A BluePrint for Success: Case Studies of Successful - Educational ...

Program Staff
A Blueprint for Success
The program employs one half-time, year-round staff person as the program director. Two assistant
directors support the program spring through summer and about a dozen teachers are hired full-time
for seven weeks to operate the summer program. Additionally, about 35 high school and college students
are recruited to support the summer program as mentors and tutors, and this number will increase
with the addition of the academic-year program component starting in fall 2011. These students
receive stipends and are typically alumni of the middle school program or students at The College
Preparatory School.
Program Components
The Partners Program began as a summer program for middle school students and has grown to offer
year-round supports, as well as programming beyond middle school. The plan is to be a 10-year
program that supports students from 6th grade through college completion. Program components
reflect the shifts over time from focusing on helping students complete high school, to helping them
access college, to helping them complete college. Components of The Partners Program include:
summer academy for middle school students, academic-year program on two public middle school
campuses, high school transition program for 8th and 9th graders, college transition program for
juniors and seniors in high school, and leadership development programs for high school and college
students.
Summer Academy for Middle School Students
The summer program represents the core of The Partners Program. This was the initial offering
from which other supports have grown. The Partners Summer Academy for Oakland Unified School
District (OUSD) middle school students is a 5-week, full-day, tuition-free program for rising 7th,
8th, and 9th grade students (i.e., those who have just finished 6th, 7th, and 8th grades) of color who
qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch programs. The Summer Academy helps students
achieve summer learning gains instead of summer learning losses as they prepare academically and
socially for high quality college preparatory high schools.
This component is structured such that there is a professional teacher in every classroom, supported
by 4 high school or college teaching assistants and serving 16 middle school participants. The professional
teachers develop the curriculum, introduce the lessons, and then supervise the 4 assistants as
they lead small group (4 middle school students each) activities. The goal is to have constant engagement
of the middle school participants all day every day of the 5-week summer program, which
runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
All students take skill-building classes in math, literature and reading, debate, technology, and writing,
plus creative classes in theater, digital art, visual arts, dance and performance. In addition, all
students take a project-based class called “Pathways,” which is focused on the academic and social
skills needed to succeed in a high quality college preparatory high school and later in college.
Educational Policy Institute 96 www.educationalpolicy.org