Download - About BELL
Our Vision is for All Children to Excel1
• MISSION:
Transform the academic achievements, self-
confidence, and life trajectories of children living in
under-resourced communities.
• APPROACH:
BELL partners with schools and community
organizations to combine resources and leverages
time in the summer and after school to improve
student achievement.
AL: Montgomery
CA: Oakland, San Jose,
San Rafael
CO: Denver
CT: Hartford & East Hartford
DC: Washington
FL: Orlando & Clearwater
MA: Boston, Chelsea
96School Partners
21 Communities
11,688Scholars Served (2014)
MD: Baltimore
MN: St. Paul
NJ: Newark
NY: New York City
NC: Charlotte,
Wilmington, Winston-
Salem
OH: Dayton
TX: San Antonio
Summer Learning Loss
66% of the academic achievement gap between
disadvantaged students and their higher-income
peers in 8th grade can be traced to unequal
access to summer learning
opportunities.
+1 MonthMiddle-Income Students Gain
Academic Skills in the Summer
-2 MonthsDisadvantaged Students Lose
Academic Skills in the SummerReading Achievement, Middle - Income Student
Reading Achievement, Disadvantaged Student
Source: National Summer Learning Association
The Opportunity Gap
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Appropriate for Your Child's Age
Interesting to Your Child
Conveniently Located
Affordable
Run by Adults you Trust
High-Quality
Low-Income Parents
Higher-Income Parents
Percentage of parents who say it is “very easy” or “somewhat easy” to
find summer programs and activities that are:
Source: Chin, Tiffany & Phillips, Meredith. The Opportunity Gap: A National Problem. American Educator, Summer, 2005.
Core Essentials
We recognize students as “scholars” because we believe in their
potential and have high expectations of them, parents, and staff.
We believe strong partnerships are key to success.
Our programs feature teaching excellence
Outstanding leaders create an exceptional learning environment to
help scholars excel
Scholars learn best through engaging & relevant learning experiences
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• ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT:
Scholars will gain literacy & math skills.
In the summer, scholars will avoid summer learning loss.
• SELF-CONFIDENCE:
Scholars will gain self-confidence and strengthen their social skills.
• PARENT ENGAGEMENT:
Parents will become more involved in their children’s education.
• SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS:
Schools will expand learning time and narrow the opportunity gap for the
students and families who would otherwise lack high-quality learning
opportunities outside of the school day and year.
Goals
Summer Learning
6-8 hours/day; 5 days/week; 5-8 weeks
Small-group instruction in reading, writing & math
Enrichment courses in science, technology, arts, health, physical
fitness
Field trips, special events, family & community engagement
After School Learning
2.5 - 3 hours/day; 3-5 days/week; up to 30 weeks
Schedule designed to align with the needs of scholars & schools
Generally focuses on small-group instruction in reading & math
Curriculum & Materials
• ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: My Sidewalks curriculum, developed by Pearson and customized for BELL’s expanded learning model. The curriculum focuses on the skills critical for student success: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It provided teachers with highly specific instructions and explicit, consistent, easy-to-follow lessons.
• MIDDLE SCHOOL: The Reader’s Journey curriculum from Prentice Hall / Pearson. It is an anchor book-based language arts program that spans fiction and non-fiction, poetry, drama, and the research process.
• ENRICHMENT: BELL provides enrichment curriculum based on the needs and interests of school partners which may be standardized (i.e., STEM curricula from National Geographic, Leadership Development from Dare to be King / Queen), or customized based on the strengths of school faculty and community partners (i.e., MESA Robotics in San Jose).
• PROGRAM SUPPLIES: BELL provides educational supplies & materials for academic and enrichment activities (paper, pencils, art supplies, sports equipment, etc), as well as incentives for scholar attendance and performance.
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Assessment & Evaluation
QUANTITATIVE TOOLS
STAR Enterprise Assessments
Scholar Management System
(Salesforce.com)
Independent Evidence
QUALITATIVE TOOLS
Parent Survey
Teacher Survey
Quality Monitoring System
A rigorous, independent evaluation
of BELL Summer found strong
evidence that the program increases
scholars’ academic skills and
parental engagement.
11Summer LearningReport Card
NATIONAL
Scholars Enrolled 9,377
Grades Served K-8
Average Daily Attendance 86%
Average Grade-Equivalent Reading Gain, in Months,
Underperforming Scholars* +2.4
Average Grade-Equivalent Math Gain, in Months,
Underperforming Scholars* +3.5
Teachers reporting that scholars
increased their self-confidence 91%
Parents reporting that scholars enjoyed
their BELL Summer experience 96%
Parents reporting they became more
involved in their scholar’s education 92%
12Summer LearningReport Card
CALIFORNIA- OAKLAND- SAN JOSE- SAN RAFAEL
Scholars Enrolled 873
Grades Served K-8
Average Daily Attendance 91%
Average Grade-Equivalent Reading Gain, in Months,
Underperforming Scholars* +0.7
Average Grade-Equivalent Math Gain, in Months,
Underperforming Scholars* +2.2
Teachers reporting that scholars
increased their self-confidence 88%
Parents reporting that scholars enjoyed
their BELL Summer experience 93%
Parents reporting they became more
involved in their scholar’s education 87%
13Summer LearningReport Card
TEACHER & PARENTSURVEY DATA
CALIFORNIA- OAKLAND- SAN JOSE- SAN RAFAEL
90%
90%
93%
87%
93%
90%
88%
98%
93%
100%
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Scholars are more confident in theirabilities
Scholars have a more positive attitudeabout school
Scholars enjoyed the BELL Summerprogram
The BELL Summer program helpedme become more involved in my
child's education
I am highly satisfied with my BELLSummer experience
I recommend the BELL Summerprogram to other parents
Scholars have more confidence inthemselves
I recommend the BELL Summerprogram to parents
Program staff are diverse and reflectscholar diversity
Working with BELL helped me developmy professional skills
Teachers report:
Parents report:
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Summer Program Management
Academic Curricula & Supplies
Enrichment Curricula & Supplies
Student Enrollment & Attendance
Teacher & Tutor Recruitment
Staff Training
Quality Assurance & Technical Support
Field Trips & Community Service
Parent Engagement
Assessment & Evaluation
Classrooms, School Facilities & Transportation
(if necessary)
Snack & Meal Service
Philanthropic Funding
School Funding & In-Kind Contributions
Turnkey Partnership Checklist
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Blended Public + Private Funding Model• SCHOOL & DISTRICT RESOURCES
Title I, ASES, 21CCLC, ELT Grants
• NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY
BELL raises grant funding from donors such as The Wallace Foundation, the
Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and Target.
• LOCAL PHILANTHROPY
BELL raises grant funding from local sources, such as Tipping Point Community,
the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Cisco Foundation.
• PARTNER RESOURCES
BELL leverages partners that provide academic curricula (Pearson, Prentice
Hall), assessment (Renaissance Learning), enrichment curricula (Dare to be
King/Queen, information systems (Salesforce) to support program leaders and
teachers.
Mary Wissemann
Vice President, National Field
Operations
617-740-0485
CONTACT US
Antonio Battaglia
Chief Operating Officer
617-740-0425