Boston After School & Beyond Inc.

Boston After School & Beyond, in partnership with the Boston Public Schools and with the support of the Barr Foundation, seeks to learn more about how teenagers can earn credit outside of school. The Expanded Learning Opportunities for Teens Initiative brings together a variety of organizations that offer teenagers the opportunity to earn academic credit, particularly outside of the traditional school day and classroom setting, as well as provide teenagers with non-academic credentials based on mastery of content or skills. Our partner organizations serve BPS teenagers through programs and activities that feature hands-on, experiential learning and skill building.

Programs that infuse science, technology, engineering, arts, and math enable hands-on, applied learning while preparing students for 21st century careers. These programs help youth increase their interest in STEAM and build the skills necessary for college and career success. Boston is home to an ecosystem that includes a rich network of places where youth can connect with STEAM– in school and a variety of community settings.  We connect innovative educators with researchers who study their techniques, and then share what we learn from them to help all members of the ecosystem ignite moments of discovery for the youth they serve.

School partners can play critical roles in meeting the needs of students while stimulating their interests. Partners activate students’ understanding of academic content while enhancing skill development. Boston After School & Beyond seeks to demonstrate how schools and their partners can enhance student learning so that they gain mastery of both the academic content and social-emotional skills that will bring success in school, work, and life.Boston Beyond is helping eight turnaround and high support schools to measure and document their drive toward transforming the student learning experience through strategic partnerships. Advancing Quality Partnerships (AQP), a joint initiative of Boston Beyond, Boston Public Schools, and the Barr Foundation, provides support for school improvement strategies that integrate academics, social-emotional supports, and expanded learning opportunities through school-community partnerships. This effort helps to align schools and partners around measurable and specific shared goals, create an evidence base upon which to focus improvements, and provide school leaders with insights into the value partners bring to their students. Through this work, Summer Learning Project, and other efforts, Boston Beyond seeks to improve partnership management and measurement at the school and district level to increase access to high quality expanded learning opportunities in Boston