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I recently had the pleasure of visiting a BELL After School program site in the Bronx, where I met Ricardo, a fourth-grade scholar. Ricardo was focused on his reading assignment. I asked him what he was reading, and why he found it so interesting. “I am reading because I want to do better in school” he explained. I asked what he hoped to be when he grew up. He asserted “I am going to be a teacher, because it is important for people to learn how to read and write. I want to help them the way my teachers and tutors help me.”
This year, BELL is helping 7,500 children like Ricardo excel in school and pursue their dreams. In this report you will learn about BELL’s efforts to transform children into scholars and leaders. You will also get a glimpse of the vast network of foundations, corporations and individuals who make the BELL vision and mission come alive for scholars everyday.
Ricardo is a BELL scholar. He is focused on learning. He is confident in his abilities. He is determined to fulfill his goal. He represents the goal of every BELL After School and BELL Summer program: to inspire children through tutoring and mentoring and help fulfill their potential.
Mission & History Bright Futures are Built Early Mission: BELL exists to dramatically increase the scholarly achievements, self-esteem and life opportunities of children living in low-income, urban communities.
History:
In 1992, a group of black and Latino Harvard law students, concerned about the failure rate of children in Boston’s underprivileged communities, set out to create a tutoring program to cultivate young minds at an early age. The program model developed by the students, parents, and educational experts at Harvard University combined rigorous academic tutoring with consistent, positive mentoring to inspire children to work hard and pursue their dreams. Their success was phenomenal. Every member of BELL’s first class of “scholars” has enrolled in or graduated from college, compared to fewer than 30% of their peers. BELL’s impact was evident beyond the classrooms of Boston’s public schools. Its significant measurable results helped advance the growing movement to make after school and summer programs an integral component of public education. Since its founding in Boston, BELL expanded to provide educational opportunities to children in New York City and Baltimore. Today, BELL is mobilizing a corps of nearly 1,000 certified teachers and highly trained tutors to educate more than 7,500 children.
Peace,
Earl Martin Phalen Co-Founder & CEO
Community Need:
Educational Opportunity
A Chance to Advance
BELL is driven by the belief that all children can excel. Yet, millions of children throughout the United States are not gaining the academic and social skills necessary to succeed in school and in life. By the time children in low-income, urban communities exit the fourth grade, only 30% read at the proficient level, according to state and city standardized test scores.
Focus on Summer:
Each summer, children living in low income communities tend to lose an average of two months’ literacy skills and math skills. This phenomenon, known as “summer learning loss,” is caused by a lack of access to high-quality, structured, affordable enrichment programs. It is a primary contributor to children’s continued academic underperformance in school. BELL recognizes the need to provide educational opportunities during the summer to keep scholars focused on strengthening their academic and social skills.
The consequences of academic underperformance are welldocumented. Research indicates that underperformance at the third grade level can predict with 68% accuracy those students who will experience later negative outcomes such as early pregnancy, delinquency and dropping out of school. Research also demonstrates that failure in school ultimately increases the risk of unemployment, living on public assistance, or incarceration when children reach adulthood. One of the most important approaches for increasing children’s academic performance is to provide more time-on-task that focuses on core reading, writing and math skills. Many studies, including evaluations of BELL programs, have demonstrated that children benefit from consistent participation in structured, high-quality after school and summer programs. Out-ofschool-time programs increase children’s engagement in
In 2006, BELL launched its Summer Learning Initiative, an effort to expand access to summer learning programs through direct service and indirect efforts to inform policy and give technical assistance to other providers. Mayor Menino in Boston kicked off the initiative by holding a press conference at a BELL Summer program site. BELL’s ultimate goal: to make summer learning an integral component of children’s education.
learning and build the skills necessary for success in today’s economy. They increase educational equity and give all children a chance to excel. There are more than 60 million school-age children in the United States but only 10% participate in educational after school and summer programs. The need for high-quality programs is highest in under-resourced urban communities where educational opportunities are inaccessible, unaffordable or non-existent. BELL addresses this community need by providing world-class educational after school and summer programs to the children who need them most.
