Now that students are back in their regular classrooms for the new school year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the 2010 summer program. I spent a lot of time visiting our program sites this summer. I sat in classrooms and observed our master teachers and teacher assistants (TAs), met students, and talked with the site directors about the successes and challenges. It was an important and meaningful thing for me to do. It reminded me why I do this work and why Peninsula Bridge is so critical. Nothing is more compelling for the heart and mind than witnessing a child's face transform from self-doubt to joy as she struggles with a math problem and solves it, seeing the pride on a child's face as he answers a tough question, or observing a TA working 1:1 with a student and seeing how much the student appreciates the personal attention and how much the TA is growing and learning from the student. These are the moments that inspire me. They are the moments that nourish the teachers and re-energize the site directors who are devoting a big chunk of their summer to the program. This is what inspires them to work with us; this is the common ground we share.
In my opinion, inspiration must also be accompanied by results, and I am pleased to report that we met or exceeded our goals this summer. In particular:
- We enrolled 299 students (almost a 12% increase over last year)
- 95% improved math scores (per pre- and post-assessments)
- 91% improved language arts scores (per pre- and post-assessments)
- >96% rated themselves highly on measures of self-esteem
These results are a testament to the quality of the program and the effort of our site directors, teachers, and TAs to provide the best experience possible for our students and families. They reflect all of the positive moments I observed in the classroom this summer, and exemplify the dedication of our students, who are a constant reminder of why we must never stop dreaming, believing, or achieving. I know I won't.