By Michelle Harper
Academic Coach, NFL 1st & Goal Program
As the 1st & Goal program starts year two at the Academies at Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, additional support opportunities and incentives are being created to ensure the football team’s success off-the-field. One of those incentives is the Ducks on the Move Cohort Challenge. Ducks on the Move is an incentive-based game used to generate positive behavior in the classroom, high attendance rates and higher grades.
This challenge is designed for the student-athletes to get extra support from the coaching staff. The cohorts were strategically created by Elwood Townsend, Ducks head coach. Each position coach has an equal number of junior varsity and varsity student-athletes that they are responsible for within their group. This joint effort includes constant communication between the Academic Coach and the coaching staff to increase involvement with not only the student-athletes they are responsible for coaching each day, but also the student-athletes they may not necessarily come in contact with daily. This support component ensures that the student-athlete understands and recognizes the importance of academic achievement, continued progress in their grades and improvement in the student-athlete’s behavior in the classroom throughout the year.
Ducks on the Move is modeled on the sport of football. Coaches gain or lose yards based on their student-athletes’ performance. Any update from a teacher, whether positive or negative, will affect the coach’s position on the football field chart in the Academic Coach’s office. Once the cohort scores a touchdown, the game resets.
The game is meant to inspire student-athletes to achieve in the classroom, attend school regularly, eliminate behavior issues and foster a positive environment for healthy competition off the field. The challenge will be held throughout the year to ensure continued monitoring from the coaches during the off season. Short-term incentives are given throughout the challenge to the student-athletes, and the coach with the most touchdowns will be given a grand prize at the end of the year.