Tell Them We Are Rising

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Tell Them We Are Rising (TTWAR) was a program started in 1988 by Ruth Wright Hayre, a Philadelphia public school teacher and principal. She offered to pay for a college education for 116 students if they stayed in school and got into college. The goal was to keep students focused on school with tutoring and mentoring.

The students chosen were sixth graders from Kenderton Elementary School and Wright Elementary School (named after Hayre’s father). Hayre announced TTWAR at the schools’ graduation ceremonies in June. The program was run by Temple University’s Education Department, and the students in the program were called “risers.”

Hayre was clear she wasn’t naive. She wanted to see if this kind of support could change the usual path for many kids. Over time, TTWAR helped lower dropouts and increased the number of students on the honor roll.

The program ended on June 24, 1994. By then, 60 participants had graduated from high school, 39 went on to college, and 12 entered technical schools. Temple University later found that TTWAR increased honor roll participation and reduced dropouts.

In 2002 the Philadelphia Tribune reported that the sixth student in the program had graduated from college, calling them the “last” participant.

Hayre published a memoir in June 1997 called Tell Them We Are Rising, co-written with Alexis Moore Bruton. The book covers TTWAR and other parts of her life, with the second half focusing on the program. Reviews praised its straightforward tone, though some wished for more detail about life beyond education.