CUMMULATIVE EFFECT OF SUMMER LEARNING LOSS
AVERAGE READING ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL
BELL is driven by the belief that all children can excel.
KINDERGARTEN SUMMER
1ST GRADE
SUMMER
2ND GRADE SUMMER
MIDDLE-INCOME STUDENTS, NO SUMMER SCHOOL
3RD GRADE SUMMER 4TH GRADE
SUMMER
5TH GRADE SUMMER
LOW-INCOME STUDENTS, NO SUMMER SCHOOL
BELL Summer & BELL After School Focus on Achievement BELL Summer & BELL After School
BELL pursues its mission by providing educational programs, after school and during the summer, to the children who need them most. BELL After School and BELL Summer programs set high expectations for scholars and include elements that are proven to increase their time-on-task and accelerate learning, including: – Academic Tutoring in Literacy and Math: Teachers and tutors lead small group instruction using a skills-based curriculum and multicultural children’s books. – Mentoring: BELL’s program staff inspires children to believe in themselves, achieve high expectations and pursue meaningful career paths. – Experiential Learning: Scholars learn through interactive cultural activities, field trips and community service projects. – Parental Involvement: Parents take an active role in BELL programs, meeting regularly with staff, accessing resources through BELL’s network of partnerships, and strengthening their parenting skills through a variety of workshops. – Rigorous Evaluation: Standardized tests and skills-based quizzes measure scholars’ academic and social gains, while a series of performance-based metrics reports monitor program implementation and quality to ensure success. – Ongoing Training & Professional Development: Program staff receive comprehensive training on a wide variety of topics, including classroom and behavior management, literacy and math tutoring, partnering with parents, teaching English as a second language and assessment/evaluation.
English Language Learners at BELL
At a time when language is becoming more and more of a barrier to success in public schools, BELL is working hard to ensure its scholars have the best chance to excel. Throughout the country, about five million public school students have limited English proficiency. In the low-income communities of New York City, for example, that figure jumps to nearly 20%, with the vast majority of BELL students speaking Spanish as their primary language. Before students can function successfully in school as learners, it is essential for them to build both interpersonal and academic language skills. BELL teachers and tutors face the challenge of understanding how children learn a second language. To this end, pre-service and in-service training modules have been developed. They employ a rigorous, sequenced curriculum and integrate children’s books in English and Spanish to help scholars focus on reading, writing and conversing in English.
– Program Goals: BELL sets high expectations for scholars and families: – Scholars will increase literacy and math skills. – Scholars will increase their social skills. – Scholars will increase their self-esteem and aspirations. – Parents will increase their involvement in their child’s education.
BELL Summer Program Schedule: 8:30 am
9:00
11:00
12:00
BELL AFTER SCHOOL Program Schedule: 3:00 am
3:30
4:30
1:00
Community Time: Develop positive, supportive relationships with peers and tutors. 5:15 5:30 pm
mentor days: Include special cultural activities, guest speakers, community service projects and/or field trips.
Literacy Activities: Skills-based curriculum integrates multicultural literature and hands-on activities. Math: Skills-based curriculum and manipulatives strengthen proficiency in core math skills and concepts. Includes individualized help on schoolassigned homework.
4:30 pm
Lunch and Recess: Included in the summer program. Enrichment Activities: After school program includes Educational games and free choice activities. Summer program includes art, music, physical education, dance, drama and more.
Evaluation & Outcomes BELL Scholars Excel In BELL’s educational programs, scholars excel: – 100% of children entering BELL programs at the “failing” level, according to standardized test results, advance to a higher academic proficiency category in BELL programs. In contrast, 40% of children in the low-income, urban communities in which BELL works are “failing,” according to standardized test scores.
– 80% of BELL scholars achieve “proficient” or “advanced” in core literacy and math skills, compared to 30% of their peers.
