This year, part of the school turnaround effort for three struggling Mission District middle schools will be a new Aim High summer program.
Funded by a School Improvement Grant through the US Department of Education’s highly competitive Race to the Top initiative, the new site will provide free summer academic enrichment for 60 students from Everett, Horace Mann, and Paul Revere Middle Schools.
This summer, nearly 1 out of 10 7th graders in San Francisco applied for a spot at Aim High. Aim High is able to accept only 55% of qualified applicants. Aim High’s 6 existing sites draw students from all over San Francisco, while the newest site will serve students from Everett, Mann and Revere exclusively.
A growing body of research shows that summer learning is critical for students. Lack of summer learning opportunities contributes significantly to the achievement gap between low-income students and their higher-income peers. District officials hope that Aim High’s 5-week summer program will help a core group of students from these three schools boost their academic skills and gain the confidence and love of learning that will make them leaders in the classroom.
Eric Gutherz, principal of Mission High School, welcomed the opportunity to open his doors to Aim High. As an Aim High site director from 2006-2007 at Aim High @ Gateway, Gutherz witnessed the impact that Aim High has on students and families, and the dire need for programs like Aim High that get kids excited about learning and provide a critical bridge between school years.
Says Gutherz, “Through authentic community building, powerful academics, and truly engaging and exciting summer programming, Aim High creates a meaningful, life changing, and often magical summer for all of our students. For many years we have needed an Aim High in the Mission to serve and support this deeply diverse community. I am so excited that now the Mission has Aim High!”
Veteran Site Director Kate Baker and Aim High teacher Chrissy Flores will direct the site.
A Visiting Day at the new Mission site is scheduled for Thursday, July 21st, 8:00-9:30 AM. To RSVP or find out more about Aim High @ Mission High, email Kat White at kat@aimhigh.org.
More New Stuff for Summer 2011 | Aim High – Reach for a Dream
[…] addition to our newest site at Mission High School and our partnership with Voice of Witness (see posts below), Aim High is excited for these new […]