Summer Learning For All: Thinking Beyond Boundaries

Anniversaries are natural points of reflection, and in Boston the summer of 2019 was an opportunity to do just that. In the 10th year of our citywide summer learning model, we looked back on what it took to scale this enduring public-private partnership, and gleaned lessons that we (and others) can carry into the future to ensure we achieve high quality summer learning for all.

Boston After School & Beyond’s new report, Summer For All: Lessons from 10 Years of Boston Summer Learning, describes four key lessons from our decade of partnership with the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, philanthropic leadership, and over 80 diverse youth development organizations. We present these as guideposts for the future as we continue to expand and go deeper in Boston, and as other cities and states engage in similar work. In this blog post, we dig deeper into the first of these lessons.

Think Beyond Boundaries

“Achieving quality summer learning at scale requires an expanded notion of how and where learning happens. In Boston, we’ve mobilized the whole city as a classroom, proving that students can make big strides in academic and life skills while engaged in fun, meaningful projects on boats, college campuses, the harbor islands, and more.”

The launch of Boston’s summer learning model was an opportunity to think differently about how kids learn, and extend learning environments beyond the traditional “summer school” classroom. In new partnerships, certified educators teamed up with youth development leaders to weave academic content with engaging enrichment activities, leveraging the city’s natural, cultural, and neighborhood resources.

The result: enriching summer learning opportunities where kids access new environments, experiences, and relationships. They reinforce academic content learned during the school year, but apply it in new ways that are tied to real-world contexts. They build skills through doing, in parts of the city they may never have encountered otherwise.

Take, for instance, Courageous Sailing in Charlestown. Sitting at the edge of Boston Harbor, just a stone’s throw from the U.S.S. Constitution, students in this program spend their summer mornings engaged in academic content that is tailored to their afternoon activity – the sport of sailing.

Notes Urvi Gipstein, a summer program participant at Courageous Sailing, “Here, we have learned the science behind tacking, studied wind direction, and brainstormed large scale solutions for climate change. We’ve had chalk talks on how the distribution of air particles creates high and low pressure systems causing the sail to fill, which, along with the boat engineering, propels our sailboats forward.”

Connecting science concepts to the act of sailing, kids in this program gain a better understanding of the relevance of the material, and engage in deeper learning as a result. Beyond academics, at Courageous Sailing kids build new relationships with their instructors and peers, and develop skills that are necessary for school, work, and life success – skills like perseverance, teamwork, and communication. These can only be developed through practice, and what better way to practice them than by navigating a boat through Boston Harbor with a crew of your peers.

“Sailing has thrown me into tough situations where I have come out on the other side feeling capable and strong,” says Urvi. “Last year my friend Kristen and I sailed towards the Mystic on a very windy day. Well into the harbor, we capsized, and got swept under the boat. It was a very stressful situation. But we both climbed on to the centerboard, since we were only heavy enough to level the boat together, and righted our sailboat. Afterwards, we felt accomplished. We worked as a team to get out of the fix we were in. On a sailboat, I have learned how to get along with others, how to listen, and how to give constructive advice. Those are valuable skills I will use all my life.”

Boston has made the entire city – and beyond – a classroom during the summer months. Courageous Sailing is just one of many summer programs on Boston Harbor. Take a boat for a short sail and you will find kids engaged in learning at Piers Park Sailing Center, on historic tall ships at World Ocean School, studying marine life at the New England Aquarium, exploring the salt marsh on Thompson Island, doing ropes courses at Camp Harborview, and practicing the arts at UMass Boston. Extend beyond the Harbor and you’ll see innovative learning environments like this all across the city of Boston and beyond.

New places, new experiences, new relationships – that is what life learning is all about, and what summer learning can be for all kids if we think beyond boundaries.

Under Chris Smith’s leadership, Boston After School & Beyond has developed a nationally recognized model of summer learning that improves student outcomes, built a citywide program performance measurement system, and cultivated a network of 150 programs serving more than 14,000 students.

Reaching New Heights at Camp Harbor View

Khandace has participated in Camp Harbor View’s summer program for the past three years. She began as a camper and then joined the 9th grade pilot program this past school year to prepare her to be a Leader in Training (LIT) at Camp Harbor View this summer. 

“I think team building is the most important thing I’ve learned at Camp Harbor View,” Khandace said. “At camp we meet kids from all over the city, from different neighborhoods and different backgrounds.  We’re all together on the same island each day, so we learn to cooperate with each other and communicate clearly with each other.”  

Khandace isn’t alone in developing teamwork skills at Camp Harbor View; in conversation with former campers it is repeatedly brought up as an essential component of their camp experience. 

“It’s given me strong team building skills,” Dayton, a first year LIT, said. “That’s what we work on all year.”

One exercise that helps campers learn communication and teamwork is the trolley walk activity.  Groups of campers face two wooden planks with ropes attached and must move from one place to another with one foot on each plank. 