– BELL scholars gain five months’ grade-equivalent skills in the six-week BELL Summer program. In contrast, most children in low-income communities tend to lose two months’ academic skills during the summer.
–9 2% of parents reported a desire to sign up for BELL again and to recommend BELL to other parents.
Measurement:
BELL rigorously evaluates and tracks scholar outcomes using
the following tools:
– Stanford Diagnostic tests in reading and math, administered at the beginning and end of BELL programs. – Skills-based assessments which continually track progress and provide outcomes data to design individualized lesson plans for each BELL scholar. – Customized, web-based assessment and database tools to process tests and quizzes, access score reports, and produce progress reports for teachers, parents and principals.
– Surveys to collect qualitative data about the impact of BELL’s programs on scholars’ self-esteem, social skills, academic gains, and parental involvement.
Independent Evaluation Demonstrates Impact of BELL Summer In 2006, BELL worked with the Urban Institute and Mathematica Policy Research to complete a two-year study of the BELL Summer Program’s impact on children’s reading skills. It compared the academic achievements of children enrolled in BELL Summer Program sites in New York City and Boston against a control group not enrolled in BELL. The study was one of the most rigorous ever conducted on an out-of-schooltime program. In comparing the groups, researchers found “scientifically rigorous evidence regarding the ability of the BELL Summer program to improve the reading skills of lowperforming elementary school children.” The study also found evidence of positive impacts on the degree to which parents encouraged their children to read. According to Duncan Chaplin, one of the report’s authors, the evaluation provides “the best evidence we have right now about summer enrichment and low-income students.” He continues: “the results are of particular importance given the long-standing public policy focus on raising achievement levels of lowincome students.” Source: Chaplin, D. & Capizzano, J. (2006). Impacts of a Summer Learning Program: A Random Assignment Study of Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL). Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
Awards & Impact Focus on Quality BELL is recognized by several practitioners and policy-makers as one of the premier providers of educational out-of-school-time programs.
BELL Summer was cited as a model program in legislation presented to the US Senate by Senators Barack Obama and Barbara Mikulski for its consistent, positive impact on children’s achievements during the summer. The legislation, called the STEP UP Act, seeks to provide public funding for children to attend high-quality summer enrichment programs.
The BELL Summer program was featured in American Educator, the national publication of the American Federation of Teachers. The program is highlighted as one of the nation’s best solutions for helping all children achieve high academic and social standards.
The American Youth Policy Forum has featured BELL’s After School program as one of the nation’s 13 best out-ofschool-time programs in Finding Fortune in Thirteen Out-of-School-Time Programs, a resource for providers to create highquality programming for children.
Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Summer Learning awarded BELL the 2006 Excellence in Summer Learning Award, recognizing the program for the second year in a row as one of the three best educational summer programs in the nation.
For the second consecutive year, BELL won the Social Capitalist Award from Fast Company Magazine and the Monitor Group as one of the top non-profit organizations using entrepreneurship and innovation to create sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing social issues.
BELL & The Center for Summer Learning The Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University is a leading voice in the national effort to increase the role of educational summer programs. BELL is partnering with the Center to advance a common vision for expanding the role of high-quality summer learning programs in public education. BELL is one of several organizations providing outcomes data to inform the policy efforts of the Center and is sharing its experience and best practices at the Center’s annual conferences to help strengthen the quality of summer learning programs throughout the U.S. The Center for Summer Learning is helping to create a pipeline for future teachers studying at Johns Hopkins University to work in BELL’s programs in Baltimore.
Volunteers & Events Each year, BELL works with several partner organizations to strengthen the services we provide to children and families. A few highlights from 2006 include:
Monster.com:
Fidelity:
Red Sox Field of Dreams:
Taproot Foundation:
To help prepare scholars for their futures, representatives from the job board Monster.com led scholars in an interactive session on careers. Employees from Monster.com spoke about their work and paths to their careers. During literacy instruction in BELL Summer, scholars also prepared their own “resuMe� detailing their favorite subjects, skills, extracurricular activities, and dream jobs. The presenters discussed how scholars can take steps to increase their work and life opportunities.
