Roxbury Presbyterian Church: Dream Again

Two years ago, Roxbury Presbyterian Church (RPC) and the Social Impact Center, as part of their Dream Again Campaign – adopted one of Boston’s worst performing schools - the Dearborn Middle School .  They built a robust partnership that includes the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, Trinity Episcopal Church, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, and Boston Urban Youth Foundation. 

One year later, with the full support of Boston Public Schools, they have organized scores of parents, faculty, students, and community residents to re-imagine the Dearborn.  Today, a school located in the middle of a zone of violence, housed in a dilapidated building, and plagued by the realities of a failing public school now has the capacity to become a first class education center.  

Thirteen months after they started working with the Dearborn, their efforts have produced dramatic results.  Test scores are up, academic expectations are up, school pride is up, enrollment is up, and the dropout rate is down.  Due to their efforts, the Dearborn is currently positioned to become the first fully Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) based school in our state.  Moreover, the Massachusetts School Building Authority has selected the Dearborn for a $50 million building renovation.   Their work has been featured in the Boston Globe, on local cable news, and on the website for the new documentary, “Waiting For Superman.”  

They see the work of the Dream Again-Adopt-A-School program as both education reform and as an effective long-term anti-violence strategy.  Those who murdered their own beloved Cory Johnson (RPC member) and 14-year-old Dearborn student Nicholas Fomby-Davis this past May, as well as the murderers of 45 other young people ages 14-30 so far this year are either high school drop outs or low academic performers.

They believe  that the opportunity for a quality education is not the whole answer to the problem of youth violence, but it is a major part of the solution.