BUILDING SKILLS, CREATING OPPORTUNITY

BOSTON LEARNS TOGETHER

Boston is a city rich with learning potential. With vibrant parks and museums, outstanding colleges and businesses, and many dedicated nonprofits, Boston is a city where every child could spend summers and after-school hours engaged in meaningful, active learning.

A CITY OF OPPORTUNITY

At Boston After School & Beyond, we believe that all children should have access to stimulating learning opportunities that prepare them for college, careers, and fulfilling futures. Thats why weve engaged more than a hundred diverse stakeholders who are working together to make quality learning accessible to all Boston children in school, after school, and beyond.

A CITY THAT WORKS TOGETHER

This year Boston After School & Beyond will

PARTNER with more than 100 local organizations

ENGAGE 70 public schools

SUPPORT 150 educators to provide engaging programming that builds college-ready skills

EXPAND access to enriching learning opportunities for 10,000 Boston children

When we use our city as a classroom, we put young people on a path to success and

build a stronger city for everyone.

~ MAYOR MARTIN J WALSH

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By 6th grade, middle class children have spent an average of 6,000 more hours learning than children born into poverty. That includes:

This disparity explains as much as two-thirds of the achievement gap between lower-income youth and their peers. It is a challenge that plagues communities across the country.

Source: ExpandED Schools (formerly TASC), 2013

3,060HOURS OF AFTER-SCHOOL AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR

PROGRAMMING

1,080HOURS OF

SUMMER LEARNING

245HOURS OF

FIELD TRIPS

TODAYS OPPORTUNITY GAP

Closing the opportunity gap is a bigbut achievablegoal, one that requires a coordinated response among schools, businesses, colleges, nonprofits, cultural institutions, and the funding community.

Thats where we come in.

For a decade Boston After School & Beyond has been building bridges across diverse sectors and stakeholders, all committed to improving outcomes for Boston youth. We play four important roles.

A GOAL WITHIN REACH The Boston After School

& Beyond partnership has created unparalleled opportunities for Boston

youth. Now, our goal must be to do more, until we can offer such opportunities to

every student.

~ SUPERINTENDENT TOMMY CHANG

We UNIFY diverse organizations

We BUILD capacity

We MEASURE progress

We CREATE new models of learning3

I learned so many things at Thompson Island. It was exciting being outside in the ecosystems experiencing the things we learned about in class.

~ 7TH-GRADE DEARBORN STEM ACADEMY STUDENT

As soon as students step off of the boat at Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center, they realize they are in for a different kind of learning experience. Known for its quality team-building and expeditionary learning programs, the Thompson Island Outward Bound program has been a partner to Boston schools for decades. In 2010 Thompson Island became one of the first Boston Summer Learning Project sites, working with Boston After School & Beyond to apply its unique expertise and resources to generate a measurable impact on student learning.

Today the island welcomes 92 students each summer for a five-week STEM curriculum that develops academic and social-emotional skills through hands-on outdoor experiences. Students spend mornings building math and literacy skills in science-themed classes taught by licensed teachers. In the afternoon, they take that learning out into the field, gathering data from salt marshes, identifying coastal species, and crafting strategies to protect vulnerable ecosystems from human impact. On alternating afternoons, campers participate in ropes courses and other classic Outward Bound activities that build relationship skills,

persistence, and other qualities associated with long-term success.

For students who struggle in traditional classrooms, this active summer learning experience is a breath of fresh airliterally. Participants report high levels of engagement, as well as feeling challenged and supported by adults and their peers. Back at school, their teachers and principals notice a difference too. One principal saw a huge turnaround in children whod struggled the previous year: They came back in such great shape Its having an impact on everybody.

City as a classroomPARTNER SPOTLIGHT

A MODEL THAT WORKS

Our model of summer learning has a direct impact on student outcomes. Boston was one of five cities to participate in the largest, most rigorous study on summer learning to date, finding students had a significant advantage in math upon returning to school in the fall, as compared to their non-participating peers.