Since 2003, BELL and the Boston Red Sox have worked to create the annual Field of Dreams Gala and the Red Sox Scholars program. Each year, 25 exemplary fifth-graders are selected to become Red Sox Scholars, in partnership with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Red Sox Foundation. During a ceremony at Fenway Park, each scholar receives a $5,000 college scholarship and is connected to a mentor from Beth Israel.
Fidelity Investments has been a long-term major supporter of BELL Summer. In an event celebrating the beginning of the upcoming school year, several hundred Fidelity employees worked together to fill backpacks with back-to-school gear and distribute them to BELL Summer scholars. Our scholars were thrilled to receive new gear with which to start their school year.
BELL worked with a group of volunteers from the Taproot Foundation to produce collateral marketing material. The Taproot Foundation is a non-profit consulting firm that leverages the talents of the business community to provide pro bono services to community-based organizations. Our partnership, sponsored by the Robin Hood Foundation, provides BELL with a team of volunteers, including a project manager, marketing manager, graphic designers, copy editors, and financial analysts, who work together to produce high-quality materials. The Taproot Foundation is helping BELL fill a marketing need while directing the maximum amount of resources to serving children.
Focus on The Future BELL recognizes the need to deepen and expand its social impact. Millions of children in the United States are unable to read, write or compute at grade level. Schools alone have not been proven capable of helping all children excel. Chronic trends of academic under-performance persist, yet few high quality opportunities exist to provide children with the additional educational support they need to succeed. BELL has two proven solutions for helping children: BELL Summer and BELL After School. In the last five years, it has continued to refine its program models, proving their effectiveness through a scientific, third party evaluation. It has also strengthened its board of directors, senior management team and core operating systems in order to expand its social impact. Now, BELL is embarking on a five-year strategic plan with the following primary goals: – Continue to increase program quality and scholar outcomes. – Double the number of children directly impacted by BELL programs. – Achieve the sustainability of the organization’s regional and national operations. – Broaden BELL’s direct and systemic impact through strategic partnerships, new business development, and increased local and national policy efforts.
BELL & the Boys & Girls Club In 2006 BELL partnered with The Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula (BGCP) in the East Palo Alto area of California. The goal of the partnership was to help BGCP launch academically-focused, school-based programs for their clubhouse participants. The BELL staff provided comprehensive training on the BELL After School program model as well as supporting operations manuals. BELL is also providing ongoing technical assistance to help BGCP customize the program to meet the educational needs of their children and the local school system. In the first year of this partnership, BGCP successfully launched tutoring and mentoring programs in three public schools and helped more than 300 children strengthen their academic and social skills. The school district was so impressed with the success of the BELL – BGCP partnership that they requested it be expanded to also provide summer learning programs. BELL looks forward to establishing similar partnerships with youth-serving organizations throughout the nation to expand our impact on children’s lives.
