Our Mission

Our mission at Access Better Learning and Education (ABLE) is to help Boston’s at-risk youth graduate from high school with the prospect of going on to pursue higher education and succeed in the workforce. ABLE serves this need by pairing students with four-year sponsors who provide one-on-one guidance and financial support for tuition-based education.

ABLE strives to improve the life prospects of all ABLE scholars, making a direct and meaningful impact on their lives and on the Boston community.

The Challenge

Many students live in imperfect situations

~18% of the population in Suffolk County lives below the poverty line
- Roughly double that of Massachusetts
- Roughly 1.5x the rate of the United States
29% of children under 18 in Suffolk County live below the poverty line

Students who dropout have the potential to succeed

88% of recent dropouts in a national survey had passing grades
Nearly 7 in 10 of recent dropouts said they were not motivated or inspired to work hard, and 2/3 would have worked harder if more was demanded of them
Nearly three quarters of recent dropouts would have stayed in school if they had to do it over again

Students who dropout have the potential to succeed

88% of recent dropouts in a national survey had passing grades
Nearly 7 in 10 of recent dropouts said they were not motivated or inspired to work hard, and 2/3 would have worked harder if more was demanded of them
Nearly three quarters of recent dropouts would have stayed in school if they had to do it over again

ABLE’s Solution

The Student Sponsorship Model

Young professionals serve as mentors and contribute or raise funds to partially fulfill a student’s tuition gap
The Catholic Schools Foundation and other generous corporations and individuals partially sponsors our students

Proven Model: Student Sponsor Partners New York

In 1986, SSP started with 45 students and 45 sponsors at two schools. Today, the organization works with over 1,700 Sponsors and serves over 1,200 students at 20 schools. SSP’s model has already been replicated in many other communities around the nation and world, including Chicago, Providence, Washington, D.C., and Johannesburg, South Africa
An SSP student is three times more likely to graduate from high school than one who attends his/her local NYC public high school. Graduation rates at the NYC public high schools that SSP students would otherwise attend range between 20% and 30%. SSP’s graduation rate is over 80%.
Over the last several years, 95% of SSP graduates go on to college, compared to approximately 50% of NYC’s public high school graduates.

All-volunteer Model

ABLE consists of entirely volunteers that are Boston young professionals.