Breakthrough Manchester

Inspiring Students. Developing Teachers.

Founded at Derryfield in 1991, Breakthrough Manchester provides six years of intensive, tuition-free academic programming to support Manchester students from traditionally underserved communities on their path to college.

Breakthrough Manchester is building the next generation of educators through competitive recruitment of talented high school and college students, coaching from master educators, and research-based training to teach through a lens of social justice.

Inspiring Students

Breakthrough offers year-round programming for middle school students with a summer program for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders, and a school year program for 7th and 8th graders.

The summer program is an intensive six-week experience delivering an intentionally crafted combination of rigorous academics mixed with fun, high-energy summer activities to prevent the proverbial “summer slide.” Each day consists of instruction in math, literature, science, and writing followed by extracurricular classes and community building events. The week wraps up with field trips to college campuses, cultural sites, a Star Island retreat, a Boston city visit, and a hike up Rattlesnake Mountain to round out the summer. The school year program consists of 5 Super Saturdays each with its own theme and incorporating one field trip.

“Alex ran up to me and said I changed his life by recommending Breakthrough. I laughed, as it was clearly not me, but Breakthrough that was the game changer. All day long I heard the cheers and stories of how great it was. One of my students even said it made her nicer! I have never heard such rave reviews. They can’t wait to return next summer!”

– shared by McLaughlin Middle School teacher on the first day of school

Developing Teachers

The Breakthrough Collaborative, the largest pre-professional teacher training program in the country, has trained more than 10,000 Teaching Fellows over the past decade. College students have their own hands-on, immersive classroom experience teaching middle school students and learning from experienced educators to teach through a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

This is an amazing opportunity for upper-level high school and college students to develop as educators through a hands-on immersive fellowship while building skills transferable to any profession.

“This was the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I am so thankful for the chance to interact with these fantastic students and to have the chance to experience the field of education. The most rewarding moment was when my advisee thanked me for believing in her; that was incredibly impactful.”

– Jimmy Hanson, Controls Engineer, Lonza, Portsmouth, NH; University of New Hampshire ‘21; Breakthrough Student and Teaching Fellow Alumnus

Together, We Are Breakthrough Manchester

The Derryfield School has partnered with Breakthrough Manchester for 32 years and provides many in-kind supports including office space and a home for its summer program. Breakthrough’s partnership with Southern New Hampshire UNiversity fully supports Breakthrough’s College-Bound (high school age) program. Breakthrough Manchester is also grateful for partnerships with Manchester School District, Manchester Proud, and many other mission-aligned organizations in Manchester and throughout the the state of New Hampshire.

Breakthrough has been more important than ever in recent years as students navigate pandemic learning loss. At the same time, breakthrough’s work training emerging educators is helping to overcome the national teacher shortage crisis.

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