BELL Board of Directors Nicholas Bogard, J. Nicholas Arthur
Earl Martin Phalen, BELL
John J-H Kim, Rakuten USA, Inc. (Vice-Chair)
James Phalen, State Street
Kathleen Kelley, Kingdon Capital Management
Christopher Piela, Liberty Mutual Group (Chairman)
Deb Knez, Richard & Susan Smith Family Foundation
Dr. Lauren Smith, MD, MPH, Boston Medical Center
Charles Ogletree, Jr., Harvard Law School
Laurene Sperling (Vice-Chair)
Dr. Robert Peterkin, Harvard Graduate School of Education
BELL Donor List government Baltimore City Public Schools Boston After School and Beyond
Acadian Asset Management, Inc. Arden Gallery Bain Capital Bank of America Bank of Canton Berkshire Partners BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts Boston Globe Boston Sand & Gravel Brown Rudnick Cambridge Trust Capital One Centerline Construction Children’s Hospital of Boston CIBC Comcast Cable Commongood Careers Corcoran Construction CSL International Deloitte & Touche
Boston Public Schools New York City Department of Education
New York State Advantage After School Program
individuals ($1,000+)
Fannie Mae Foundation FAO Schwarz Family Foundation Fish Family Foundation Fordham Street Foundation Foundation to Be Named Later Frank R. Peters Trust Freddie Mac Foundation Freeman Foundation Fuller Foundation Garth Brooks’ Teammates for Kids George H. and Jane A. Mifflin Memorial Fund Goldman Sachs Foundation Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Harvard After School Initiative (HASI) Highland Street Foundation Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Jane’s Trust Janus Foundation John & Mary Corcoran Family Foundation JP Morgan Chase Foundation Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation Lone Pine Foundation, Inc. Louis Calder Foundation Mabel Louise Riley Foundation Mass2020 McInerney Family Foundation MetLife Foundation Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation, Inc. New Profit Inc. New York Times Foundation NFL Retired Players Association Open Society Institute Orchard Foundation
Paul and Edith Babson Foundation Picower Foundation Pincus Family Fund Pinewood Acres Children’s Charity, Inc. Putnam Senior Executives Foundation Reebok Human Rights Foundation Robert Treat Paine Association Robin Hood Foundation Rowland Foundation, Inc. Roy A. Hunt Foundation Salesforce.com Foundation Samberg Family Foundation Sean McDonough Charitable Foundation, Inc. Smith Family Foundation Staples Foundation for Learning Starr Foundation Stephanie H. and David A. Spina Family Foundation Stop and Shop Foundation Stride Rite Charitable Foundation T. Rowe Price Associates Foundation, Inc Taproot Foundation TASC (The After School Corporation) Tiger Foundation TJX Foundation United Way of Massachusetts Bay Verizon Foundation Vila B. Weber Trust Welch & Forbes’s Ben E Factors William E. and Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust William G. Baker Memorial Fund William T. Grant Foundation Yawkey Foundation
David & Amy Abrams Arun & Francine Alagappan Charles Baker James Beck Charles & Leslie Bell Frank & Carol Biondi Nick Bogard Jennifer Brown Joseph & Susan Buckley Chris & Sylvia Bulger Susan Bullock Matthew Cabrey Brian Connell William Connolly Michael Costello Melanie Coulter Darlene DeRemer Deborah Doherty Anonymous Donor Kelly Fitzsimmons Gregory Galeaz Julie Galeota Raymond Glotzbach Mary & Harvey Goldschmid Brian Graham Gene Guill Agnes Gund Keith & Andrea Higgins James Jakobek William & Rosemary Janovitz Joe & Susan Buckley Christopher Keating Kathleen Kelley John Kim & Kathy Choi Deb & Brian Knez
foundations Aaron Straus & Lillie Straus Foundation, Inc. Adelard A. and Valeda Lea Roy Foundation Adolph & Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation Alfred E. Chase Charity Foundation Amelia Peabody Foundation Andor Capital Management Foundation Anonymous Foundation Associated Grantmakers of Massachusetts Atlantic Philanthropies Avrum Katz Foundation Barr Foundation Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation Boston Foundation Bromley Charitable Trust Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation Bushrod H. Campbell & Adah F. Hall Charity Fund Charles Hayden Foundation Charlotte Foundation Citigroup Foundation Citizens Bank Foundation Claneil Foundation Clayton Baker Trust Clipper Ship Foundation Cogan Family Foundation Demarest Lloyd, Jr. Foundation Dickler Family Foundation Dolphin Trust Dorot Foundation Dresher Foundation Eddie C. and Sylvia Brown Family Foundation Edith Glick Shoolman Children’s Foundation Edna McConnell Clark Foundation Educational Foundation of America
