Horizons to RISE to the Challenge

Horizons offers a wide variety of resources and programs to families experiencing homelessness. Our three early education centers are located in Greater Boston and focus on closing the learning and developmental gap for homeless children. That is why we are very excited to announce that we will be participating in a two-year RISE project starting in September 2017.

Readiness through Integrative Science and Engineering (RISE) is a joint research project lead by Christing McWayne and Jayanthi Mistry of Tufts University, along with colleagues Daryl Greenfield of University of Miami and Betty Zan of University of Northern Iowa. The project focuses on creating science, technology and engineering (STE) curriculum, and professional development resources for preschool teachers serving dual language learners (DLL) in the centers. It also includes a homeschool collaboration (HSC) component connecting families and teachers as partners in the child’s learning. The launch will involve all five of our early education center preschool classrooms. Two will serve as control groups and the other three rooms will fully participate in the program.

The four components of the RISE project are:

1. Professional development workshops
2. Professional learning community meetings
3. 1:1 coaching for classrooms
4. Parent-teacher discussion groups with joint activities

Our classrooms and their families will have in-classroom and out-of-classroom support by RISE researchers, coaches, community experts, and previous RISE teachers. This opportunity will bring teachers and families together, elevating the learning and experience for all of those involved.