"I usually felt dumb when I did not understand HOW a teacher was teaching, but now I understand my learning style and the strategies that can help me. In the SMARTS program I feel like a leader because I can help other kids figure out how they learn and be a role model for them."
-Anisha, SMARTS Boston
The SMARTS Boston Leadership and Mentoring Program is the school based implementation of the mentoring program developed by the Research Institute for Learning and Development. The curriculum focuses on teaching executive function strategies through mentoring to help students complete a community-service project. Previous projects have focused on improving the teacher-student relationship and bullying.
The SMARTS Boston program has been implemented in three underperforming high schools in which the students are at an increased risk for dropping out and not graduating. Currently, the SMARTS Boston program is being implemented in The Engineering School; a small high school located in Hyde Park. The school has a total of 300 students with diverse educational profiles. The school’s goal is to provide a pathway to all students to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; with a particular focus on females, Latinos, African-American students and students with disabilities. Students are urged to attend college so they can achieve these goals.
The SMARTS program strives to work with the schools to help them achieve their goals by providing students with the tools necessary to succeed. The results from the SMARTS Program show a major increase in students’ attendance, class participation and use of executive function strategies. Teacher’s report that the students who participate in the program are passionate about becoming role models and expanding their understanding of their own learning styles as well as sharing their knowledge of ResearchILD’s strategies with other students to help them succeed. In addition, students who previously felt they could not learn, could not affect positive change, and could not successfully complete their school work, now recognize that understanding how they learn and the strategies that fit their learning styles can help pave the way to success.
With additional funding ResearchILD plans to expand the SMARTS program in the Boston Public Schools so that more struggling learners on the brink of giving up can be given the chance to develop the strategies, drive and resilience to succeed.