The Akanksha Foundation

What is Project RISE?

Nurturing Brilliance. Expanding Opportunity.

Project RISE is an academic enrichment program that identifies and nurtures high-potential students from under-resourced, low-income communities, currently working with learners in Grades 6–10 across Pune.

We identify students who are ready for more — more challenge, more depth, more opportunity — and offer them high-engagement, high-rigor learning experiences in STEM and Literacy.

Our goal: not just to help students catch up, but to step up — into spaces of excellence, aspiration, and advanced learning.

The Challenge

Why This Matters

Students from low-income communities remain drastically underrepresented among top academic performers. This gap isn't about ability — it's about access.

The early gap persists.

Poverty creates an achievement gap evident from the early years that only widens as students progress through school.

Basic proficiency isn't enough.

Initiatives focused on minimum standards can inadvertently hold back higher-achieving students who need more challenging instruction.

A dangerous misconception.

The assumption that advanced learners will thrive on their own leads to a lack of resources for those who need enrichment most.

Even when teachers recognize potential, they often lack the time or resources to nurture it. High-potential students are rarely given opportunities to stretch, struggle, and grow. When they eventually face advanced academic settings, they falter — not because they can't, but because they were never prepared to.

Impact

What Changed in One Year

Measured by the Ei ASSET — an internationally calibrated assessment of conceptual understanding, taken by 350,000+ students across 12 countries.

1 → 10

Grade-subject combinations above the national average

Out of 12 total (4 grades × 3 subjects). Zero remain below.

July '25

EngMathSci

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Mar '26

EngMathSci

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+64

Average scaled score growth across English, Math, and Science

On a 200–800 scale where 500 is the national average.

July 2025 March 2026 Natl. avg

5 → 13

Students qualifying for Ei's invitation-only Talent Search

Each dot represents one of our 32 students.

July 2025 — 5 of 32 (16%)

March 2026 — 13 of 32 (41%)

8 new students qualified for the first time.

Portfolio

What Our Students Create

Student work is our most powerful indicator of learning. It reflects their curiosity, voice, and capacity to tackle real-world challenges with skill and creativity.

STEM

Introduction to AI & Machine Learning

Can Machines Really Think? Students designed and presented their own AI classifiers — from identifying plant types to sorting jeans.

Sachi & Shravani's Classifier Pranjal & Arya's Classifier

Literacy

The Story Project

Exploring voice, empathy, and identity through narrative writing. Students wrote about unconventional careers and crafted profiles of their peers.

Read Samarth's Story Read Shravani's Story

Math

Math Meets Art: Desmos

Equations as a canvas! Students explored mathematical relationships and brought creativity into algebra.

Hansika's Desmos Art Rohit's Desmos Art

STEM

Soft Robotics

Students designed flexible, bio-inspired robots — learning engineering, material science, and biomimicry through iterative design.

Aradhya & Sai's Journal Aditi & Shreya's Journal

Research

Student Research Projects

Original investigations rooted in students' lives, interests, and communities.

Grade 8/9: Myths about Menstruation · The Future Smokes · Sports Career · Mental Health

Grade 7: Which delivery app is fastest? →

Math

Problem Solving

Students develop critical thinking, pattern recognition, and strategic reasoning through challenges like the 3-4-5 NIM Game, inverting the triangle, and street audits.

Student Work Hear Om explain the winning strategy Street Audit Presentations

Let's Collaborate

We're always looking to learn and grow through partnerships — whether that's guest sessions, curriculum collaborations, project mentorship, or just a good conversation.

sapna1.shah@akanksha.org