What happens when Cambridge middle school students commit to 6 years of intensive out-of-school education? A breakthrough – that’s what!
Since 1992 Breakthrough Greater Boston (BTGB), both founded and based in Cambridge, has been providing tuition-free, year-round educational services to the most dedicated and motivated of Cambridge’s (and now Dorchester’s) underserved middle and high school students. Their mission of inspiring excitement for learning, creating paths to college, and promoting careers in education is brought to life through their unique middle school, high school, and teacher training programs.
When students sign on for this rigorous program in the sixth grade, they get a taste for the potential they have and the college education that is available to them. As they progress through the program and reach high school, they have the resources they need to ace their classes and secure admittance to four-year colleges. This is no small feat considering the rigor of the Breakthrough program, the time commitment required (including giving up summers), and the fact that they must complete the Breakthrough program in addition to completing all other regular schoolwork. That’s what I call dedication!
But BTGB isn’t just about students learning- it’s about students teaching and teachers learning! Through their unique students-teaching-students model, high-achieving high school and college students step in front of the classroom, designing their own lesson plans and managing their own classrooms. Over 900 teachers have worked with their own professional Mentor Teachers to inspire the next generation of college-bound students.
To learn more about BTGB and how to contribute to a breakthrough, head to their website where you can watch a number of inspiring video clips of BTGB in action or donate. It’s hard not to get excited about this awesome program when you see just how energetic, passionate, and talented the students and teachers are!
