"What would it take for an entire city to come together around improving the lives of children?" That's the question that Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation posed over seven years ago to child advocates, business and community leaders, policy-makers, and the citizens of Springfield, Massachusetts. That question led to three years of research, collaborating and planning that ultimately resulted in a series of remarkable initiatives that include Cherish Every Child and Step Up Springfield.

It's no secret that students' learning slips during summer. With such an extended period away from the classroom, it's easy to put educational activities out of mind - some students stop reading, they forget math, and are not challenged with new ideas.
This proves to be especially true for low income students. While low income children tend to keep pace with more affluent students during the academic school year, they often fall behind during the summer. A recent study, "The Learning Season: The Untapped Power of Summer to Advance Student Learning" confirms these suspicions and reveals that summer enrichment opportunities have a much more profound impact on the academic achievement of young people than previously believed.

Whether it's helping young students sharpen their math skills, stirring up interest in high school and college students to become positive role models, or sparking new conversations for social change, The Young People's Project (YPP) in an innovative initiative that motivates young people to organize and inspire, using education.

A common perception of Asian American students is that they are the "model minority" - a class of diligent students who achieve educational success through hard work and discipline. Although some may view this as a positive stereotype, it fails to recognize the true diversity of Asian Americans and minimizes the challenges and hardships they face. In many regions including Boston, Asian American students are simultaneously the most integrated and segregated minority groups, resulting in a wide range of educational achievement and employment outcomes.

Helping girls to make smart choices, building positive self images and promoting healthy lifestyles are just a few of the objectives Paula Benedetti, the Community Service Learning Parent and Business Liaison aims to achieve at the Keith Middle School, in New Bedford this school year.

According to the Schott Foundation's 2006 State Report Card for Public Education & Black Males, more than half of African-American boys in the United States are not graduating from high school in the traditional four year period. While individual data for Boston and Massachusetts did exceed the national average (61% and 60% respectively), the numbers still reflect a critical need for educational services that address the challenges of black male students and eliminate the racial academic achievement gap.