The Horizons Approach
Horizons is a transformative, educational summer enrichment program serving low-income public school students with a broad range of academic abilities. At the heart of every Horizons community is a partnership with independent schools and/or colleges, local public schools and the Horizons program. Horizons students spend six weeks each summer on these campuses engaged in a program that blends high quality academics with cultural enrichment and confidence-building activities. Given an opportunity to attend for nine consecutive summers, Horizons students grow in skills and confidence returning to their own schools each fall better prepared.
Each program hires its own professional lead teachers from public and private schools to work side-by-side in the classroom using project-based teaching methods that excite and engage students. There is no standard curriculum; instead, educators are given the freedom to teach in an environment that encourages them to be creative. The result is that students gain an average of two to three months in reading and math skills each summer. Each Horizons student also learns how to swim, building confidence and a desire to achieve inside and outside the classroom.
Horizons programs transform the lives of students caught in the achievement gap – giving them the tools and support to become successful and confident college-bound students. Each Horizons program becomes an integral part of the host school’s culture and makes a lasting impact on the school and its surrounding community—all at no cost to the institution.
"Summer learning is the key to changing our American educational system."
-Dr. Milton Chen, Keynote Speaker, National Conference on Summer Learning, National Summer Learning Association, November 2011