“It was a struggle at first because we weren’t communicating well and we were all just yelling at each other,” Jaylen, another first year LIT, said. “I always wanted my ideas to be heard and done, and I wanted it to be about myself, but it helped me work as a member of a team and hear other people out.”

Located on Long Island in the Boston Harbor, the summer camp program teaches youth like Khandace, Dayton, and Jaylen important life skills. In addition to classic summer camp activities like swimming, boating, team sports, games, music, and arts and crafts, Camp Harbor View offers opportunities that build confidence, stimulate creativity, and develop the leadership skills students need in school and beyond. Activities at Camp Harbor View, like the high ropes course, require teamwork, problem solving, and communication.

“What sets this camp apart from other camps is that it allows inner-city kids to just have a chance to get away from all the problems they deal with at home or in their neighborhoods,” Khandace said. “Even though it’s summer camp and they want us to have fun throughout the process, they help us develop skills that will be important in work and further in life.” 

Along with the summer learning taking place for middle schoolers on the island, former campers receive year-round support through the 9th grade RISE program and then the three-year Leader in Training program for young people in grades 10 through 12 at Camp Harbor View’s Leadership Academy in the South End. In addition to being employed as peer counselors during the summer, LITs are paired with an advisor to ensure students reach their potential through high school and beyond. 

“Each month of the year we work on different skills.  One of the most important to me is professional skills – how to build a resume, how to look for certain jobs that appeal to you, and what you think you’ll be comfortable with,” Khandace said. “To become an LIT this summer we had an interview, and they wanted us to be prepared and come with questions so we were prepared for future job interviews.”

Camp Harbor View’s mission is to help kids envision new pathways to success by providing life-shaping experiences at a critical time in their lives.  By uncovering dreams, nurturing visions, and launching aspirations, Camp Harbor View aims to change lives and transform communities.

The framework of Camp Harbor View models and instills the core values of fun, respect, responsibility, character, courage, and community. The structure of physical and group challenges, leadership development, and connection with peers allows young participants to grow as individuals and as a community.

As Executive Director Lisa Fortenberry explains, “we want the youth and families we serve to feel supported and invested in every step of the way. From four weeks of summer fun and new experiences as middle school-aged campers to year-round leadership development programs throughout high school, we seek to provide them the resources they need to realize their potential.” 

Hands-On Learning at Thompson Island

For the past nine summers, Boston middle schoolers have been learning on a 204-acre island classroom through Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center’s Connections program. From ropes courses to salt water marshes, students who visit the island have the opportunity to experience hands-on science and participate in fun and challenging character-building activities.

Since 1833, Thompson Island has continuously offered educational experiences and opportunities for growth to youth in Boston. Since partnering with Boston After School & Beyond’s Summer Learning Project in 2010, Thompson Island has seen evidence of success through measured growth in academic performance, social-emotional development, leadership skills, and community service.  

“The past decade of concerted effort is a testimony to the power of combining research, collaborative funding, progressive policy, shared social, emotional and academic metrics, and a community of practice that brings together the K-12 educators and youth development programs to share best practices and drive continuous improvement,” said Arthur Pearson, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Boston is an exemplar of a national movement in whole child, community based education.”  

For five weeks during the summer, the Thompson Island ferry transports students from the city to the Island, where they spend the mornings learning about its ecosystems and organisms before exploring the island to gain hands-on experiences with those same ecosystems and organisms each afternoon, in addition to participating in team-building activities or creative projects.  

“I think our balance of academics and student character development, both as an individual and a part of a team, makes the world of difference,” said Gemma Falivene, Professional Learning Manager.

From designing outdoor basketball courts and practicing yoga on the beach to creating a book on the species of their choosing to climbing the 64-foot Alpine Tower, the unique experiences participants in summer learning have on Thompson Island give them confidence in their abilities and help them develop character and a comfort with nature. As a result, students leave the island more informed citizens, who feel prepared to lead and achieve in their schools and communities and beyond.

Sociedad Latina Encourages Youth Expression

Michael Berthaud, a rising sophomore and computer science major at Wentworth Institute of Technology, was not excited when he first learned he would be participating in Sociedad Latina’s summer program.  At age 12, he was looking forward to having the summer off and had no interest in wasting time with schoolwork. However, once he started the program, he realized it was quite different from what he had imagined.

“We did things that would entice you academically, and got your gears moving,” Berthaud said. “I never felt that it was busy work.”

During the program at the Simmons College campus, Berthaud took English courses which encouraged him to do more than decipher texts. By focusing on workshopping with peers and freewriting, the course helped him develop the skills to express his own voice. Because of this, Berthaud began spending his summers exploring ways to express his voice through different mediums, learning new skills and expanding on existing ones.

