About MGP
The Program
Public and independent school teachers have worked together to develop the MGP’s curricular goals. Following three summers and two school years with MGP, students will become:
- Intuitive, flexible, and confident mathematical thinkers
- Insightful, fluent, and ardent readers
- Capable, straightforward, incisive writers
With broad agreement on curricular goals across all twelve MGP sites, individual sites are free to design their own program that meets the agreed-upon goals.
Summer programs incorporate arts, athletics, and personal development, as well. Graduates have completed Algebra I, write clear and convincing essays, and read willingly for both pleasure and information.
Summer programs run for four or five weeks. During the school-year, students participate in two after-school sessions per week and at least four full-day Saturday activities.
Partners ranging from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Baltimore Urban Debate League to North Bay Adventure Camp complement the core program.
History
The Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF)
In 2000, Tom Wilcox, former Headmaster of Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts, came to Baltimore as the new President of the Baltimore Community Foundation. While at Concord Academy, Mr. Wilcox launched New England Citybridge, a very successful year-round academic enrichment program for disadvantaged middle schoolers in the Boston and Cambridge, Mass. public school systems. Mr. Wilcox remained committed to the idea of Citybridge and wanted to create a similar program in Baltimore, which could then be replicated around the country.
The Morton and Jane Blaustein Foundation (MJBF)
Around this same time, the Morton and Jane Blaustein Foundation was quietly funding several programs around Baltimore that partnered local independent schools with the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS). The Foundation, with a keen interest in both the burgeoning field of summer learning and in public/private partnerships, was looking for ways to help bring more high-quality educational opportunities to low-income children, especially programs using the unique and under-utilized time of summer. In 2003, as a first step in encouraging programs like this, the Foundation and the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University convened a meeting at Baltimore's St. Paul's School for Boys. This well-attended event gathered together people from area public and private schools to learn about new research in summer learning, and to share ideas about ongoing programs.
Paths Converge
In 2004, BCF, MJBF and the Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning (CSL) hosted a conference for local educators entitled "Forum on Summer Learning Opportunities in Independent Schools." 250 public and independents school teachers, administrators, development officers, trustees, foundation staffs, and interested community members gathered to hear more than 20 representatives of public/independent school partnership programs from across the nation describe their programs and inspire those in Baltimore to think about the many possibilities inherent in this kind of work.
Funds for the planning grants to support public and independent school teams interested in creating programs to benefit BCPSS students were made available by the Baltimore Community Foundation and the Morton and Jane Blaustein Foundation.
A consortium of heads of school met regularly during 2004 and a gradual yet powerful consensus grew in response to the call for new ideas, new personnel, new funding streams, and new ways of working together. These meetings produced agreement regarding the following key points:
- Partnership efforts would target Baltimore area independent schools and Baltimore City Title I middle grades students.
- Independent school and public middle schools would develop one-to-one partnerships.
- Independent schools in the Baltimore metropolitan area would be encouraged to participate.
- Partnerships would be created through already-established connections when possible. Authenticity of relationships was believed to be a primary ingredient to a successful partnership.
- Partnerships would be "true two-way" partnerships, with mutual recognition that all parties had much to learn from and to teach to each other and that the independent schools had as much to gain as public schools.
Funding
The Middle Grades Partnership has been extremely fortunate to have several pivotal funders, both individuals and foundations that understood, from the beginning, the importance and potential of this program. Their generous support provided the start up funds for the 2005-2006 pilot year and continues today. These initial supporters include The Baltimore Community Foundation, The Baltimore Community Foundation Fund for Populations at Risk, The BAMS Foundation, The Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation, The Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Family Foundation, and The Jane and Worth B. Daniels Jr. Fund at BCF.
The Early Years
Pilot Year 2005
The Middle Grades Partnership awarded funding for three pilot programs in summer 2005 to Garrison Middle School and Roland Park Country School; Hampstead Hill Academy, KIPP Ujima Village Academy and Friends School of Baltimore and The Stadium School and Park School.
2006–2007
For the first full-fledged summer in June, 2006 there were ten partnerships: Canton Middle School and Bryn Mawr, Canton Middle School and Gilman School, Calverton Middle School and Towson University, Garrison Middle School and Roland Park Country School, Garrison Middle School and Boys Latin School, Francis Scott Key Elementary-Middle School and Calvert School, Hampstead Hill Academy, KIPP Ujima Village Academy and Friends School, New Song Academy, and Gilman School and The Stadium School and Park School and St. Paul's Bridges Program.
2007–2008
For summer 2007 and school-year 2008, two more partnerships have signed on: City Springs Elementary/Middle School and Collington Square K-8 with Garrison Forest School and Mt. Royal Elementary/Middle with McDonogh School. In October of 2006 The Stadium School withdrew from MGP and has been replaced by Winston Middle School.
Executive Director
Beth Drummond Casey has directed the Middle Grades Partnership since its inception in 2005.
Beth served for 29 years as a teacher and administrator at Baltimore-area independent schools Park School and Gilman School. She held a range of teaching responsibilities, in addition to serving as Assistant Head of Park’s Lower School and Director of the Park School Intern Teacher program.
Beth received her A.B. degree in Music from Smith College in 1977.
Associate Director
Sophia L. Rudisill—Prior to coming to the MGP in May 2008, Sophia was the Assistant Director of College Advising at Baltimore City College High School. As an expert advisor in the field of college admissions and college financial aid, Sophia worked directly with high school students, providing one-on-one counseling to students, many of whom are among the first in their families to attend college. Prior to her work at City College, she was a College Access Program Specialist for the CollegeBound Foundation. At CollegeBound she was responsible for creating and staffing a college center, while delivering a full menu of college access services identified by the National College Access Network (NCAN).
Sophia received her B.A. degree from University of the Arts and her M.A. in Music Business from New York University and is currently working on her D.M. in Organizational Leadership and Management at University of Maryland University College. She is currently a Trustee and Performing Arts Ministry Director at the LIFE Church Ministries. Sophia has a three-year-old daughter.
Administrative Staff
Ann Daniels
410-332-4172 ext. 160
adaniels@bcf.org
Katherine Goldstein
Administrative Assistant
kgoldst5@jhu.edu
Contact Us
Beth Drummond Casey
Executive Director
410-516-0175
bdcasey@jhu.edu
Sophia L. Rudisill
Associate Director
410-516-6113
Fax: 410-516-6222
srudisi1@jhu.edu
The Middle Grades Partnership
2800 North Charles Street
National Center for Summer Learning
Baltimore, MD 21218