Founded in 1992 by MacArthur Genius Awardee Dr. Angela Duckworth, Breakthrough Greater Boston (BTGB) transforms urban education for students and teachers through its unique Students Teaching Students model. Through six years of intensive, tuition free out-of-school time (OST) programming for traditionally underserved middle and high school students in both Cambridge and Dorchester, MA, BTGB changes students’ academic trajectories and supports them along the path to college. At the same time, BTGB develops the next generation of urban educators by recruiting and training diverse, high-achieving college students to serve as Teaching Fellows (Fellows) and near-peer role models to BTGB students.
Since 1992, BTGB has supported the academic success of over 1,000 students and recruited, trained, and inspired more than 950 college students from across the country to pursue careers in education. Over the past seven years, 97% of our seniors have matriculated at four-year college and 82% have persisted through their undergraduate years. On average, more than 75% of our graduating Teaching Fellows have continued in the field of education.
BTGB is currently engaged in a significant program expansion to double our impact by bringing our model to Boston Public Schools’ TechBoston Academy in Dorchester. The expansion and replication of our efforts with Boston Public School students builds upon 23 years of demonstrated success in supporting low-income Cambridge Public School students along their path to four-year college. BTGB’s Boston expansion will continue through 2018, upon which BTGB will offer six years of comprehensive programming at both its Cambridge and Dorchester Campuses and engage more than 430 students and 100 Teaching Fellows annually.