“Right now I’m a computer programmer and a game designer, so I make games and I think the program at Sociedad Latina really, really helped me. It was a kick starter to a lot of the work that I do now,” Berthaud said. “I write a lot about storylines and plotlines and even how the game is structured, how the player is supposed to feel while playing it and I think a lot of my personality bleeds into my games.”

Giving youth the ability to express themselves is an important part of Sociedad Latina’s mission.

“We feel that learning can be fun and engaging and that students should have a voice in their learning, so for us it’s really important as an out-of-school-time program to be able to partner with a program that shares those values,” said Alex Oliver-Dávila, Executive Director of Sociedad Latina. “We can see the difference when young people are in the summer program versus a traditional school day. It’s a very hands-on approach, it’s a very youth-led approach, young people are able to choose the types of projects they want to work on, we see the difference in how teachers we hire in the summer along with our staff are working side by side with students.”

Sociedad Latina, based out of Mission Hill, aims to empower Latino youth by training them in civic engagement, education, workforce development, and arts and culture. Serving 5,000 11 to 21-year-olds each year, Sociedad Latina seeks to introduce professional, educational, and economic opportunities to the community.

“I think young people become more engaged when they actually have an enrichment program that’s tied to academics, and we can really see those gains when we have young people participate in summer. They go back to school and we talk with many teachers who tell us the difference in the students from last school year,” Oliver-Dávila said.

After participating in Sociedad Latina’s summer program, Berthaud had a changed mindset about learning and was inspired to continue expressing himself through writing and other creative outlets during the summer.

“It was that summer that I realized there is more to your summer and more to your time than just staying at home and taking it off,” Berthaud said. “There’s so much stuff you can do with your time besides staying home.  From then on, I never took a summer off after that.”

Berthaud began spending his summers writing and drawing, but his love for computers and playing video games eventually led him to programming. By programming video games, he combines those three interests in a way that allows him to fully express himself.

“There was this one game really struck me – the theme, the topic, it was touching on real world topics that affect me and my life,” Berthaud said. “That’s when I realized, I want to touch people like that, I want to tell stories like that.”

From middle-schoolers learning about storytelling and comic book creation as part of STEAM Team to high schoolers sharing art with the community during the summer in Academy for Latinos Achieving Success, Sociedad Latina offers a variety of artistic mediums that allow youth to create and experience art focused on Latino cultural traditions. The organization is unique in its approach to the arts, not only focusing on what art can mean for individuals, but instead looking at arts as they impact and fit within a broader community. 

“One of the things I love that Sociedad has made the effort to accomplish is to really focus on making students activists – really looking at social justice and its many facets, and what that looks like in the community,” said Donkor Minors, an educator with Sociedad Latina.

Minors has taught ELA with Sociedad, along with flag football and robotics. Teaching during the summer led Minors to develop creative teaching practices that he brought to the classroom. In the same way that Minors has changed his approach to teaching due to Sociedad students, the entire program relies on student responses to ensure the best possible experience.

“Students have voice in the process – they’re always surveyed and questioned, and the directors of Sociedad really try hard to find what’s working for the students, what’s working for the program, and find a happy medium so that they can maintain the core values of why they were committed to social justice to begin with,” Minors said.

Minors has seen students from his Sociedad classes go on to become college graduates, app developers, lead chefs, and engineers. 

“Each of them, in their own individual ways, are all doing great things, given the circumstance and the wisdom and knowledge that they had at the time,” said Minors. “And the level of growth that they’ve made in that time is inspiring.”

Another educator, Jeff Timberlake, has seen tremendous growth in his older Sociedad students as well, all of whom are English Learners.

“The most exciting thing is when you can see their growth in speaking across the four language domains of English,” Timberlake said. “You see them interacting more in English.  When they leave they have such an improved way of expressing themselves across those four language domains, in ways that are really creative and challenging, and all about growing into citizens of the world.”

Timberlake works with Sociedad’s Escalera program, which serves high school students focusing on on-time graduation and higher education options in addition to developing social-emotional skills for English language learners.

“These students have the skills in their first language, but my role is to help them express themselves, their strengths and challenges, in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English,” Timberlake said. “Many of them have stories to share, and many of them have backgrounds that pose different challenges.”

The goal of the program, along with preparing high schoolers for their future, is to promote students’ confidence in themselves and their abilities. The set-up of the program consists of three days of classes with a fourth day of practicing career skills with local business leaders or visiting colleges.

“It’s really important to expose students to places they wouldn’t normally go to, so being able to partner with Simmons, bring our students here, for them to be able to experience being in a college setting is hugely important,” said Oliver-Dávila. “I think it opens up a whole world that they were not exposed to before and it helps the city of Boston. I know it helps us in our neighborhood to have these partnerships and I think having people be able to experience that is just priceless.”

Joel Colon, a rising sophomore majoring in engineering at UMASS Amherst, participated in a youth music enrichment program through Sociedad Latina that took place at Simmons College at age 14. 

