The Need for Summer on the Hill

Each year, SOH receives hundreds of applications from second graders and their families for 36 openings. Clearly, there is a great need for a program like Summer on the Hill.

Great disparities exist in educational opportunities for NYC school children. From an early age, high-achieving children in public schools attend large, heterogeneously grouped classes, where they are not challenged by the standard curriculum. At the same time, their peers in independent schools enjoy learning from an accelerated curriculum in small classes, with access to well-stocked libraries, working computers, music and art classes, and a gym. SOH bridges the gap between independent and public school education with stimulating small classes and individual guidance.

Despite the NYC Department of Education’s efforts, the enrollment of low-income children in gifted and talented programs decreased in 2008. 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.” Because the DOE plans to continue the new policy regarding gifted programs, we project a continued need for programs such as SOH that target low-income students in the Bronx and upper Manhattan, areas with many African-American and Hispanic families.
Parent visiting day

Parent visiting day

SOH uses 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 our young applicants well and obtains a broad foundation on which to make admissions decisions.

Summer on the Hill addresses these problems:

  • Scarce resources make enrichment difficult: 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.

SOH’s curriculum includes science taught by teachers dedicated to the field, three periods of language arts at each meeting of SOH, and year-round instruction in sports and the arts.

  • 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).
8th grade graduation

8th grade graduation

SOH’s Director of Placement provides individual and group guidance on school choices to students and families.

  • 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.” The authors report that there are thousands of high schools with highly qualified students who do not apply to    selective colleges because guidance counselors do not recommend these institutions to “high-achieving, low-income high school seniors.” Additionally, in many NYC public schools, the  counselor/student ratio is 600:1, making individual guidance next to impossible.
Visiting Colgate

Visiting Colgate

SOH’s Director of the High School program offers individual college counseling, holds yearly workshops on college admissions for students and families, and takes students on day and overnight trips to tour colleges in the northeast. SOH students currently attend six Ivy League universities and many highly-ranked public and private colleges.

  • College Prep: Costly test preparation and academic review classes are beyond the reach of SOH’s families.

In 2007-2008, SOH held 28 free SAT prep classes taught by experienced instructors. SOH also holds science review classes and  writing workshops for our high school students.

  • Summer internships for high school students: Most Bronx summer jobs are for retail positions.
Mentor and students

Mentor and students

SOH’s summer mentor internship program for 25-30 high school students (a majority are SOH alumni) provides a nurturing atmosphere for youth development, leadership development seminars, and meaningful summer employment. SOH also refers students to summer job opportunities, such as at Wave Hill.