Bill Gellman, Director of Summerbridge Pittsburgh, compared two summer academic enrichment programs aimed at minority students: the Kinkaid/HISD Engineering-Math-Science Institute (EMSI) in Houston and Summerbridge Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh.
1. Two Summer Enrichment Programs, Two Approaches William Gellman Summerbridge Pittsburgh ◊ Sewickley Academy NPEA Annual Conference April 9, 2010
2. Background: Summerbridge Pittsburgh (SBP) and Kinkaid-HISD Engineering-Math-Science Institute (EMSI) SBP EMSI Carried out in K-12 independent school: Sewickley Academy (Sewickley, PA) Carried out in K-12 independent school: Kinkaid School (Houston, TX) Established in 1994 Mission: Increase high school graduation rates and college matriculation rates for underserved students Established in 1976 Mission: Increase representation of minority students in math- and science-related careers Started as a summer-only program; now has school-year components Summer only program Member of the Breakthrough Collaborative Unaffiliated; run independently by the Kinkaid School in cooperation with HISD
4. Background: Summerbridge Pittsburgh & Kinkaid-HISD Engineering-Math-Science Institute SBP EMSI Curriculum: science (2), math (3), literature (3), foreign language (3), Curriculum: biology (1) chemistry (3), math (3), drafting and AutoCAD (3), computer programming (3), physics (2), SAT prep (2), digital electronics (2) FTE: 3 Summer: employs 22 college-aged and high school teachers, overseen by 4 veteran educators (one for each subject area) FTE: 0 (managed internally by handful of Kinkaid faculty & staff) Summer: Employs approximately 10 teachers, all of whom are professional educators Funding: foundations (44%), individuals (25%), endowment (14%), host school (10%), state (6%), corporations (1%) Funding: corporations (60-70%), host school (30-40%), HISD (transportation is provided in kind)
5. Current Summerbridge Pittsburgh Model Rising 7 th graders (40-45 students) Summer program (rising 7 th , 8 th , and 9 th graders) tutoring (weekdays) other enrichment (Saturdays) College preparatory high school (public, parochial, or private) tutoring (weekdays) other enrichment (Saturdays) Competitive four-year college
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7. Current Kinkaid-HISD EMSI Model Rising 8 th graders Level II (2 groups) Level I (3 groups) Level III 35-40 students 18-20 students 55-60 students Internship with a sponsor corporation 8-10 students
8. Qualitative Assessment SBP EMSI Academic preparation Decent; getting better Very rigorous Number of students served Student attrition is low, if selection process is rigorous; adaptation of a six-year model casts a wider net “ Forced attrition” model serves a small number of students very well College matriculation Appreciable numbers of students go on to college; few students attend highly competitive universities Handful of students (Level III or IV) attain scholarships; higher percentage attend more competitive schools Follow-through and data collection Membership in national organization and unique program culture encourage students to stay in touch; data collection is improving Students do not stay in close touch with program; no longitudinal information exists
9. Measuring SBP Effectiveness - Students Cohort: year of entrance into Summerbridge/year of expected high school graduation Number of students in the class Percentage of respondents from the class High school graduation rate College degree attainment rate Matriculation rate (college graduates plus those that attended college but have yet to obtain a degree) 1994/2000 46 41% 100% 63% 89% 1995/2001 47 40% 84% 58% 58% 1996/2002 42 38% 100% 44% 69% 1997/2003 49 53% 100% 81% 92% 1998/2004 44 57% 96% 60% 72% 33% High School graduation rate for low-income students (NELS). 21% College degree attainment rate for low-income students by age 26 (NELS). 50% Current year-three benchmark for college degree attainment rate (BTC); this benchmark will increase to 65% in year-four (2010-2011).
