Scaffolding for Success: Extended Learning Opportunities at UPCS
Learning at UPCS is not confined to the hours that school is in session. Before and after school activities provide the additional support necessary to ensure that every student is successful.
Scaffolding Learning: Homework Centers: UPCS offers homework centers before school for one hour starting at 7:00 am and after school until 5:00 pm. Teachers and Clark University undergraduate tutors help students complete their homework and offer extra support. A majority of the middle school students and a significant number of high school students stay after school every day for extra help and other extracurricular activities.
Targeting Students for Additional Support: Students who teachers identify as in need of additional support are given additional academic time before or after school. Middle school students who scored poorly on the state English exams participate in an after-school book club. Students receive extra math support at a breakfast club, where the teacher brings in bagels and provides the extra tutoring that her neediest students need to succeed in class. Attendance at these sessions is excellent.
Because of the small size of the school, persistence of the teachers, and support from families, all struggling students come before or stay after school to get the extra help they need.
An Environment of Safety and Support: In a neighborhood such as Main South, a school must seek to provide students with a safe and supportive environment for as many hours a day as possible. Students face tremendous negative pressures on the street, and many do not return to a stable home situation. UPCS’ homework center and after-school activities offer students a safe, structured, and supportive environment where they can focus on their schoolwork and engage in positive activities with their peers.
