Kestrel Educational Adventures
Kids learning natural science the way field scientists do science
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
School and After School Programs
We offer custom designed inquiry science programs for K-8 school groups. We base program design on teachers' requests, local ecosystems, and the school's culture. Most sessions are 2-3 hours long, and most time is spent outdoors. Our programs follow a model similar to the work of professional field scientists. On each, we conduct an investigation relevant to a particular science concept, such as habitats, soil layers, microclimates, adaptations, life cycles, or ecosystems. We collect observations or samples, discuss their meaning, and then create an original work for sharing what we have learned, such as a map, mural, or chart. The created work is discussed, and we close with telling the story of what we have learned about the place and its living and non living things. Central to our teaching philosophy is the notion that science is a process by which new information is discovered through experience and experimentation. Playfulness, fun, and student freedom to explore are essential.
Summer Program
Each summer we offer weeklong outdoor adventures steeped in the natural world, rooted in a strong sense of community, and infused with a wild sense of play. Current summer programs include: Being Animals, Survival Rockport, and Teen Travel.
Homeschool Class
Every season Homeschool Class investigates a different theme. This fall our Homeschool class is exploring the life of a fish over eight sessions. Each 4-class session builds toward a final art piece, which students present at a public gallery opening. This journey empowers kids to work together to make decisions about where to go and what to learn. Every class students explore the river, the fish, and the chemistry and movement of the water itself. The class ends with a project on the life of specific river fish chosen by kids, envisioning their life cycle and relationship with the river and the people of the river.
Conservation Club
The Conservation Club is a 10 week afterschool service learning and adventure program for students in grades 5-10 that meets weekly for 3 hours. It gives youth a rare opportunity to take on leadership and design roles in projects that impact wildlife and local habitats. These are ongoing, thoroughly planned and researched conservation projects with long term impacts. Youth learn the skills of environmental scientists, civic leaders, and outdoor adventurers. The youth work with wildlife, outdoors, surrounded by living things, and participate in outdoor adventures and challenges such as hiking, wading, and canoeing. Youth voices are central, with participants working with adults to select, plan, and run meaningful projects. Sessions incorporate social time with snacks, a planning meeting, and either a trip to a wild location or indoor project work, ending with reflection time.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
In 2007, a Carnegie Foundation commission of distinguished researchers and public and private leaders concluded that ""the nation's capacity to innovate for economic growth and the ability of American workers to thrive in the modern workforce depend on a broad foundation of math and science learning, as do our hopes for preserving a vibrant democracy and the promise of social mobility that lie at the heart of the American dream."" And yet, according to the same study, lagging achievement in science and math has led to a steady erosion of the United States' competitive economic advantage and an inability to confront complex global environmental challenges. In response to this alarming trend, The National Research Council (NRC), the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve set about developing Next Generation Science Standards, which was released in April of 2013. These standards emphasize a holistic, inquiry-based approach to science education. The acquisition of content is deemphasized and the honing of observational and experimental skills is elevated. From the Next Generation Science Standards: ""Beyond the concern of employability looms the larger question of what it takes to thrive in today's society. Citizens now face problems from pandemics to energy shortages whose solutions require all the scientific and technological genius we can muster. Americans are being forced to increasingly make decisions - including on health care and retirement planning - where literacy in science and mathematics is a real advantage. Contrast these demands with the results of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. Fewer than one in three college graduates can perform tasks such as interpreting a data table about blood pressure and physical activity."" Today most schools recognize the need to change how science is taught, and yet most schools (by their own admission) are ill equipped for the challenge. Teachers, especially in elementary school, receive almost no training in science or how to teach it. In Essex County, for instance, there is one science teacher for every four hundred elementary school students. Scott Morrison, Director of Curriculum for the Manchester-Essex School District and a valued Kestrel partner says: "We need to work on demystifying STEM for elementary educators. STEM, as we know, is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, but it is much more than just that. These subjects are clustered because they are held together be a set of practices and processes that enable students to access their higher order thinking skills. Our science lessons should be replete with collaborative inquiry where students are actually 'doing' as opposed to just observing. Student participation does not equate to ownership and all too often we focus on prior knowledge at the cost of students trying and doing. Since learning is the ability to 'do,' we must shift the focus of school away from the mere acquisition of knowledge and more towards and understanding of the learning process. When we do this, we will have prepared our students to not only live in the world, we will bring them to a level where they are prepared to change it." To the best of our knowledge, Kestrel is the only nonprofit in Essex County dedicated exclusively to working with teachers and students, especially at the elementary school level, to improve science education by ""doing"" actual science in accordance with Next Generation Science Standards. For us the School Program is not a means to end: it is the end.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
To achieve this overall result, Kestrel has developed a plan to both broaden and deepen our work with schools. As part of this process, the Program Director has conceived, and the Board of Directors has accepted, the following outcomes and measures: A. Deepen our programmatic relationship with existing school partners:A1. Increase the number of hours we spend with unique individuals. 10 percent of Kestrel students will participate in a program lasting 12 or more hours. 80 percent will participate in a program lasting 3 to 6 hours. 10 percent will participate in a program lasting 1 to 2 hours. If we engaged 3,500 students annually, we would expect 350 students to attend a 12-hour program, 2800 students to attend a 5-hour program, and 350 students to attend a 1-hour program. A2. Increase the number of classes we serve. We will engage every classroom within a grade level. If a school houses 3 second grade classes, and if we worked with 1 second grade class in Year 1, we would expect to engage the other two classes in our work by Year 3. A3. Increase the number of concurrent grade levels we serve. We will work with at least two concurrent grade levels in every school. If an elementary school houses 6 grade levels (K - 5), and if we worked with the entire second grade in Year 1, we would expect to work with the entire first and/or third grades by Year 3. B. Expand our programmatic reach by seeking out new school partners: B1. Increase the number schools we serve within existing districts.We will add three new schools to our list of partner schools each year. If we partnered with 17 schools in Year 1, we would expect to partner with 26 schools by Year 3. B2. Increase the number of school districts in which we have a presence. We will add one new school district each year for three years in a row. If we had a presence in 8 school districts in Year 1, we would expect to have a presence in 11 school districts by Year 3. C. Improve the quality of our Educator Training Program:C1. Increase the number of Educator-In-Training hours. We will increase the length of our new educator orientation from 24 hours to 40 hours. If our educators received 3 days paid training in Year 1, they could expect to receive 5 days paid training by Year 3.C2. Increase the length of the educator apprentice period. We will extend the period under which a new educator shadows a veteran educator from 5 teaching hours to 25 teaching hours. If a new instructor shadows a returning educator for a single day in Year 1, a new instructor could expect to shadow a returning educator for an entire week by Year 3.C3. Increase the number of one-on-one mentoring sessions an educator receives. We will increase the number of opportunities instructors have to meet privately with the Program Director to review their maturation as an educator. If an instructor meets with the Program Director once or twice during the spring program season in Year 1, he or she could expect to meet with the Program Director on a weekly basis by Year 3.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Kestrel Educational Adventures
Board of directorsas of 12/29/2022
Ms Caitlin Featherstone
Essex Elementary School
Term: 2015 - 2016
Anna DiPerna
Landmark School
Emily Kahn
Landmark School
Deirdre Mulligan
Landmark School
Caitlin Featherstone
Cape Ann Time Banks
Mark Maitland
Maitland Financial
Joe Giso
Bethany Ericson
Jeff Denoncour
The Trustees of the Reservations
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data