(Wallace Foundation/RAND Corporation, 2014)

SUMMER LEARNING TAKES ROOTToday 16 organizations are implementing our rigorous model of academic learning and skill building; 63 others have voluntarily adopted common measurement tools to track their own impact alongside other programs. By 2017 the Summer Learning Community will expand on a model that works, growing to 100 sites serving over 10,000 children as Boston responds to a new goal set by the Mayor and Superintendent of Schools.

Our ambitions are even greater: By creating a culture of continuous improvement, we seek to transform summer learning for the entire city and influence research and practice nationwide.

100 PROGRAMS

BY 2017

16INNOVATION

SITES

63 OPT-IN

SITES

CITYWIDE IMPACT

NATIONAL INFLUENCE BEYOND

WALLSCLASSROOM

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Boston After School & Beyond shines a light on the quality work that community-based organizations are doing and helps us grow by sharing best practices and evaluation data on improving student skills. Were grateful for their committed partnership.

~ ALEX OLIVER-DVILA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOCIEDAD LATINA

Sociedad Latina empowers communities beginning with youth. Since 1968 this small nonprofit has equipped Latino youth to become confident adults and forces for positive change with programs that build academic, workforce, and civic skills and that foster artistic and cultural expression.

Several years ago, staff took a hard look at their programming, deciding to double down on areas of strength. Joining forces with Boston After School & Beyond allowed Sociedad Latina to deepen its focus on the middle school years, using summer months and after-school hours to keep this vulnerable age group engaged and on track for healthy futures.

Hosted at Simmons College, its six-week summer program serves 60 sixth through eighth graders, almost half of whom are English language learners. Morning classes focus on math, literacy, and language development, and popular afternoon electives in areas like

robotics, video production, and fashion design give students a chance to apply what theyre learning to complex projects that require teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and persistence.

These college-ready skillsemphasized across all Boston After School & Beyond partnershipsare in line with Sociedad Latinas mission. Throughout the school year staff work with many of the same youth to develop skills to keep on top of homework and make successful transitions to high school, college, and careers. The results have been impressive: For the past six years, every young person participating in Sociedad Latinas core programs has graduated and gone on to college or employment. Armed with the right skills, they are ready to take charge of their futures.

Skills that EmpowerPARTNER SPOTLIGHT

7CREDIT WHERE DUEThe ACT Skills Framework now serves as a platform for measuring and validating learning that happens beyond the school day. With support from Boston After School & Beyond, several partners are taking this approach a step further by issuing digital badges, a potentially game-changing approach that will allow young people to carry credit for learning experiences with them wherever they go.

BEYONDAcademics

Boston After School & Beyonds Achieve, Connect, Thrive (ACT) Skills Framework helps

schools, partners, and students focus their efforts on the skills that research links to

success in college and careers.

ACHIEVINGcritical thinking,

creativity, goal focus, organization

Thriving

Achi

eving

ConnectingSuccess

in School, College, AND

Life

CONNECTINGrelationships,

communication, teamwork, respect

THRIVINGwellbeing, drive, efficacy, awareness of self & others

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Everything that we learnwhether its about resiliency or how were connecting with kidswe apply to our programs. The data help us improve and help our partners see the value we bring.

~ TONI WILEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SPORTSMENS TENNIS & ENRICHMENT CENTER

At Sportsmens Tennis & Enrichment Center improvement is the mission. The first African-American tennis club in the country, Sportsmens uses tennis as a means to develop young leaders and fill gaps that limit opportunity. Recognizing that they could better address young peoples academic needs, Sportsmens signed on as a Summer Learning Project partner in 2010 and has worked with Boston After School & Beyond to design a summer model that shores up the skills of students who struggle academically or behaviorally.

The program serves 40 students for six weeks, combining the incentive of afternoons on the tennis court with mornings studying literacy and math with certified teachers.

