunities, and involvement in supporting local educational resources and training programs.

    Online digital and non-digital surveys will be circulated to households and LSB owners in and around Stonecrest to collect the relevant data. After surveying is completed in and outside Stonecrest, we will study the data collected from the surveys using our evaluation model F7. Five key criteria make up our evaluation model for F7:

    1. Median household income and net worth.

    2. Household marital status.

    3. The number of local employer firms in Stonecrest.

    4. The average budget for local wrap-around services and job training programs in Stonecrest.

    5. State-standardized tests at local k-8 schools in Stonecrest.

    The above criteria will help us determine whether a direct or indirect relationship exists between the academic performance of students k-8 and the environmental forces they encounter outside the classroom in Stonecrest.

  • To join our research team or participate in our study (SEEDS), you can email us directly at info@fieryminds.org. In the email, please explain how you would like to participate in SEEDS, when is the best time to follow up with you via phone/video call, and share what drew you to Fiery Minds and the SEEDS study. To send us a short message and set up a formal call, click here to access our CONTACT page.