Saving Miss Oliver’s

The next several posts will feature Aim High, a superb summer program at the intersection of academics and youth development for low income Bay Area middle school youth.  Disclosure: I am on the board and have been for many years because as a life-long educator I know excellent teaching and curriculum and the value of summer learning programs for low income students.  Aim High is well-named: It inspires high goals for young people who otherwise might not even imagine them, and it builds the love of learning and study skills to reach those goals. If you are looking for a great program to support, this is one of the very best.

Much of what follows is quoted directly from the Aim High website: www.aimhigh.org

Aim High: Overview

The mission of Aim High is to inspire a life-long love of learning and instill a sense of community, opportunity, and respect so that students are prepared for success in school and life.

Aim High is the largest academic summer program provider in the Bay Area, operating campuses in San Francisco, Oakland, Marin County and San Mateo County. The program combines intensive, engaging and challenging academic classes with activities and events that create opportunities for leadership development and community exploration. Students join after 5th or 6th grade, and participate for three or four consecutive summers – at no cost to them or their families. The organization has grown from one site, serving 50 students in 1986, to twelve sites in four counties serving more than 1,000 students.

Over the last 25 years, Aim High has changed the lives of over 5,000 low-income youth. By reaching youth during the critical transition from childhood to adulthood, Aim High instills a deep love of learning through an engaging, personalized and supportive summer school program. The key to Aim High’s success is the network of support built around young people over the course of their years in the program. The majority of the youth we serve come from low-income families, live in under-resourced neighborhoods, and will be the first in their families to graduate from college.

Aim High not only prepares students for success in high school and higher education, but is also committed to encouraging talented young adults to serve their communities and to consider teaching as a career. We hire and train hundreds of high school and college students to teach in the summer, and hire experienced teachers who mentor the younger, less experienced teachers in the program. Many of Aim High’s faculty members are graduates of Aim High and serve as powerful role models for our students.

The 2010 Aim High Summer Program served:

1071 Students
662 in San Francisco
184 in Oakland
137 in Redwood City/East Palo Alto
88 in Marin City/San Rafael

98% Students of Color
41% Asian/Pacific Islander
35% Latino
14% African American
8% Multi/Other
2% Caucasian

73% Poverty/Low-Income Level Households
Average Income: $34,300
Median Income: $23,400

91% Public School students
5% Parochial School students
4% Independent School students

60% speak a language other than English at home

66% will be the first in the family to graduate college

 

Why Summer Matters:

Middle school is a crucial juncture in making a difference in young people’s lives and the purpose of Aim High is to reach students at this critical crossroads and propel them towards success in high school and college. Research has shown that sustained intervention during the middle school years goes a long way to keeping students engaged in their education.

• Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Low-income students also lose more than two months in reading achievement, despite the fact that their middle-class peers make slight gains (Cooper, 1996).

 

• More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college (Alexander et al, 2007).

 

• Children lose more than academic knowledge over the summer. Most children—particularly children at high risk of obesity—gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school during summer break (Von Hippel et al, 2007).

 

• Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do (Duffett et al, 2004).

 

• For every 100 students in the U.S. who begin ninth grade, 67 finish high school in four years and only 38 go to college. (Mortenson, T. (2000). NCES-IPEDS graduation rate survey. Postsecondary Education Opportunity.)

 

• As they get older, poor children and children of color are left behind because of their lack of access to enrichment activities during the summer and after school. (Benson & Saito, 2000; Clark, 1998; Copper, Charlton, Valentine & Muhlenbruck, 2000)

 

• Only one in ten high school students of color in the United States today is likely to graduate from college within four years. (Scholar Jay Greene)

Aim High Results

Results from 2010 surveys of students, teachers, families and graduates indicate that students benefit from attending Aim High in five critical areas.

Students have a positive attitude toward learning.

• 91% say that they feel more confident about next year’s schoolwork.
• 95% report that Aim High helped them become more excited about learning new things.
• 96% of parents say that their students are excited about learning at Aim High.

Students are confident, motivated and engaged in school and have strong learning skills.

• 90% of students report improvement in math at Aim High, 90% in science and 85% in reading and writing.
• 95% of parents report that their students are better prepared to learn because of Aim High.
• Over the course of 5 weeks, Aim High students increased their math assessment scores by 15%.

Students feel a sense of community belonging and healthy, valued relationships with peers & adults.

• 95% of students feel safe at Aim High and  91% of students feel respected by other students.
• 94% of students report that they made new friends.
• 93% say that they found a positive adult role model.

Students make a successful transition to high school and graduate on time.

• 97% of Aim High alumni completed high school on time.
• 95% of Aim High alumni are enrolled in college.
• More than half of alumni credit Aim High with impacting their on-time graduation from high school.

Aim High increases students’ understanding of the path to college.

• 84% of students and parents report that students learned why California’s A-G requirements are important.
• 83% learned about new careers that interested them.
• 92% of students say that Aim High helped them understand the relationship between High School and going to college.

Benefits for Teachers

Veteran and novice teachers at Aim High benefit from teaching in an environment that is collaborative, creative and highly supportive.

• 75% of teachers say that their site directors gave them valuable feedback about their teaching.
• 96% report that resources provided by Aim High helped them teach effectively.
• 96% say that Aim High has helped their personal and professional growth.
• Because of Aim High, 46% of TAs and Interns say that they are considering going into teaching.

 

Awards & Recognition

• The Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University selected Aim High as one of three 2008 recipients of the Excellence in Summer Learning Award.
• Bank of America awarded Aim High the highly competitive Neighborhood Builders Award. The award consisted of a $200,000 grant over two years and professional development opportunities for senior leadership.