the mission of BELL

Our vision is for all children to excel.

BELL exists to transform the academic achievements, self-confidence, and life trajectories of children living in under-resourced, urban communities.

Because we believe in the tremendous potential of all children to excel, we recognize them as scholars.

We pursue our mission through two educational programs, BELL Summer and BELL After School.  Through these learning experiences, students benefit from small-group academic instruction, mentorship, a wide range of enrichment activities, and community engagement.  BELL serves scholars throughout the United States.  You can learn more about each of our communities here.

BELL works to ensure all children have the learning opportunities they need to fulfill their potential in school and in life.  Research shows that a lack of additional learning time – and in particular, a lack of summer learning opportunities – causes up to 2/3 of the academic achievement gap between children from low-income communities and their higher-income peers.

BELL delivers educational summer and after school experiences that increase time-on-task and accelerate academic achievement.  Student success leads to improved school attendance, higher grades and test scores, and increased graduation rates.  Ultimately, by reaching a critical mass of students and breaking cycles of academic under-performance, BELL’s impact helps turn around low-performing schools.