Social Issue Track: Closing the Achievement Gap: Fostering Literacy in Youth
Sponsoring Partner: The Boston Globe Foundation
WriteBoston, a city-wide initiative, seeks to foster a “culture of writing” at all public high schools in Boston.
WriteBoston works to improve writing proficiency among high school students by matching teachers with expert writing coaches and creating opportunities for students to engage in the writing process with peers and community members.
Social Problem:
- Forty percent of 10th graders in the Boston Public Schools failed to reach proficiency on the English Language Arts section of the 2005 MCAS exam.
- The achievement gap widens for students of color; 72% of African Americans and 73% of Hispanics failed to reach proficiency.
- Between 1996 and 2006, the average literacy rate required for all jobs rose by 14%.
- 71% of U.S. executives cited e-mail as the preferred method of communication in the workplace, up from 27% in 2001.
Key Accomplishments & Social Impact:
- In the three years since its founding, WriteBoston has worked with 45 teachers and reached over 1,500 students through its programs.
- WriteBoston has developed an effective model, with 100% of teachers reporting that their writing instruction has improved.
- 100% of participating high schools contribute financial resources to support a portion of WriteBoston’s services.
- 350 WriteBoston students have published their work in magazines, online, newsletters, Boston Teens in Print (T.i.P.) and community newspapers.
Future Plans:
- Add five schools, expanding to serve a total of 10 Boston public high schools.
- Reach 4,000 students and 75 teachers annually in 2008.
Total Philanthropic Investment – Two Years:
$1.1 million |
Ways to Invest
In-Kind Support
- Adding 1-2 board members with entrepreneurship /business expertise
- Finding partner companies whose employees will serve as volunteers for the e-pal program
- Developing a database and reporting system
- Developing and implementing a marketing communications strategy
- Redesigning the WriteBoston website to be interactive
Financial Support
| $50,000 |
Launch two new WriteBoston high schools |
| $25,000 |
Support for annual writing events at seven schools, reaching 2,000 students |
| $10,000 |
Sponsorship for 10 Summer Journalism Institute students |
| $5,000 |
Stipends for 5 Teens in Print interns |
| $1,000 |
Rhyming dictionaries, poetry books and books to support Author Series |
Contact Information
Betty Southwick
(617) 541-2604
betty.southwick.jcs@ci.boston.ma.us
Location
Roxbury, MA
Founded
2002
Current Budget
$448,000
Geography & People Served
High school students and teachers in Boston Public Schools
Website
www.writeboston.org
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