Breakthrough Collaborative
Encyclopedia
Breakthrough Collaborative (formerly Summerbridge National) is the umbrella organization of a collaborative of programs across the United States
and in Hong Kong
that aim to affect positive change in urban
schools. Breakthrough offers high-potential, under-served middle school
students the opportunity to participate in its rigorous academic enrichment programs throughout the summer and school year. Students make a commitment to participate in the program through middle school and high school and in turn, Breakthrough provides many services to students and their families ranging from academic enrichment to one-on-one tutoring to high school
and college
preparation. Additionally, all Breakthrough classes are taught by talented, high-achieving high school and college students from around the country who are interested in the field of education. Through the teacher development program offered by Breakthrough, these young educators become potential candidates for professional teaching and educational leadership positions after college. Teaching at Breakthrough has been named a Top Ten Internship in America by the Princeton Review, as well as other prestigious national organizations, and a 1999 Stanford University
report stated that "72% [of Breakthrough teachers] went on to work in other educationally related careers or internships after teaching at a Breakthrough site."
Breakthrough was founded in 1978 by Lois Loofbourrow at San Francisco University High School
. Since then, numerous sites have opened, all in various sized urban areas. The sites are joined together under the umbrella organization, Breakthrough Collaborative, based in San Francisco. Sites function either through public-private partnership
s with an independent educational institution or maintain their own 501(c)3 status.
Since its inception in 1978, Breakthrough programs around the world have generated thousands of student and teacher alums. In 2003, the Summerbridge/Breakthrough Alumni Network or SBAN was formed through the efforts of alumni. SBAN is based out of Atlanta, but holds annual conferences around the United States.
In March 2006, the 22 host schools of Breakthrough programs were awarded the Klingenstein Leadership Award by the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University
. Breaking from the tradition of giving this prestigious award to an individual, 26 independent schools received the 2006 award. Past recipients include William Durden
, Diane Ravitch
, Robert Coles
, and Howard Gardner
. In 2007, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning awarded Breakthrough Collaborative and its affiliate site in Pittsburgh, with the Excellence in Summer Learning Award for exemplary mission, performance, and infrastructure in out-of-school academic support.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
that aim to affect positive change in urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
schools. Breakthrough offers high-potential, under-served middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
students the opportunity to participate in its rigorous academic enrichment programs throughout the summer and school year. Students make a commitment to participate in the program through middle school and high school and in turn, Breakthrough provides many services to students and their families ranging from academic enrichment to one-on-one tutoring to high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
preparation. Additionally, all Breakthrough classes are taught by talented, high-achieving high school and college students from around the country who are interested in the field of education. Through the teacher development program offered by Breakthrough, these young educators become potential candidates for professional teaching and educational leadership positions after college. Teaching at Breakthrough has been named a Top Ten Internship in America by the Princeton Review, as well as other prestigious national organizations, and a 1999 Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
report stated that "72% [of Breakthrough teachers] went on to work in other educationally related careers or internships after teaching at a Breakthrough site."
Breakthrough was founded in 1978 by Lois Loofbourrow at San Francisco University High School
San Francisco University High School
San Francisco University High School is an academically focused, college preparatory, private high school located in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California...
. Since then, numerous sites have opened, all in various sized urban areas. The sites are joined together under the umbrella organization, Breakthrough Collaborative, based in San Francisco. Sites function either through public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
s with an independent educational institution or maintain their own 501(c)3 status.
Since its inception in 1978, Breakthrough programs around the world have generated thousands of student and teacher alums. In 2003, the Summerbridge/Breakthrough Alumni Network or SBAN was formed through the efforts of alumni. SBAN is based out of Atlanta, but holds annual conferences around the United States.
In March 2006, the 22 host schools of Breakthrough programs were awarded the Klingenstein Leadership Award by the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
. Breaking from the tradition of giving this prestigious award to an individual, 26 independent schools received the 2006 award. Past recipients include William Durden
William Durden
William G. Durden is the President of Dickinson College. He was a Fulbright scholar and a recipient of the Klingenstein Fellowship from Teacher's College, Columbia University....
, Diane Ravitch
Diane Ravitch
Diane Silvers Ravitch is an historian of education, an educational policy analyst, and a research professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Previously, she was a U.S...
, Robert Coles
Robert Coles
Martin Robert Coles is an American author, child psychiatrist, and professor at Harvard University.-Life and career:...
, and Howard Gardner
Howard Gardner
Howard Earl Gardner is an American developmental psychologist who is a professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero and author of over twenty books translated into thirty languages. Since 1995, he has...
. In 2007, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning awarded Breakthrough Collaborative and its affiliate site in Pittsburgh, with the Excellence in Summer Learning Award for exemplary mission, performance, and infrastructure in out-of-school academic support.
List of Breakthrough programs
- Breakthrough Atlanta, Atlanta, GA (at The Lovett SchoolThe Lovett SchoolThe Lovett School is a coeducational, kindergarten through twelfth grade independent school located in north Atlanta, Georgia.-History:In September 1926, Mrs. Eva Edwards Lovett, an innovative educator who emphasized the development of the whole child, officially began The Lovett School with 20...
) - Breakthrough Austin, Austin, TX (at University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
) - Breakthrough Cambridge, Cambridge, MA (at Kennedy-Longfellow School)
- Breakthrough Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (at Cincinnati Country Day SchoolCincinnati Country Day SchoolCincinnati Country Day School is a private, Independent School located in Indian Hill, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati....