“It was a combination of academic work and different activities they put together,” Colon said. “The activities were really cool – they had capoeira and glassblowing and a bunch of other things I’d never heard of, exotic things I would never search up on YouTube.”

Sociedad Latina encouraged Colon’s passion for music and helped him through the college process with recommendation letters and FAFSA information, but one of the most important things for him was introducing him to college campuses.

“The idea of college was something I might not have wanted to do back in the beginning,” Colon said. “Sociedad exposing me to the college environment over and over again, like Simmons or MIT, really brought me to make my decision to go to college.”

Sociedad Latina runs a number of after school and summer programs for different age groups that address their mission by celebrating diverse heritages in a way that encourages young people to impact the world around them. By emphasizing social-emotional learning and supportive networks, youth who participate in Sociedad Latina’s programs are well-equipped to serve their community as they grow into adults.

“I think social-emotional skills are more important than academic skills,” Oliver-Dávila said. “Those skills are going to carry you throughout life – in a leadership position, leading projects, being on a team – and we focus really heavily on the social-emotional development of students and that only furthers the academic pieces. When you can come to the table and have a conversation with your teacher to talk about how you’re doing, how you can do better, those are skills that you’re going to take with you forever and will make you successful in whatever environment – whether you’re going to college – and eventually employed, those things are really what’s going to further you and make you a successful adult.”

Aiming High at Harlem Lacrosse

Quan is a rising 7th grader at the Mildred Avenue K – 8 School who started the Harlem Lacrosse program last summer. Since entering the program, Quan has grown as both a student and an athlete.

“He took on a lot of leadership roles over the summer that he hadn’t taken during the school year,” said Program Director Dan Hanley. “He came every single day throughout the summer.”

“I developed as a leader by showing when my teammate is down I have to help them back up and when someone’s sad I have to cheer them on, make them get back out there, and have fun,” Quan said. 

From one New York teacher introducing lacrosse to his class in 2008, Harlem Lacrosse has grown into a national program, expanding to four other cities, including five sites in Boston in 2016.  Harlem Lacrosse serves at-risk youth with a model that integrates playing lacrosse with academic support, mentoring, leadership training, college readiness, career exploration, and admissions counseling. 

“For Harlem Lacrosse, the athletic component of lacrosse is really the hook that gets kids involved in our program – it’s what they get excited about, it’s what makes us different from a lot of academic-focused programs,” Dan said. “By mixing those in the summer, it gives kids something to get excited about and also another area where they can learn in a different environment from the classroom, so the kids are still learning, both in lacrosse and social-emotional skills, while they’re in lacrosse.” 

Part of the Harlem Lacrosse model requires students to attend daily study halls led by the Program Director to complete their schoolwork and build academic skills. As the Program Director for the boy’s team at the Mildred Ave site, Dan acts as a tutor, mentor, and coach for the students in the program and is a daily presence in the school throughout the year, which is how he first met Quan.

“He didn’t like the academic side of school – he got frustrated with study halls before practice, and didn’t like the structured, academic work,” Dan said. “But he blossomed during the summer program, when all school sites come together at the Mildred, so he was with kids from other schools, other teachers, program directors.”

Harlem Lacrosse encourages students to set high expectations to build confidence, teamwork, and perseverance on and off the field. In order to measure student success, they track both academic and athletic progress. Since its founding, 100% of participants in the program graduate middle school on time and pass classes at a rate 20% higher than other students at their schools.

“In summer academy, I was one of the best students in my class because of Coach Hanley. He helped me with multiplying fractions, and he helped me develop my skills,” Quan said. 

“He grew a lot and was able to get more practice and repetition at his math and reading skills – all of those benefits that you see from consistent academic work in the summer,” Dan said. “We saw that he came back in 6th grade and his academic habits and his views toward being a student changed.”

An integral part of the program is relationships with local colleges such as Boston University, offering students the chance not only to visit college campuses but to speak with students about their academic paths. To date, Harlem Lacrosse participants have earned over $27 million in scholarship offers. The connection between playing lacrosse and college athletics, along with health and social-emotional benefits, makes lacrosse instruction a fundamental part of the program.

“It also provides us an opportunity to show parallels between the learning they’re doing on the field and the learning they’re doing in the classroom and how things like having a growth mindset and showing resilience and effort can translate to both of those areas,” Dan said.

Dan saw Quan develop a growth mindset at Summer Academy, in part because of the specialized attention he was able to receive from the variety of adults involved in the program. From teachers and program directors from five sites to interns and volunteer coaches, students are supported in their athletic, academic, and social-emotional growth.

“One thing is I’m learning to control my temper, because usually when something doesn’t go my way, I get kind of mad or have a temper when I do my work,” Quan said. “But then, Coach Hanley cheers me back up, and makes sure that I get my work done.” 

