Special Initiatives BELL continually improves program quality and designs new program elements and models to increase scholar achievement. In the summer of 2014, three special initiatives are underway in cities across the country: POWER SCHOLARS ACADEMY / YMCA OF THE USA BELL & the YMCA of the USA are partnering to bring BELL’s proven summer learning program model to Y partner schools and communities. Through this partnership, BELL, YMCA of the USA, YMCA Associations, and partner schools can share program costs to expand learning time and increase student achievement, and ultimately reduce summer learning loss. In 2013, the two organizations kicked off a pilot that resulted in improved student achievement gains in both reading and math for 276 scholars. In 2014, BELL and Y-USA are expanding the summer partnership to serve up to 1,000 scholars in Hartford CT, Orlando FL, Montgomery AL, Denver CO, Washington DC, Clearwater FL, St. Paul MN, and San Antonio TX. The Wallace Foundation and other donors are enabling BELL and the YMCA to deliver the Power Scholars Academy free of cost to families, and to thoughtfully plan for program expansion in the future. READY SCHOLARS BELL is creating an intensive literacy model called READy Scholars, designed to boost the reading skills of scholars in grades K-3. Scholars rotate through a series of activities including data-driven reading instruction, games, group reading, and individualized tutoring to strengthen the basic literacy skills they need to achieve grade-level proficiency before the fourth grade, when classroom instruction shifts from learning to read to reading to learn. This summer, READy Scholars will launch in Winston-Salem, NC, through a partnership with the school district and several local donors, including the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and Reynolds American Foundation. BOYS OF BELL BELL continues to deliver its Boys of BELL model for scholars in Brooklyn, NY, through a partnership with the Charles Hayden Foundation. Boys of BELL is specially designed to support the academic, social, and emotional needs of Black and Latino male scholars, who represent the most vulnerable student population. The program focuses on recruiting and training positive male role models, incorporating enrichment activities that appeal to boys, such as athletics, sciences, and engineering, and delivering focused academic support to unlock scholars’ potential.
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