Organization Details:

Breakthrough Houston

The program has a two fold mission. Breakthrough aims to identify, recruit, and prepare students who possess high academic potential, but limited educational resources for competitive high-school programs and college admission. In addition, we encourage talented high-school and college students to consider careers in education.

Description:
A member of the nationally known Breakthrough Collaborative, Breakthrough Houston is an academic program that builds a bridge from middle school to college for promising middle- and high-school students, many of whom are the first in their families to earn college degrees. By offering innovative classes during a six-week summer program and holding workshops throughout the school year, we prepare students for academic success and leadership in their communities. Our students receive individual tutoring, test preparation, and college counseling as part of our six-year commitment to their success.

Breakthrough Houston is a locally supported non-profit organization. We have grown from an enrollment of 30 middle-school students in 1996 to over 130 students in 2006. Our summer program is generously housed by Episcopal High School, while our school-year program operates two Saturdays per month at St. John’s School.

History:
Breakthrough Houston is the local chapter of a national nonprofit organization called The Breakthrough Collaborative. The first program, founded in 1978 at San Francisco University High School, was originally called "Summerbridge." The Breakthrough Collaborative acts as the voice of our organization to establish and maintain high standards and to ensure the success of all Breakthrough programs. Since 1978, the Breakthrough Collaborative has inspired the development of additional programs all across the United States. Breakthrough Houston is one of The Breakthrough Collaborative's 27 chapters, which include one in Hong Kong.

Established in the summer of 1996, Breakthrough Houston began working with 30 fifth- and sixth-graders. Co-sponsored by Episcopal High School and St. John's School, Breakthrough Houston works closely with HISD, relying on the participation of teachers, counselors, and others to help identify and recruit students.

Thanks to our donors' commitment, our teachers' dedication, and our students' desire to learn, Breakthrough Houston has been hugely successful. Every year, students and teachers alike look forward to the start of our school-year and summer programs.

Contact people:

Betsy Brewer, Program Director, (phone), (email) Samantha Singh, Assistant Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (713) 850-8151

Address:

2401 Claremont Lane Houston, TX 77019 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.breakthroughhouston.org

Last updated on January 29, 2009