Berklee College of Music

The City Music Faculty Outreach program provides an array of services to schools to greatly increase and improve students' exposure to quality music instruction. This program will provide the resources to enhance the music curriculum, train teachers, and offer principal mentoring, as well as provide direct instrumental music instruction to a wider circumference of schools through an "anchor-school" model. The FO program seeks to maintain services in a cohort of 11 schools, while expanding to seven additional schools over the next two years for a total of 18 Boston Schools.

Boston Debate League

Seed funded through the 2009 Showcase, the Boston Debate League introduced its innovative Debate Across the Curriculum in five BPS schools. This successful program delivers coordinated professional development that includes year-long support for high school teachers to use a variety of competitive debate skills within the classroom, increasing academic skills and student engagement in learning. With the support of the BOston Public Schools, this program plans to expand to a total of 15 high schools and five middle schools in the next two years.

Boston International High School and Newcomers Academy

Boston International High School and Newcomers Academy merged in the fall of 2011 to become the central program in the district to serve high school students who are English Language Learners, many of whom are recent immigrants and who enter the school system throughout the academic school year. This initiative will provide the resources for teachers to develop and implement a foundational program that provides instructional strategies in reading comprehension, vocabulary development and study skills within the context of creaing a comprehensive educational model to best serve this targeted student population

BPS Algebra in the 8th Grade Expansion

This initiative aims to accelerate academic achievement in math by increasing the number of students with access to and success in Algebra in the 8th grade. In 2008, less than 1% of students who were not in one of Boston's three selective exam schools had access to an 8th grade Algebra course. Over the past two years, since EdVestors began investing in the BPS Algebra Expansion, this percentage has increased to over 20% of non-exam 8th grade students. This funding not only supports continued expansion across the district, but also provides additional supports to teachers and students to ensure the success of students taking Algebra and prepare them for higher level math courses in high school.

Dotwell - Fix the Foundation

Fix the Foundation is a multi-school project of the Dorchester Family School Initiative that provides targeted literacy intervention for first graders who are behind grade level in reading proficiency. Funds will support the continuation of this program during a time of transition in the schools involved. The Fix the Foundation literacy initiative is closely aligned with BPS Superintendent's Acceleration Agenda to have all students reading at grade level by the end of first grade.

MATCH Community Day Charter School

Slated to Open in the fall of 2011, the new MATCH Community Day Charter School will focus its efforts on increasing the academic achievement of English Language Learners and low-income students. The MATCH Community Day School will combine the hallmarks of the existing MATCH School (extended day, intensive, individualized tutoring for every student, and a relentless focus on academic achievement) with the successful ELL instructional strategies and family programs of the Community Day Charter Public School of Lawrence to provide an exceptional educational opportunity for Boston students and their families.

Sociedad Latina

Sociedad Latina's initiative to Build Cultural Proficiency in the Boston Public Schools aims to improve academic conditions and outcomes for students of diverse cultural backgrounds. Partnering with the Tobin K-8 School in Mission Hill, this work includes training for both teachers and administrators and the development of a toolkit that will include the resources needed to better understand and serve Boston's diverse student population. Sociedad Latina, a youth development and community-based organization, will lead the initiative and provide expertise in working with Latino youth and families.

UP Academy Charter School

UP Academy Charter School, a new BPS in-district charter school, will open in Fall 2011 serving about 450 students in grades 6-8. The launch of UP Academy represents the "restart" of the Patrick F. Gavin Middle School, an underperforming district middle school that closed at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. In addition to serving the rising 7th and 8th grade students previously enrolled at the Gavin, the school will also educate an incoming cohort of 6th grade students chosen through a public lottery. UP Academy will partner with Unlocking Potential, a non-profit school turnaround organization that will provide management and educational services for the school.