During the summer program, students start their day connecting with their peers, then have academic sessions focused on math and reading in the morning, followed by lunch and then outdoor activities including lacrosse, basketball, and bubble soccer in the afternoon. Another component is the trip to Maine for Summer Bounce at Camp Cedar, a camp run by Harlem Lacrosse that emphasizes teamwork and character building along with offering activities like fishing, archery, tubing, and zip-lining, in addition to lacrosse. Participants from Boston as well as New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia earn the opportunity to go to Camp Cedar by attending Summer Academy every day. 

“They learn commitment and we really reward students who show commitment throughout the summer and show consistency in their attendance and their efforts during the summer,” Dan said. “Those are skills that are certainly going to be useful in the coming academic year and in life and athletics.”

Through meeting and collaborating with peers, community-focused learning, career exploration, individualized academic support, and lacrosse instruction, Harlem Lacrosse participants develop not only as athletes and students, but also as leaders and community members. 

“A lot of our kids are not able to participate in enrichment programs during the summer and this program is free, it provides an opportunity for them to engage with friends, it provides an opportunity for them to get academic preparation for their next school year, and it provides an opportunity for them to have fun and participate in an activity that they really enjoy,” Dan said.

Quan has continued to participate in the program through the school year and was looking forward to returning to Summer Academy this summer.

“I want to have fun and I want to show Coach Hanley that I love the lacrosse team and I will always show commitment,” Quan said. 

Exploring Professional Options through Apprentice Learning

Nevaeh has an impressive resume, participating in experiences at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Trinity Financial, and the State House. At 14 years old, she understands the realities of employment in a wide variety of professional fields due to her involvement with Apprentice Learning.

“You get to do something you enjoy,” Nevaeh said. “The beautiful thing about Apprentice Learning is you can try things more than once.  If you try something and it’s not for you, they’ll help you find something new that really interests you.”

Apprentice Learning partners with Boston Public Schools and offers career education programs for seventh and eighth-grade students, designed to teach essential work skills and expose students to different careers and adults who are passionate about their professions. This allows students to make a clear connection between success in school and a satisfying, productive work life.

Nevaeh completed the Apprenticeship program as a student at the BTU School. After six weeks of classroom instruction by Apprentice Learning staff, Nevaeh went to work at Mike’s Fitness, a Jamaica Plain gym, for two hours a week for six weeks.

“I wanted to work for as long as I can remember because I’ve always wanted the independence. I’ve been raised to be very self-sufficient thanks to my mom,” Nevaeh said. “All around it made me a better person because I learned about financial responsibility.”

Apprentice Learning’s ability to prepare students for future employment is strikingly apparent for Nevaeh – after participating two years ago in City Summer Internship, a paid career exploration program for girls, and the apprenticeship program as an eighth-grade student, she will be an employed peer leader for the City Summer Internship this summer. As a peer leader, she’ll be responsible for overseeing and supporting the younger students participating in the program.

Nevaeh’s experience with Apprentice Learning has taught her many new skills, from the specifics of extracting DNA at Vertex to maintaining accurate records at Mike’s Fitness to more general skills like writing thank you notes and resumes, and managing money and time.

One aspect of City Summer Internship was a stipend for working, but money was deducted if students were late. Traveling as a group sometimes led to scrambling to arrive on time, but Nevaeh boasts that they were never late.

“I intended to get the full amount that I was owed,” Nevaeh said. “Now I always allow myself a certain amount of time just in case something goes wrong, like if the bus is five minutes late, I have enough time to get there in time.”

Time management was one of the key skills Nevaeh developed from her Apprentice Learning experience. Nevaeh also reflects on the things she’s learned about herself in Apprentice Learning and plans to apply this knowledge to her future career. She wants to study criminal law and have a minor in business.

“Being a lawyer, I feel like I’ll be able to better understand people and what they’re going through.  If I have a client who has trouble articulating what they want to say, I can help them because I understand where they’re coming from, so it’ll provide me with a better emotional connection with people and it’ll help me get my point across,” Nevaeh said. “You can tell somebody something, but if you can emotionally connect with them and have them feel what you have to say, it makes a deeper impact.”  

In addition to learning crucial social skills, Nevaeh has appreciated the opportunity to “get a little taste of everything” and explore different professional options, whether it’s working in a lab, island ecology, or stock management.

“It makes it easier to know what you want to do because you’ve been in that environment,” Nevaeh said. “You’re able to make a better and informed decision about your career.”

Even the experience of having a job has been meaningful for Nevaeh. The responsibility that comes with having a job has prepared her for future employment while giving her the chance to try new things.

“I know a lot of people in my communities who don’t get this opportunity,” Nevaeh said. “I thought it was amazing and a really good thing everybody should try at least once in their life, because you grow so much as a person.”

Celebrating 10 Years of Summer Learning at the Burke

Closing opportunity and achievement gaps for high schoolers may sound like a lofty goal, but for the five-week Summer Learning Academy at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School, the unique combination of academic support, mentoring, enrichment, and employment aims to do just that.

