The Need for Summer on the Hill
Each year, SOH receives hundreds of applications from families in the Bronx, Washington Heights, and Harlem for 40 openings. SOH is sought-after for its stimulating, small, after-school classes, individual guidance, and the steady encouragement of dedicated staff over the program’s ten-year span. Clearly, there is a great need for a program like Summer on the Hill.
Families turn to SOH because of the scarcity of enrichment programs in low-income neighborhoods. Despite the NYC Department of Education’s efforts, the enrollment of low-income children in gifted and talented programs has decreased in recent years. In Fewer Children Entering Gifted Programs (Gootman, E., and Gebeloff, R., 10/29/08), The New York Times reports that,
“The number of children entering NYC public school gifted programs dropped by half this year from last under a new policy…,which based admission on a citywide cutoff score on two standardized tests, [and] failed to diversify the coveted classes.” The Times notes that, “in a school system in which 17 percent of kindergartners and first graders are white, 48 percent of this year’s new gifted students are white…The incoming gifted class is 9 percent Hispanic, 13 percent black and 28 percent Asian. Their kindergarten and first-grade peers in the city are 41 percent Hispanic, 27 percent black and 15 percent Asian.”
Parent visiting day
SOH selects students based on a comprehensive admissions formula that includes a standardized test, teacher recommendations, mock classes, and interviews with applicants and their families. Although the process is lengthy, SOH staff gets to know young applicants well and obtains a broad foundation on which to make admissions decisions.
Summer on the Hill addresses these problems:
- NYC public schools do not offer students regular instruction in science labs, writing, arts, and sports. Students lacking a foundation in these areas – particularly in science and writing — are at a great disadvantage when they move up to high school and college, and miss important aspects of a well-rounded education. SOH offers accelerated classes in language arts, math, and science (including labs), and instruction in the arts and sports.
- School guidance: “As parents across New York search to find the appropriate schools for their children, many are struggling to navigate the complex road map for the school admissions process” (Christine Quinn, Speaker, NYC Council, letter to New York Times, 2/23/07). SOH offers individual and group guidance on school choices.
8th grade graduation
College guidance: The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (No. 52, Fall 2006) states, “large numbers of highly qualified, low-income students are not applying to Harvard and other highly selective schools… guidance counselors do not recommend these institutions to “high-achieving, low-income high school seniors.” Many NYC public schools have a counselor/student ratio of 600:1, making individual guidance difficult. SOH’s Director of the High School program offers individual college counseling, family workshops on college admissions, and takes students on college trips.
- College Prep: Costly test preparation and academic review classes are beyond the reach of SOH’s families. SOH holds free SAT prep classes taught by experienced instructors, as well as writing workshops and science review classes.
- Summer internships for high school students: Most Bronx summer jobs are for retail positions.
Mentor and students
SOH’s summer mentor internship program for 25 high school students (most are SOH alumni) provides a nurturing atmosphere for youth development, leadership development seminars, and meaningful summer employment. Several past mentors have entered the field of education as a result of their mentoring experiences.