Our Program

Students join Student U as rising sixth graders and continue participation through high school. The design creates a unique year-round, multi-year development model that sustains academic and personal growth and emphasizes long-term, personal relationships and community. In ensuring Student U achieves its desired outcomes for students, Student U provides quality teacher training and support; delivers a robust summer program; and sustains and enhances the summer experience throughout the academic year.

As an academic enrichment program in Durham, Student U works with community partners to ensure that our students realize their fullest academic and personal potentials. We do this by bringing together Durham Public School students while employing passionate, dedicated, talented college students to teach, providing those college students with support from experienced DPS, Durham Academy, and Teach for America teachers, and by challenging everyone to dream and achieve more than he or she could have imagined.

Student U students are students from Durham Public Schools. They are recruited as 5th graders, and make a commitment to remain with the program at least through high school. Student U students have endless potential, a desire to learn, and are capable of amazing achievement.

Student U is a year-round program. The first part of the program is the summer intensive: a six-week program based at Durham Academy. The second part of the program is the school-year program, which includes: mentoring, study halls, leadership development, remedial math, remedial reading, Odyssey of the Mind, a science club, and literary clubs. We ask the teachers who we hire for the summer to commit to 2-3 hours a week for the school year to facilitate the school-year programming.

Summer

Student U creates a vibrant learning environment which is engaging, fun, and relevant on the campus of Durham Academy. Students attend Student U five days a week for six weeks:

• Academics: Curriculum designed based on the NC Standard Course of Study attempts to close the achievement gap facing DPS. Under the guidance of experienced Mentor Teachers, teachers design and implement units of study that reflect best practices in middle school education. With a 4:1 student teacher ratio, an intimate learning environment is created to enable the individual needs of students to be addressed.
• Mentorship: Each student is part of a "family," a unit of teachers and students who participate together in daily activities. During Family Time, students and teachers discuss the challenges adolescents face throughout middle and high school and create action plans for how to combat these obstacles.
• Parent Involvement: Each summer ends with a parent, student, teacher conference and the creation of an "Advancement Plan."

2009 Daily Summer Schedule (note: 2010 schedule may change)

• 7:30-7:45 Students arrive
• 7:45 - 8:00 Family Time/Breakfast
• 8:00 - 8:15 Meet & Greet
• 8:20 - 9:10 Period 1
• 9:10 - 10:00 Period 2
• 10:00 - 10:15 Family time/Snack
• 10:15 - 11:05 Period 3
• 11:05 - 11:55 Period 4
• 11:55 - 12:15 Lunch
• 12:20 - 1:10 Elective 1
• 1:15 - 2:05 Elective 2
• 2:10 - 3:15 Cheza
• 3:20 - 3:40 Family Time
• 3:45 Dismissal
  

Academic Year

Student U ensures consistent improvements in student attendance, academic performance, and student confidence in and commitment to success in school. The design sustains the strong, supportive community developed over the summer:

• Weekly Academic Activities: Students choose from a variety of weekly academic activities including remedial reading and math, a science club, and a literary society, all led by Student U teachers. During two-hour meetings, Student U teachers track students' attendance in school, academic progress, and overall attitude.
• Monthly Community Days: Maintain the sense of community and provide fun and educational opportunities for all program participants to join together.
• Parent Involvement: All students are connected with a Teacher Advisor who is responsible for communicating weekly with parents to discuss student progress and needs. During year, Parent Council meets monthly to assess program and determine growth.

 

High School Program

Student U demonstrates sustained commitment to its students and maintains a culture and community of high expectations to help ensure graduation and preparedness for success in life beyond high school:

• College Readiness: This comprehensive program keeps students on the path to college. All students receive personal college counseling and are required to attend group workshops on topics including financial aid and scholarship as well as application process deadlines.
• Student Advocate: Each student is placed with a Student Advocate beginning in 9th grade. Advocate provides academic support by matching student needs with available community programs as well as academic advocacy by ensuring students are on a college-ready track.