Greater Than
Greater Than: Redefining Education by Building Communities of Support
For students facing systemic barriers, success requires more than tutoring. It requires a lasting partnership with their entire community.
Their approach is defined by a simple, powerful principle embedded in their name.
Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
“Greater Than means together, we are greater than,” the organization states. They position themselves not as saviors but as partners, working alongside schools, families, and community groups.
This requires a deliberate shift in power. “We move from holding power over community to holding power with community,” they explain. In practice, this means families lead the way, community partners contribute resources, and Greater Than’s team provides adaptable support to remove obstacles like food insecurity or academic gaps.
The Proof is in the People: Brooke’s Story
The effect of this wraparound model is visible in the students themselves. Brooke Brown began with Greater Than in elementary school and graduated from Reynolds High School in 2017. As a first-generation student, she balanced school with significant family responsibilities.
With consistent mentorship from her Greater Than support specialist, Brooke progressed through advanced classes, gained confidence, and eventually earned a degree in Environmental Studies from Linfield University.
“Greater Than helped me move past the restraints and pressures of social class and do something bigger,” Brooke says. Her success is part of a larger pattern: last year, 88% of students in Greater Than’s High School Success program graduated on time, most of them first-generation graduates.
Dismantling Barriers, Not Just Improving Scores
For Greater Than, a diploma is an outcome, but the real work involves tackling the conditions that hinder learning in the first place.
“If a child is hungry, unstable housing, or struggling emotionally, tutoring alone won’t change their reality,” they state. This understanding leads to direct action, like serving 120 families at a monthly free food market so students can focus on their studies instead of their next meal.
They are building an educational ecosystem that extends beyond the school walls, where families, schools, and local organizations work in concert.
The Power of the Long Game
While many programs are short-term, Greater Than makes a commitment that can last over a decade. This continuity is essential.
“Barriers don’t appear on a schedule,” they note. “By walking with students from kindergarten through high school and beyond, we build the deep trust needed to navigate challenges as they arise. That trust turns temporary help into lifelong opportunity.”
A Vision for the Future: Redefining Zip Codes
If this model were scaled, what could change? Greater Than envisions a future where a child’s address no longer dictates their destiny.
“Imagine a future where the first two digits, ’97’ for Oregon, signal a promise: that every community has schools that partner with families to uplift every child,” they say.
In this future, parents are recognized as essential leaders, and students are sustained by a web of support that ensures their success is not an exception, but an expectation.
Greater Than’s work demonstrates that when a community truly mobilizes around its children, it can ensure that support, not circumstance, defines a student’s future.
To learn more about Greater Than and the students they serve, visit https://www.greater-than.org/.