PANAS matches Boston Public School Latino students with professional Latino mentors based on their desired career, field of study, and/or personalities. Pairs meet weekly, for two hours a week and at monthly program events. PANAS works with high-achieving, low-income Latino students from the exam schools who are preparing for college and are reaching to enrich themselves through the guidance of a mentor. PANAS also works with non-exam school students who are academically or socially "at risk" and are either struggling in school, at home, have dropped out of school, or have self-esteem issues, all of which detrimentally affect their academic performance and ability to succeed. Our district middle and high school students have an increased need for support, especially given a recent increase in violence throughout the city. The impact of the recent violence in the city cannot be overstated. More and more, Latino youth have a narrow view of their future and possibilities. They are in real need of support, motivation and most pressingly, role models. Our students identify with murder victims rather than success stories. We need to offer them role models of people like them that have excelled in life despite hardship. Given the needs of the students in this portion of PANAS, this component is more intense in its approach.

Many students in PANAS have obtained honor roll and have shown either improvement in their GPAs or they have maintained their GPA levels. Students and parents report that mentors and mentoring events have a positive effect on them. In 2008, three of the 60 mentees from the JKC PANAS component received full four-year scholarships to college through the Posse Foundation, four others from the institutions that that will be attending, and one mentee (a junior) received the Ted Kelley award, providing her $5,000 a year over three years. Furthermore, all 13 seniors in the program have been accepted to a four-year university, with admissions at Harvard University, Tufts University, Boston College, Boston University, Regis College, UMass Amherst, Bucknell University (PA), Centre College (KY), Union College (NY), Brown University (RI), and of course, UMass Boston!

Given the needs of the students in this portion of PANAS, this component is more intense in its approach. PANAS works closely with 24 who are paired with a mentor with a two-to-one mentee-mentor ratio. The program involves six key factors that will help keep students involved, motivated and on track: (1) Two-to-one monthly off-site mentoring; (2) Monthly group mentoring events, with all 24 mentees and 12 mentors; (3) Monthly parent potlucks that will involved the families as part of this mentoring initiative, creating a broader support group; (4) Bi-monthly home visits to assess and discuss the students' progress with families; (5) Monthly leadership development workshops for the mentees with the Program Coordinator; and (6) a weekly tutoring requirement for mentees to make sure they stay on top of their academics.

1. To recruit and sustain a total of 70 mentoring pairs to participate in the program's two-year period. The mentor-mentee ratio will be 1:1, with certain exceptions of 1:2;
2. Mentees will graduate or be promoted to the next grade on time with their cohorts;
3. Mentees will be educated about a range of extra-curricular, career and college choices;
4. Mentees will enter post-secondary education upon graduating from high school, preferably at a 4-year institution;
5. Mentees and their families will be educated about a range of financial aid options available to assist families and students in paying for college;
6. Mentees will develop a positive attitude about education and motivation to excel;
7. Parents of mentees will be become involved in their child's education to the extent that it is possible for them.

TAG Clubs

TAG Clubs establish and develop student leadership and active school participation in the three exam schools: Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and John D. O'Bryant. Through weekly student-planned and led meetings, the school-based clubs offer an outlet of expression, a vehicle to community involvement, as well as strengthen students' sense of personal/social responsibility. Clubs have Executive Boards and committees, who meet with the Program Director for intensive workshops each term, in which skills in leadership development, group facilitation, administrative, planning, and evaluation are strengthened. This is the main source of social support, from which many young Latino leaders have emerged throughout the years. Student initiative, self-esteem and a vested interest in their school and their education are highly increased through this medium. Parents are continually notified of and invited to the activities of the clubs. Approximately 150 students take part in the clubs each year. For more information email tag@umb.edu or call Ilyitch at 617.287.7638. You may also contact the clubs directly via email: Boston Latin School at tagbls@gmail.com; Boston Latin Academy at tagbla@gamil.com; or John D. O'Bryant School of Math and Science at tagobryant@gmail.com.

¡Pa'lante! College Awareness & Scholarship

Pa'lante! Activities are sponsored throughout the year with two goals: increasing awareness about the college experience and the college application and admission process, and facilitating career exploration to help students learn different fields of study and professions. Some ¡Pa'lante! activities include college awareness presentations at schools to students and families, college fairs, college tours, and connecting students to college-bound organizations and events. This component targets studnts in grades 6-10, since most college-bound programs are geared towards juniors and seniors. In their junior and senior year, students are referred to The Bottom Line and other organizations that guide them through the application process. Note: "¡Pa'lante!" is a colloquial Spanish term meaning "moving forward." For more information, please email tag@umb.edu or call Ilyitch at 617.287.7638.

Summer TAG Program

The summer program enrolls BPS students in grades 6-12 in either its "Enrichment" or "SPELL" (Summer Program for English Language Learners) components. The purpose of the program is to prepare students for the up-coming academic year, provide transition credit to those who need it, increase students' English proficiency, and introduce students to the supportive learning environment that TAG fosters. In the morning, Enrichment students take four classes: Math, English, Science, and Study Skills or Latin. SPELL students, who are in the process of learning English and/or need summer school credit, take Math and English. Students enjoy recreational activities in the afternoon including all types of sports, dance, drama, yearbook, and computers. The average teacher-student ratio is 1:10; the staff-student ratio is 1:5. TAG/SPELL has been recognized as a "Best Practice" Model for working with English Language Learners nationally. Students are followed through the academic year and invited to participate in the aforementioned school-year programs. For more information, please email tag@umb.edu or call Ilyitch at 617.287.7638.

Summer TAG is now accepting applications! Click here to download the English Summer TAG Borchure and Application packet.

Verano TAG esta aceptando solicitudes! Para obtener el pamfleto de Verano y la solicitud de estudiantes por favor oprima aqui.