Education Initiatives
Partnering with Public Schools
Professional Development for local educators
Out-of-School Time Learning Community
The Harvard Out-of-School Time Learning Community (OSTLC) provides Allston-Brighton and Cambridge out-of-school time educators with information, promising practices, and tools to support their work in engaging families. Through a series of workshops, attendees learn about research on the relationship between family engagement and improved organizational and student outcomes from birth through high school.
RISE: Reimagining Identity, Self, and Excellence
RISE started in Spring 2019 as a conference for Allston, Brighton, and Cambridge high school juniors to get a jump start on thinking about life after high school. And in 2020, it expanded to add free, virtual programming in addition to the virtual conference! The goal of these workshops was to help students prepare for life after high school by exposing them to a wide range of careers and building skills for school, work, and life in general.
Learn More
Mind Matters: Families make a difference
Mind Matters uses cutting-edge research on early child development to equip families with practical skills and understanding related to the growth of the whole child. With a particular focus on children ages 3 to 8, this program provides families with the resources to support their children emotionally, socially, and academically. Mind Matters is currently offered to families in Cambridge and Boston.
Read the Harvard Gazette story
Supporting Lifelong Learning
A faculty-driven and University-wide effort, HarvardX aims to be collaborative and representational of Harvard’s academic diversity, showcasing the highest-quality offerings of the University to learners everywhere. HarvardX provides a form of learning that is useful, transformative, and available for learners at every stage in life. It consists of a variety of online courses that can be audited for free. Students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.
Visit the HarvardX website to learn more
Public School Partnerships Newsletter
The Public School Partnerships Newsletter is a monthly newsletter that connects Boston and Cambridge educators directly to local professional development opportunities, current events, and online resources for learning, exploring, and growing in education. Many featured events and programs are free.
Sign up for the Boston Newsletter
Sign up for the Cambridge Newsletter
Learn more about Harvard's work with Cambridge Public Schools
Harvard and Cambridge are inextricably linked through their history and commitment to education. Cambridge students and teachers frequently interact with Harvard students and faculty and Harvard students are often given the opportunity to serve as teacher interns and learn from Cambridge master teachers. This symbiotic relationship yields a flow of new ideas that inform approaches to student learning and educational policy.
Download the brochure: Collaborating for Student Success
Creating Workspaces at Home
As we all navigate this new “normal” of online working and learning, we have some tips and tricks to share about creating space—physically and emotionally—in your home for everyone to be successful, and to stay sane!
This downloadable document comes in 9 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified), Amharic, Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, Somali, and Vietnamese.