![]() Why is this important for kids not yet in high school?Īlix Joslyn: 80% of Aim High participants are poised to be the first generation in their family to attend college. Kars4Kids: Aim High has a college awareness program. Kars4Kids: Why does Aim High use multiple teachers in the classrooms?Īlix Joslyn: Aim High’s team-teaching model pairs veteran educators with high school or college interns for two reasons: (1) Our students receive extra attention from an array of role models and mentors (our student-teacher ratio is 1:8), and (2) High school and college students (many of whom are Aim High grads!) receive valuable teaching experiences to encourage their pursuit of careers in education. In addition, our rising ninth graders spend time in regional parks close to their neighborhoods to hike, play by the ocean, or simply slow down the pace of their lives before graduating from our program. In the afternoons, they participate in activities that spark their interests: yoga, poetry, weird science, board games, soccer, photography-the sky’s the limit. Mornings are focused on project-based academics: kids build model cars to learn about laws of motion, and they bake giant cookies to discover the wonders (and deliciousness!) of plate tectonics. Is it possible for kids to not only increase knowledge over the summer, but still have free time to play and be kids? How does Aim High address this issue?Īlix Joslyn: Aim High is a joyful experience that celebrates the process of learning and balances the classroom with stimulating enrichment opportunities. Kars4Kids: We hear a lot about teachers wasting time reviewing material because of summer learning loss. We combat summer learning loss via evidence-based practices (small class sizes, parent engagement, social/emotional learning, project-based academics) to ensure students thrive in middle school and are prepared to succeed in high school. Our summer program is uniquely designed to address this issue. A lack of opportunities for these young people to learn and practice essential skills in the summertime leave them at a disadvantage compared to their more resourced peers. But low-income youth typically fare much worse. Kars4Kids: What does Aim High offer to children from low income homes that they would otherwise lack?Īlix Joslyn: All children lose an average of two months of academic knowledge between school years. And we know that this targeted intervention works: 98% of alumni graduate high school on-time, ready and eligible for college, compared to 52% of low-income students nationally! That’s why Aim High has devoted 34 years to providing reliable, safe and free programming for middle school students during the summer months. Why middle school?Īlix Joslyn: Research shows that academic achievement by 8th grade has a greater impact on college readiness than anything that happens in high school. Kars4Kids: Your program targets middle school. We spoke with Aim High Grants Associate Alix Joslyn to learn more: And that’s why we were pleased to give Aim High a small grant. ![]() That’s time that could better be spent learning new things, with an eye toward going to college and getting ahead in life. Because teachers are spending way too much time going over old stuff with the students each year. ![]() The Aim High summer program is now in its fourth decade and it’s keeping kids from forgetting what they learned during the school year. ![]() Aim High isn’t taking summer learning loss lying down. ![]()
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