Project Description

Challenge

Boston After School & Beyond (BASB) is a public-private partnership that plays a vital role in ensuring Boston school children have access to effective after school and summer learning opportunities. All too often, they were finding their important work went unrecognized by the media and public.

Action

After partnering with Melwood Global, Boston After School & Beyond changed its approach to make a concerted effort to showcase its work in the media — from rigorous national studies which showed the benefits of Boston’s aggressive approach with outside-the-classroom learning to a coordinated legislative effort to jumpstart a conversation about the ways local communities could benefit from a state-sponsored pilot effort.

Results

Boston After School & Beyond realized a significant uptick in earned media coverage, including a front page Boston Globe report about the success of summer learning to help close the student achievement gap and national coverage in Education Week on Boston’s commitment to doubling participation in summer programs. Melwood’s team also led efforts to secure favorable coverage of BASB legislative efforts, including reports in several local communities around the state and opinion columns by BASB leadership which helped advance the legislation in the State House.