“We wanted to create something unique to the school that basically had some different but very important parts: workforce development for the students, social-emotional learning, as well as academic instruction,” said Jonathan Rosenthal, Boston Private Industry Council’s School-to-Career Assistant Director.

Achieving this required collaboration between three distinct organizations – the Private Industry Council (PIC) finding youth worksite placement, the Burke providing the academic component for summer school credit, and Freedom House bringing enrichment for youth development.

“Providing children with a 12-month opportunity to be engaged in learning, whether it’s learning in the classroom or learning while beyond the walls of the classroom and in the workplace, is meaningful in a number of respects,” said Dr. Lindsa McIntyre, headmaster at the Burke. “It introduces the idea to students that these things that I learn in the context of school are applicable to my life’s space. They work outside of the building, in a job or in an internship, so that’s really, really important.”

Community partners make it possible for students who need to take summer courses to remain on track for graduation, but also need summer employment to provide for themselves and their families. The Burke Summer Learning Academy does both in a way that engages these students in learning beyond the classroom.

“The Boston PIC has prided itself on not just providing students with an opportunity to earn a paycheck, but we believe the workplace is a learning place.  And that students can not only focus on sharpening their job specific skills (how to type, how to file, how to work as a camp counselor) but also improve their employability skills,” Rosenthal said. “When a student has their first job, it isn’t paramount what they are doing or where.  The key is helping them understand that there are certain habits they will take from job to job, or career to career.  Showing up on time, the ability to accept constructive criticism, speaking and listening clearly are vital regardless of where you work.  In order to be successful you must get these down first. Then the student will start to identify what they are good at and combine it with what they are passionate about.”    

For alumni of the program’s first year in 2010, the lessons they’ve learned have translated into success at the Burke beyond high school. Odelis Tejeda currently serves as the school police officer at the Burke, and hopes to impact students’ lives the same way his was in the Burke Summer Learning Academy.

“When I came back, I wanted to give what was given to me, which is guidance, advice, wisdom,” Tejeda said. “I just want to give back to the students here what was given to m

Tying in work with academics was particularly beneficial for Tejeda. He spent his summer with the program doing administrative work for a construction company. This was the first time he’d received a paycheck, teaching him about taxes and savings accounts, which eventually gave him the opportunity to buy his first car.

“The job made me develop responsibility,” Tejeda said. “It helped me value a job, be responsible, value and save my money, and spend money wisely.”

In addition to the academic and professional components of the Burke Summer Learning Academy, Tejeda was strongly impacted by the mentorship that is foundational to the program. Tejeda aspires to act as a mentor to the school community in the same way that Jon Rosenthal was a mentor to him. 

“The fact that he caught me right there, right before we exit the school and graduate, it meant a lot to me,” Tejeda said. “It was really inspiring and motivating.  I find myself doing that now, not offering jobs, but giving youth guidance working as a school police officer.”

Tejeda isn’t the only alum who returned to the Burke post-graduation. Fredrika Lawson graduated from the Burke in 2011 and became a staff member for the PIC. She chose to go back and assist with the Burke program she had participated in.

“It was an awesome experience for me to actually be in the program, and then graduate from the program to see what it was like from the outside looking in,” Lawson said.

Like Tejeda, Lawson found a mentor in the Northeastern professor she worked with over the summer, while collecting data and doing outreach regarding youth violence prevention.

“She took time out of her day – after our work hours were done – texting us asking how we were doing,” Lawson said. “It showed us dedication and made us want to push forward and help her with this data she was looking for.  She was actually trying to help us as youth, to branch off. I’ve always had a mature mindset, but personally for me, it showed me that you’re not by yourself – you have someone in your corner that cares about you.  You have to just believe.”

Apart from the valuable social connections made in the program, Lawson also credits the program with teaching the students responsibility, time management, and patience, all of which contributed to the transition from youth to adulthood. Mr. Omolo, a math teacher who taught Algebra 2 at the Burke Summer Learning Academy for seven years, agrees that the program drastically impacts students’ growth.

“Most of them would really know how to express themselves and how they feel about what’s going on,” Omolo said. “It was almost like moving from being a child to being a responsible teenager or a responsible young adult. It was so rapid – from the first day of meeting in the summer to the time they’re getting out they’d have such a change in behavior.”

The focus on how students could benefit from exposure to more math content over the summer provided a healthier learning environment than a traditional summer school. Omolo credits the varying academic levels as an important aspect of the summer learning program as well as the development of leadership among students.

“They felt so good about themselves and part of that came from the leadership,” Omolo said. “Apart from teaching them math, what was really impactful was the leadership.”

According to Omolo, another significant aspect of the program was the fact that students were learning on a college campus, like Roxbury Community College or Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. This was a novel experience for the students and inspired many of them to look at their future and decide to continue their education at a college.

