Teaching and Learning

The summer school program has always been and remains the heart of our work, but other key initiatives build on our strengths and support our mission. Teaching & Learning is one of the key components of our work and focuses on refining and documenting the summer school curriculum and further developing our training for teachers.

Aim High is committed to recruiting a diverse and talented cadre of teachers, and to providing high quality professional development and teacher training for all teachers.  Aim High hires talented teachers who closely reflect the student population served by the organization.  Of the 263 faculty members employed last summer, 69% were teachers of color and 46% were bilingual.

Aim High provides opportunities for professional development and collaboration among teachers, serving as a "teaching laboratory" for both veteran and novice teachers. Veteran Lead Teachers deepen their knowledge by serving as mentors for college- and high school-age Teaching Interns and Teaching Assistants. In addition, Aim High offers teachers from public, private and parochial schools the chance to work together, learning from and teaching each other, while helping urban students learn science, mathematics, and critical reading and thinking skills. 76% of professional educators who teach at Aim High report that the experience helped advance their personal and professional growth.

Aim High also serves a pipeline for new teachers and young leaders to enter the field of education. Many of the high school-aged Teaching Assistants and college-aged Teaching Interns express that Aim High inspired them to go into teaching; 67% of Interns and TAs report that they are considering degrees or careers in education because of their experience with Aim High. Furthermore, many TAs and Interns are from the communities we serve. 54% of TAs and Interns at legacy sites* are themselves Aim High graduates. (*excludes sites founded in the last 4 years, whose graduates are not yet old enough to return as teachers.)

In June, all Aim High faculty and staff attend a one-week Faculty Institute before the summer program began. During that week, faculty members attend one day of training off-site together with Aim High faculty from other sites. They participate in a full day of workshops designed specifically for their teaching experience and subject area expertise. Special emphasis was placed on planning and implementing high quality hands-on projects.  The remainder of the week is spent developing lessons plans and preparing activities, planning for assemblies and organizing Cultural Days. Throughout the summer, Teaching Interns and Teaching Assistants participated in weekly faculty meetings. In addition, all faculty members participated in Peer Observations, practicing giving and receiving feedback on their teaching.