) - Breakthrough Kent Denver, Denver, CO (at Kent Denver SchoolKent Denver SchoolKent Denver School is a private, co-educational, non-sectarian college preparatory high school and middle school in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado...
) - Breakthrough Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX (at Fort Worth Country Day SchoolFort Worth Country Day SchoolFort Worth Country Day School is a public K-12 school in Fort Worth, Texas.The school broke ground in 1963. Nine months later, the school opened on September 9, 1963 with grades one through nine. 210 students were initially enrolled. The Sid Richardson Gymnasium opened in 1967. Eight additional...
) - Summerbridge Hong Kong, Wan Chai, Hong KongWan ChaiWan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
- Breakthrough Houston, Houston, TX (at Episcopal High SchoolEpiscopal High School (Bellaire, Texas)Episcopal High School is a co-educational private day school in Bellaire, Texas, United States. The high school is located on a campus in the city, which is partially surrounded by the city of Houston....
) - Breakthrough Manchester, Manchester, NH (at The Derryfield School)
- Breakthrough Miami, Miami, FL (at Ransom EvergladesRansom EvergladesRansom Everglades is an independent, non-profit, co-educational, college-preparatory day school serving grades six to twelve in Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida. It formed with the merger in 1974 of the Everglades School for Girls and the Ransom School for Boys...
School, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Miami Country Day School, The Cushman Academy, Palmer Trinity School and College Bound Program) - LearningWorks at Blake, Minneapolis, MN (at The Blake School)
- Breakthrough New Haven, New Haven, CT (at Hopkins SchoolHopkins SchoolThe Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational day school, located in New Haven, Connecticut....
) - Breakthrough New Orleans, New Orleans, LA (at Isidore Newman SchoolIsidore Newman SchoolIsidore Newman School is a private, nondenominational, co-educational college preparatory school located on an campus in the Uptown section of New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:...
) - Breakthrough New York, New York, NY (at The Town School)
- Breakthrough Norfolk, Norfolk, VA (at Norfolk AcademyNorfolk AcademyNorfolk Academy is an independent co-educational day school in Norfolk, Virginia. Chartered in 1728, it is the oldest secondary school in Virginia and the eighth oldest in the United States...
) - Breakthrough Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (at Sewickley AcademySewickley AcademySewickley Academy is a private coeducational college preparatory day school located in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Located approximately 12 miles north of Pittsburgh, Sewickley Academy is the oldest independent school in the Pittsburgh area dating back to 1838...
) - Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA (at Germantown Friends SchoolGermantown Friends SchoolGermantown Friends School is a coeducational K-12 school in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States under the supervision of Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends . It is governed by a School Committee whose members are drawn mainly...
and St. Joseph's University) - Providence Summerbridge, Providence, RI (at Wheeler SchoolWheeler SchoolThe Wheeler School is a coeducational independent day school located on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The school serves students from the nursery level through twelfth-grade.- Mary C. Wheeler :...
) - Breakthrough Sacramento, Sacramento, CA (at Sacramento Country Day School)
- Breakthrough Saint Paul, St. Paul, MN (at Mounds Park AcademyMounds Park AcademyMounds Park Academy, founded in 1982, is an independent, PreK-12, co-educational, college preparatory day school in Saint Paul, Minnesota serving students from throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The school is accredited by and is a member of the Independent Schools Association of the...
) - Breakthrough San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (at San Francisco Day SchoolSan Francisco Day SchoolSan Francisco Day School is a co-educational independent day school for kindergarten to 8th grade in San Francisco, California, United States. It opened in 1981, and its core values are "Compassion, Integrity, and Responsibility"....
) - Summerbridge San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (at San Francisco University High SchoolSan Francisco University High SchoolSan Francisco University High School is an academically focused, college preparatory, private high school located in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California...
) - Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA (at St. Margaret's Episcopal SchoolSt. Margaret's Episcopal SchoolSt. Margaret's Episcopal School, or SMES, is a private, preK-12 college preparatory school located in California, United States.The mission of St. Margaret's Episcopal School is to "educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service."-History:St. Margaret's...
) - Breakthrough Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM (at Santa Fe Preparatory SchoolSanta Fe Preparatory SchoolSanta Fe Preparatory School is a fully accredited, coeducational day school serving approximately 340 students in grades seven through twelve. Located in the historical capital city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, SF Prep provides a college preparatory curriculum...
) - Breakthrough Silicon Valley, San Jose, CA (at Hoover Middle School)
- Breakthrough at St. Andrew's School, Boca Raton, FLBoca Raton, FloridaBoca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
(at St. Andrew's School (Boca Raton, Florida))
Notable figures who participated in Breakthrough programs
- Meilani ClayMeilani ClayMeilani Clay is a conscious writer, educator and poetry slam champion from the San Francisco Bay Area, California. She emerged as part of Youth Speaks, a youth performance poetry and creative writing program founded in 1996, and served on SPOKES , a Youth Advisory Board and paid internship...
(Poet) - Daniel HandlerDaniel HandlerDaniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
(Author) - Dax ShepardDax ShepardDax Randall Shepard is an American actor.- Early life :Shepard was born in Milford, Michigan and attended Muir Junior High and Walled Lake Central High School, before enrolling in The Groundlings school. He later received a degree in anthropology at UCLA...
(Actor) - Vendela VidaVendela VidaVendela Vida is an American novelist, journalist, and editor who lives in the Bay Area.-Books:Vida has written four books....
(Author) - Lil WayneLil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
(Singer, songwriter) - Jamael Stewart (Scholar)
External links
- Breakthrough Collaborative official website
- Links to Local Affiliate Websites