“Being able to integrate what they’re learning in school and what they’re exposed to beyond the walls of the school in such a way, it grew them and built confidence in them,” McIntyre said. “It allowed them to begin to take responsibility to own their learning, to grow as individuals and not be followers but to step into leadership. Being able to have that level of an opportunity allows schools to become more efficient. In addition to that, when you build someone’s esteem, their self-actualization, their confidence, they’re ready to try new things.”

Another integral aspect of the summer learning program for Omolo was the pairing of academics with an internship where students had the opportunity to hold a job, which he saw as a “double learning” that addressed responsibility in more than one way. While Omolo wasn’t directly involved in the internship, the students kept him well-informed, even sharing how they empathized with him because of their own experiences teaching younger students.

“It was like a life experience where they used this work to promote what they want to do in the future,” Omolo said. “It made them try to focus more in class. Work made them more responsible, which was really missing in other summer or enrichment programs.” 

The impact of having enrichment and employment was apparent for Omolo’s students in their academic work as they went on to successfully learn the math content they may have struggled with in the school year.

“The big thing that stuck out to me was students saying they could learn the math now because of the different environment and the different group of students,” Omolo said. “They’d testify that they didn’t learn the math in class because they weren’t paying attention and other students weren’t paying attention but right now they were learning because everyone was trying to be focused. I heard that over and over and over.”

The Burke Summer Learning Academy’s unique combination of academics, enrichment, and employment enables students at risk of falling behind during the year a chance to gain learning experiences that extend far beyond their high school success and ultimately benefits the entire community.

“Starting this work as an underperforming school, in partnering with Boston After School & Beyond in the summer learning initiative, it was a strategy to help us close the gap. And it led this school to be the first high school and the only high school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to exit turnaround,” McIntyre said. “That’s what summer learning will do for you – create continuums of opportunities for kids to keep thinking, to keep growing and to keep practicing their socialization.”

Boston Students Begin “5th Quarter” During National Summer Learning Week City Recognized as National Leader in Innovative, Enriching Summer Learning

BOSTON – Wednesday, July 10, 2019 – Students from across Boston this week start the “5thQuarter of Learning,” using the city’s amazing natural and local resources as a classroom to have fun, learn critical life skills, and help slow the summer slide.

Boston students, many of whom can’t afford traditional summer programs, joined city, state and national leaders today at Courageous Sailing on Boston Harbor to showcase Boston’s role as a leader that is inspiring cities across Massachusetts and around the nation to rethink summer learning and enrichment.

“My summer learning experiences at Courageous Sailing have taught me skills I will use in the workplace and in any learning environment: to build connections with the people around me, solve problems, step up and take charge when needed,” said Urvi Gipstein, a Courageous Sailing student instructor and rising junior at Boston Latin School.

More than 47,000 students have benefitted from Boston’s summer learning efforts since its launch in 2010, making it a singular success for the students and families of Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh, the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and all its partners.

“The Boston Public Schools’ 5th Quarter is a national model for summer learning programming that ensures access to enriching opportunities for every student,” said BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius. “I’m so grateful to Boston After School & Beyond and all of our partner organizations that contribute to this community effort, enabling our youth to remain active and engaged, learning all year round.”

At the event, held during National Summer Learning Week, the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) recognized Boston’s national leadership, acknowledging its model as one that other cities can embrace.

“Boston is leading the way on summer learning,” said Aaron Philip Dworkin, CEO of NSLA. “It is a shining example of how a city can mobilize its resources to ensure that kids have incredible learning opportunities like the ones offered here at Courageous Sailing.”

“We are proud that our citywide summer learning partnership serves as a positive example of what the summer months can do for our young people and their ongoing education,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “Boston has prioritized helping all students have access to fun and meaningful enrichment activities every summer and we are excited to host the National Summer Learning Association to share with others the impact of the 5th Quarter on our students, families, and communities.”

As an example of summer learning excellence in Boston, NSLA presented Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center with the 2019 Lands’ End Love Learning Summer Learning Award. Over the last 15 years, Thompson Island is the fifth recipient from Boston to receive NSLA’s Excellence in Summer Learning Awards, supported by the New York Life Foundation.

Boston’s summer learning system, now known as the 5th Quarter of Learning, has tallied over $20 million in public and private investment, including nearly $3.2 million from BPS this year. Most recently, Massachusetts allocated more than $500,000 to extend summer learning to 19 communities across the state in order to develop and expand high quality programming for 2,200 students this summer.

“The Department is pleased to support the expansion of summer learning initiatives across the Commonwealth,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley said. “This investment will help keep students learning, growing, questioning and collaborating in the months when school is out.”

Boston After School & Beyond, which co-manages the 5th Quarter of Learning with the Boston Public Schools, released a “Summer For All” report at the event, detailing lessons learned from the initiative’s 10-year history.

