Breakthrough Houston

The Middle School Program offers comprehensive support to rising seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students throughout the summer and school year. During the summer, students participate in an immersive six week summer camp that includes a rigorous academic curriculum. In addition, students are engaged in leadership lessons to support the development of essential professional skills. Throughout the school year students convene on twelve Saturday mornings between September and April to continue building on the academic and social progress developed during the summer. The School Year Program leverages a Project Based Learning (PBL) curriculum, a unique teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. Continued on Schedule O To prepare new teachers for a career in education or education advocacy, college students serve as our summer teachers, or Teaching Fellows (TFs) in our Middle School Program. Veteran Instructors serve as coaches during the summer and provide a two week training program for TFs which provides space to learn and apply research-based, effective teaching strategies for lesson planning, classroom management, and relationship building. Throughout the summer, TFs will receive over 50 hours of solo teaching experience, 30 hours of coaching, and 5 hours of targeted professional development.

The College Bound Program provides holistic support for BTH high school students to thrive in high school and confidently navigate the college admissions process. Established in 2008, the program offers a unique grade level-based approach to support students in the challenges impacting students each year throughout high school. The ninth grade program begins with a Freshman Seminar, which promotes essential and transferable skills to support students during this major change to high school. The tenth grade students begin investigating their personal interests through experiential learning opportunities including career shadowing, college exploration, and summer internships. Continued on Schedule OThe eleventh grade students start the college search process in earnest by building their college list, engaging in free SAT/ACT test preparation, and developing their personal statements for college admissions. The twelfth grade students focus on the final steps in their college admissions process, including polishing their short answers, submitting financial aid applications, weighing decisions, and making a transition plan.