CORPORATIONS Deutsche Bank Eaton Vance eCratchit Ernst & Young International Fidelity Investments Filene’s Basement Gillette Company Harrison Supply Company Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Harvard University Houghton Mifflin Company IParty Retail Store Corporation Island Oasis Frozen Beverage Company Liberty Mutual Foundation LPL Financial Services Massachusetts Port Authority Monster.com Morgan Stanley National Leisure Group Needham Cooperative Bank
Parkway Message Center, Inc Partners HealthCare Plymouth Rock Assurance Company PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Sandberg, Gonzalez, & Creeden P.C. Certified Public Accountants Sovereign Bank State Street Swiss Re Target Corporation Timberland UCS Incorporated Vestcom Wall Street Development Corporation Washington Mutual WEEI 850am WHDH-TV 7 Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
Paul Levy James & Jean Lucey Diane Mahoney Duncan McFarland Donna McGrath William & Tammy Miracky Marcia Narine Charles & Pamela Ogletree Michael O’Malley Jim Pallotta Martin & Anne Peretz Dr. Robert Peterkin George & Veronica Phalen Jim & Rosemary Phalen Steve & Carol Phalen Frances Phillip Christopher & Kristine Piela Donald Putnam Marsha Reeves J. Bruce Ricciuti James S. Riepe
Paul Schneider Lauren Smith & Jim Boll Laurene & Scott Sperling Tom Stemberg Lisa Stephenson & Andrew Carter Jim & Cathy Stone Deborah Visco Edward Whelan
Financial Information investing in the future
Investing in BELL is an investment in the future. Studies of the economic benefits of out-of-school-time programs indicate that for ever dollar directed to after school and summer programs, taxpayers save between $9 -$13 dollars in future expenses.
summary expense summary EXPENSE EXPENSE SUMMARY SUMMARY 7% 7%
revenue summary REVENUE REVENUE SUMMARY SUMMARY Program Program $14,090,983 $14,090,983 Administrative Administrative $1,147,093 $1,147,093 Fundraising Fundraising $883,434 $883,434 TOTAL TOTAL $16,121,510 $16,121,510
5% 5%
7% 7%
Government Funding Government Funding $9,207,984 $9,207,984 Foundations Foundations $4,850,250 $4,850,250 Corporations Corporations $1,099,498 $1,099,498 Individuals Individuals $487,480 $487,480 Other Other $487,744 $487,744
3% 3% 3% 3%
57% 57%
30% 30%
88% 88%
TOTAL TOTAL $16,132,956 $16,132,956
three year trends REVENUE EXPENSE revenue andAND expense REVENUE AND EXPENSE Expense Expense
20,000,000 20,000,000
ENROLLED SCHOLARS enrolled scholars ENROLLED SCHOLARS Revenue Revenue
$16,121,510 $16,121,510 $16,132,956 $16,132,956
8,000 8,000 7,000 7,000
15,000,000 15,000,000
6,000 6,000 10,000,000 10,000,000
5,000 5,000
$8,555,208 $8,555,208 $9,113,261 $9,113,261
4,000 4,000 3,000 3,000
5,000,000 5,000,000
$3,823,858 $3,823,858 $4,116,974 $4,116,974
2,000 2,000 1,000 1,000
0 0
FY04 FY04
FY05 FY05
FY06 FY06
0 0
FY04 FY04
FY05 FY05
FY06 FY06
Boston: 60 Clayton Street, Dorchester, MA 02122 New York City: One Forham Plaza, Suite 903 Bronx, NY 10458 Baltimore: 3200 Elm Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21211 www.bellnational.org This annual report was produced in partnership with the Taproot Foundation and the Robin Hood Foundation.
bell
Building Educated Leaders for Life Boston: 60 Clayton Street, Dorchester, MA 02122 617.282.1567 New York City: One Fordham Plaza, Suite 903 Bronx, NY 10458 718.741.1500 Baltimore: 3200 Elm Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21211 410.235.7062 www.bellnational.org
This annual report was produced in partnership with the Taproot Foundation. Photography ŠJohn Abbott.
BELL Building Educated Leaders for Life