This year, program staff reported a 23.4% increase in students literacy skills and a 35.7% increase in math, with similarly high rates of improvement in important skills

like communication. Feedback from outside observers pointed to areas for improvement as well, including class-to-class transitions.

Data points like these have been transformative. The evaluation tools give staff more information about program quality than they get from any other source. Working closely with Boston After School & Beyond, theyve used those data to inform staff training, curriculum, and service delivery for year-round programs. The data have also contributed to deeper collaboration with schools, opening two-way communication that helps educators on both sides align their efforts.

Transparency around data has helped Sportsmens elevate its efforts in the eyes of fellow educators, positioning staff to make an even more significant contribution to student learning.

Data Drives Improvement PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

99

MEASURES THAT MATTERMeasurement is a cross-cutting feature of Boston After School & Beyonds work. With common student data, community partners can see how they stack up against other providers, identify practices that work and those that need improvement, and deploy resources more strategically.

More than 100 organizations are currently working with BASB to evaluate program performance and impact, using a suite of observation and evaluation tools to assess:

student enrollment, attendance, and demographics

growth in math, literacy, and college-ready skills

program performance and delivery

student engagement in learning

BEYONDBusiness

As Usual

Boston After School & Beyonds partners participate in a multi-measure evaluation process that provides rich data on student and program performance. Our PRISM (Program Report for Improvement & System Measurement) reports help each program track their performance on an array of research-based indicators.

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IT TAKES A CITY

The ICA feels a unique responsibility to help

Boston students develop the critical skills of leadership, compassion, and creativity through engagement with

the arts. Were delighted to join with our peers to make such learning opportunities available across the city.

JILL MEDVEDOW, ELLEN MATILDA POSS DIRECTOR,

INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART/BOSTON

For the past decade, Boston After School & Beyond has brought educators and community leaders together to expand learning opportunities for Boston youth.

We recently united more than 70 institutions under a common agenda called Boston Learns Together. The signatories have committed their organizations to:

APPLY resources to achieve common goals for the citys youth.

WORK across institutional boundaries to share information and create seamless learning pathways.

TRACK progress with clear, common measures, sharing responsibility and accountability for results.

Our Partners

826 BostonAchieve at Noble and Greenough SchoolAction for Boston Community DevelopmentAmerica SCORES BostonArtists for HumanityBarr FoundationBerklee College of MusicBlack Ministerial AllianceBoston Area Health Education CenterBoston Centers for Youth & FamiliesBoston Childrens MuseumBoston Debate LeagueBoston Leaders for EducationBoston Opportunity AgendaBoston Partners in EducationBoston Private Industry CouncilBoston Public LibraryBoston Public SchoolsBoston Public Schools Office of English Language LearnersBoston Scholar AthletesBoston UniversityBostons Higher GroundBoys & Girls Clubs of BostonBPEBreakthrough Greater BostonBrigham and Womens Hospital Center for Community Health and Health EquityBuilding Educated Leaders for Life (BELL)Camp Harbor ViewCitizen SchoolsCity ConnectsCity Year BostonCitySproutsCollege Bound DorchesterCommunity Boat Building

Community Music Center of BostonCourageous Sailing CenterCrossroads for KidsDance with BooksDotHouse HealthDudley Street Neighborhood InitiativeEdVestorsEvery Hour CountsExpandEd SchoolsFor Kids Only Afterschool Freedom HouseFriends of the HernndezHale ReservationHarvard College for Public ServiceHarvard Family Research ProjectHarvard MEDscienceHere-in Our Motives Evolve (HOME) Horizons at Dedham Country DayHull Lifesaving MuseumHyde Square Task ForceImajine ThatInquilinos Boricuas en AccinInstitute of Contemporary Art/BostonLatino STEM AllianceLets Get ReadyLocal Initiatives Support Corporation Greater BostonMadison Park Technical Vocational High SchoolMass Audubons Boston Nature CenterMassachusetts 2020/National Center on Time & LearningMassachusetts Afterschool PartnershipMassachusetts General Hospital Center for Community Health ImprovementMassachusetts Institute of Technology Office of Engineering Outreach ProgramsMassArt Artward Bound

