A private school with a public purpose
What We Do
Through the work of (MS)2, Andover Bread Loaf, IRT, and PALS, Phillips Academy is able to enrich the lives of hundreds of students and educators each year. Each outreach program's unique mission drives the focus of its programming, resulting in a range of offerings spanning grade six to graduate school.
Phillips Academy's outreach programs are united by a commitment to offer transformative academic experiences that help students gain access—access to resources, experiences, and new ways of thinking about learning itself—ultimately moving toward equity, inclusion, and justice in advanced educational and professional settings.
Programs that Transform Lives
(MS)2
ABL
IRT
PALS
Reimagining Community
In 2023, (MS)2 students, faculty, and administrators worked to build community with one another and with the broader Andover Summer student body. Student leaders spearheaded efforts to support whole-school community policies as well as activities to strengthen conflict resolution strategies and create more opportunities for students from all summer programs to forge meaningful connections across difference.
Back in Person
In the summer of 2023, Andover Bread Loaf ran its signature Lawrence Student Writers' Workshop on the campus of Phillips Academy, supplementing a range of other programming offered in the Lawrence community through partner organizations. Prioritizing connection, expression, and democratic engagement, ABL participants leaned on one another to work toward speaking their truth—the theme of summer 2023. Visiting artists, summer faculty, and Writing Leaders helped students at all levels find and strengthen their voices.
Our Future Educators
Offering a range of resources to meet the needs of students in their journey toward graduate school, the summer 2023 IRT program provided members of its cohort with the chance to participate in virtual learning through the core Summer Workshop curriculum, synchronous and asynchronous courses, a Recruiters' Fair in which scholars could interact with admissions representatives from Consortium institutions, and ongoing advising with summer and year-round staff members.
Community Connections
More thoroughly embedded in the campus community in summer 2023, PALS successfully served students from 8 different Lawrence public middle schools, providing academic enrichment courses in literacy and STEM along with high school preparation, advising groups, and community-building activities. From studying the physics of flight to analyzing high-school-level novels, PALS students stretched themselves to engage with their classes in new and exciting ways. Students visited area high schools, participated in sports and community meetings with their Andover Summer peers from around the globe, and generally took advantage of all that Andover has to offer.
Who We Serve
The outreach programs serve students from a wide range of backgrounds. While some draw participants from local communities, others recruit at a national scale. With missions focusing on traditionally marginalized and underserved communities, these programs offer students access to the full range of Phillips Academy's world-class facilities and resources as they promote individual, local, and systemic social change.
PALS this summer was amazing! I got to meet new friends, make strong bonds, do my favorite activities, and learn so many things in my STEM and English classes.
”2023-24 Priorities and Initiatives
The summer of 2023 brought with it a focus on building a sense of belonging, supporting students' mental health, and creating a global community for participants in Phillips Academy's outreach programs. In addition, as multiple programs underwent or approached leadership transitions, the Academy worked to develop a strategic and consistent approach to program management, support, and oversight.
To work toward collective impact, each individual program has laid out priorities for the coming year. To review each program's focus areas for 2023-2024, please toggle through the programs, below.
2023-24 Priorities and Initiatives
(MS)2
ABL
IRT
PALS
(MS)2 2023-24 Priorities & Initiatives:
- Continuing implementation of Mastery-Based Assessment
- Increasing alumni engagement with current students
- Satisfying the social-emotional and interpersonal relationship needs of students
- Pre- and in-service faculty training and on-going support
- Science and English curriculum review and analysis, with an eye toward building more inclusive and representative curricula
ABL 2023-24 Priorities & Initiatives:
- Reimagining the Adult Workshop for Educators (AWE)
- Sustaining--and expanding--existing programming in Lawrence schools and partner organizations
- Supporting educators in the ABL network in their implementation of ABL pedagogy and programs in their classrooms and communities
- Developing a sustainable organization and a plan for leadership succession
IRT 2023-24 Priorities & Initiatives:
- Exploring organizational pathways to expanding the IRT's impact
- Identifying partner sites in geographic hubs where IRT alumni are located
- Collaborating with Consortium institutions to understand the new graduate admissions landscape for traditionally underrepresented students
- Beginning Statement of Purpose advising processes earlier, to facilitate deeper connection between students and advisors
PALS 2023-24 Priorities & Initiatives:
- Operational integration of PALS into the Summer Session's Lower School Institute and 9th Grade Academy programs
- Expanding high school transition support and exposure to a range of high school options through academic year advising
- Identification of the next PALS Summer Director
