Our Opportunity
Making Breakthroughs Possible
WE UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF OUR NATION’S MOST PROMISING YOUNG PEOPLE
While roughly 50% of students from high-income communities in the United States will graduate from college, only 10% of their peers from under-resourced communities can say the same.
The ability to attain a quality education—and therefore go on to a successful career and a self-sustaining life—has, for too long, been determined by economic access and privilege, rather than potential. As a nation, America’s future depends on a diverse population of highly educated and skilled workers. Yet many students across the country are failing to thrive, losing opportunities to gain a competitive global edge, and create a positive path forward for themselves and for their families.
At Breakthrough, our goal is to serve every single student who qualifies for Breakthrough’s proven program, because students only get one chance at the education they deserve.
Early intervention, in middle school—a time of tremendous academic, developmental, and social change—is a critical period during which students are either launched on the path to high school graduation and college success or knocked off track.
Of the 10,000 Students we Serve…
are students of color
qualify for free &
reduced lunch
come from single-
parent households
will be the first in their
families to attend college
Harnessing the Power of Relationships
We know that the key to student success is the relationship between student and teacher, and more specifically the power of having a teacher from a similar background as an inspiring mentor. Minority students are proven to perform better on standardized tests, have improved attendance, and are suspended less frequently when they have at least one same-race teacher*.
Just 20% of public school teachers in America are racial and ethnic minorities, while over 50% of students identify as a minority*.
Breakthrough Collaborative recruits a highly talented group of Teaching Fellows, the majority of whom represent the students they serve. We are proud that our teaching fellows are more demographically diverse than the national average for professional teachers.
*Source: Pew Research Center, August 2018