MathPOWERMissionSAFEMuseum of Science, BostonNational Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)Nellie Mae Education FoundationNew England AquariumNurturyPartners HealthCare SystemPhillips Brooks House AssociationPlayworksProgram in Education, Afterschool & Resiliency (PEAR)Sociedad LatinaSportsmens Tennis and Enrichment CenterSquashBustersState Street FoundationThe Steppingstone FoundationStrong Women, Strong GirlsSummer SearchTenacityThompson Island Outward Bound Education CenterJoseph M Tierney Learning CenterTrinity Boston FoundationuAspireUnitarian Universalist Urban Ministries Roxbury Youth ProgramsUnited Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack ValleyUniversity of Massachusetts BostonUphams Corner DRAMA CampUpward BoundUrbano ProjectVietnamese American Initiative for DevelopmentWentworth Institute of TechnologyYMCA of Greater BostonZoo New England 11

Boston After School & Beyond is building a movement to close Bostons opportunity gap. You can play a part. Join with more than 100 partners to:

make the most of Bostons rich learning resources

measure what matters

innovate and spread effective practice

expand quality learning experiences to every child

Thank YouBoston After School & Beyond collaborates with a diverse group of public and private partners that are committed to equity of opportunity for Boston youth. We are grateful for their generous support.

A Lean OrganizationBoston After School & Beyond spends 91 cents of every dollar on programs, supporting more and better opportunities for Bostons children.

HELP US CREATE OPPORTUNITY

CONNECT WITH US: BOSTONBEYOND.ORG

Barr FoundationThe Boston FoundationBoston Opportunity AgendaBoston Public SchoolsCharles Hayden FoundationCity of Boston Boston Centers for Youth & FamiliesEos FoundationEvery Hour CountsExpandED Schools

Klarman Family FoundationLiberty Mutual FoundationNellie Mae Education FoundationNoyce FoundationRobert and Myra Kraft Family FoundationUnited Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack ValleyThe Wallace FoundationThe Yawkey Foundation

GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE

FUNDRAISING

PROGRAM SUPPORT

Grants to others

Personnel

Professional Fees

Program Supplies

Other

Expenses

1%

91%

52%

16%

14%

3%6%

8%

AVERAGE ANNUAL BUDGET, FY13-15: $3,494,787

Board of DirectorsChristopher Byner*Interim Executive Director, Boston Centers for Youth & Families

Vanessa Calderon-RosadoChief Executive Officer, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accin

Tommy Chang*Superintendent, Boston Public Schools

Rahn DorseyChief of Education, City of Boston

Daniel Arrigg Koh* Chief of Staff, City of Boston

Josh KraftNicholas President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston

Judith Kurland

Wanda McClain, ChairVice President, Community Health and Health Equity, Brigham and Womens Hospital

Joseph McGrail, TreasurerVice President, Corporate Citizenship, State Street Corporation

Jill Medvedow, Vice ChairEllen Matilda Poss Director, Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

Kathy Plazak, ClerkPresident, Plazak & Associates

Paul Reville Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Education Policy and Administration, Harvard Graduate School of Education

*ex officio

StaffChris SmithPresident & Executive Director

Kelsey CowenData Fellow

Ellen DickensonProgram Director, Partnerships & STEM

Phil JacksonProgram Director, Teen Initiatives

Danielle KimDirector of Policy & Communications

David McAuleyProgram Director, Summer Learning

Sarah ShoemakerExecutive Assistant

Katie ToshDirector of Measurement

DESIGN: J Sherman Studio WRITING: Katie Bayerl PHOTOS: Casey Atkins (front cover, pp 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, inner back cover, back cover); Tiffany Knight (pp 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, inner back cover); Jeremy Skillings (inner front cover)

89 South Street Suite 601Boston, MA 02111617.345.5322www.bostonbeyond.org