Improving Schools - Expanding Opportunity

Education is central to Harvard’s mission, and Harvard's commitment to education travels beyond the campus borders. The Office of Community Affairs partners with many University departments linking faculty expertise, talented students and grants to help our surrounding urban communities improve teaching and learning.

The Harvard Achievement Support Initiative (HASI) is the University's professional development and grantmaking effort to increase learning opportunities for Boston's young people. Building on the success of the Harvard After School Initiative, which focused on out-of-school-time innovation and improvement for students aged 5-18, HASI broadened its work in 2006 to reach the youngest of Boston's citizens - babies, toddlers and preschoolers. More

The Cambridge-Harvard Summer Academy is a partnership between the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education that provides academic assistance to CRLS students, pairing veteran educators and Harvard Teacher Education Program interns as teachers in the classroom. The program allows for personalized instruction in language arts, history/social studies, science, and mathematics. More

The Crimson Summer Academy is an academically rigorous summer program for 60 promising Cambridge and Boston high school students from low-income families. Launched in 2004 with the explicit goal of preparing students for top colleges and universities, the Crimson Summer Academy extended its college preparatory experience to include on-campus living from Sunday night through Friday afternoon. More

The Harvard Extension School is one of the greatest educational resources that the University offers to neighbors. Through special funding initiatives, the Office of Community Affairs has worked with the Division of Continuing Education to offer scholarships to local residents. More

Project TEACH is collaboration with Cambridge public schools to bring middle school students to Harvard for a day to introduce them to the world of college. Harvard undergraduates guide Cambridge seventh-graders through a college information session, tour of the campus, a science class and lunch. More

Harvard is a founding member of Step UP, an innovative collaboration among five Boston-area universities and ten Boston public schools that is working to support student achievement. Now in its second year, Harvard, Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College, and Tufts are delivering holistic, coordinated services in four key areas: Health and Wellness, Professional Development and Academic Support, Family and Community Engagement, and Extended Learning Opportunities. Harvard seeks to enrich student learning with its partner schools by providing research-based professional development for teachers and after school staff, leadership coaching, Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Standards-aligned materials and activities, grants, and Harvard College and graduate student mentors. More