“The growth of the 5th Quarter shows what can happen when leaders from the public, philanthropic, and nonprofits leaders pursue a shared goal over time,” said Chris Smith, Executive Director of Boston After School & Beyond.

Other cities across the nation have taken note of and adapted models similar to Boston, including Albuquerque, Charleston, and Nashville.  “We came into office with a goal of increasing summer program access, and over the last year and a half we’ve seen enrollment grow to almost 25,000 young people,” said Tim Keller, Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Seeing Boston’s initiative in person helped focus our efforts and successfully see our programs take off.”

Boston Summer Learning Reaches Record High Student Participation in 10th Year

BOSTON – On Monday, May 20th Mayor Walsh, incoming Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, school officials, and community partners gathered at Zoo New England to launch the 2019 5th Quarter of Learning, Boston’s nation-leading summer learning model that will reach over 14,000 students this summer. Capping 10 years of innovation and growth in 2019, this public-private partnership continues to close opportunity and achievement gaps for more Boston students each year.

“Learning shouldn’t stop when the school year does, and that’s why through this initiative we’re providing opportunities for students to continue their education over the summer,” said Mayor Walsh.  “I am proud that Boston continues to lead the way in providing more opportunities for young people to learn and grow year-round.”

The Franklin Park Zoo was a fitting setting to celebrate this milestone, as 30 elementary school students will spend 5 weeks there applying math and science lessons to the real world, making the Zoo their classroom for the summer.

“The Zoo – and so many other places like it – are extending the lessons from the classroom to the community this summer,” said Dr. Charles Grandson, Chief Academic Officer for the Boston Public Schools.  “Because of the 5th Quarter, thousands of Boston students no longer have to choose between learning and fun.  In fact, by integrating academics and enrichment, teachers and their program partners are showing that learning is fun.”

In addition to learning at the Zoo, students in the 5th Quarter will engage in hands-on activities in enriching settings like Courageous Sailing, Simmons College, MassArt, and Harlem Lacrosse. Providing opportunities to learn new skills in new situations, the 5th Quarter helps students build key life readiness skills, like critical thinking, perseverance, and collaboration, in addition to academic content.

“From tennis to lacrosse, sailing to boating, entrepreneurship to workplace experiences, to exploring the Zoo, all of these together represent the power and promise of summer learning,” said Chris Smith, Executive Director of Boston After School & Beyond.

Students from Chittick Elementary School in Hyde Park and Harvard-Kent Elementary School in Charlestown also joined in the celebration, interacting with some of the Zoo’s smaller inhabitants alongside Mayor Walsh and their teachers.

“The 5th Quarter allows our students to build upon what they’ve learned in the school year, and continue to apply and activate that learning in new ways,” said Michelle Burnett, Principal of Chittick Elementary School. “When the school year comes around, we see these students come back with a willingness and a mindset toward learning.”

Research has shown that a substantial portion of the achievement gap between low-income students and their higher-income peers can be explained by unequal access to high quality summer learning opportunities.  The RAND Corporation and the Wallace Foundation indicated that this summer learning model, in which students engage in academics and enrichment with BPS teachers and program staff, provides high attending students with statistically significant advantages in math and English Language Arts that persist throughout the entire school year.

The 5th Quarter was launched in 2010, reaching 232 students through 5 school-community partnerships.  Fueled by private philanthropy and increasing investments from the Boston Public Schools, over the past 10 years the initiative has scaled to reach a projected 14,000 students through 160 programs in summer 2019.  Through these strong public-private partnerships, the 5th Quarter has transitioned the traditional summer school model to a citywide summer learning system. 

“The philanthropy that goes on in this city, it’s just remarkable not only what individual foundations and corporate funders do, but how we work together and share the credit,” stated Paul Grogan, President & CEO of The Boston Foundation.

The Boston Public Schools are investing $3.2 million to support 69 school and community programs, expecting to activate learning for 6,500 students including those experiencing homelessness, English Learners, and students off-track to graduate.

“There are things in the schools that we can work on, but there are so many ways that we can partner with the community to really wrap around children in systems of families and communities, and this is just such a great opportunity to demonstrate already the things that are working within Boston,” incoming Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said.

Boston’s summer learning efforts have taken hold across the state, with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently allocating more than $500,000 to extend summer learning to 19 communities across the state.  This funding will support the development and expansion of high quality programming for approximately 2,200 students this summer.

“Boston’s summer learning partners have transformed a good idea into public policy, enabling more students to have the kind of enriching summers that will equip them to succeed in school and beyond,” said Chris Smith.

Mayor Walsh emphasized the need for more summer learning support in the future.  “We want all kids in Boston and Massachusetts to have access to these kinds of opportunities,” he stated.  “We see the benefits of this program here in Boston. We need more partners to get involved.  I invite the business community, higher education, and philanthropy to help us ensure that every child has access to high quality learning all year round.”