About BPIE

Helping students realize and achieve their full potential since 1966.

Our Values

We believe in the promise of public education.

Nearly 400 years after the founding of the nation’s first public school here in Boston, the right to a free and equitable public education remains one of our most fundamental freedoms. At BPIE, we share the belief of Boston Public Schools (BPS) that all students, regardless of background, deserve equal access to high-quality educational opportunities. We’ve held that belief since 1966, making us BPS’s longest-standing partner.

Every day, BPS teachers and administrators work to overcome entrenched barriers in students’ paths, from decades of structural discrimination to resource disparities and language gaps. Our programs support this work by matching students with caring academic mentors, helping BPS fulfill its promise to give every young person the opportunity to realize their full potential.

The students are there — and we’re there for them.

Since BPIE’s founding, we’ve witnessed enormous change across Boston’s schools, from the busing crisis of the 1970s to the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic to shifting demographics shaped by immigration. Educational philosophies evolve. Schools relocate. Staff roles change. But through it all, one thing remains constant: the students are there, and we must be there for them.
That’s why our programs are grounded in what students need, whether it’s designing our mentor training, creating a new virtual, family-led program, recruiting mentors who share students’ languages and lived experiences. We actively seek feedback from students, caregivers, and teachers to understand where students are and where they want to go. Above all, we show up for Boston’s young people.

We welcome everyone.

BPIE celebrates the diversity of Boston’s communities. We welcome everyone to participate in our programs, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, home language, sexual orientation, age, immigration status, or ability. In fact, we focus on creating inclusive environments, not collecting personal data. We believe schools and cities are stronger when every individual is seen, valued, and welcomed exactly as they are.

We know academic and social-emotional success go hand in hand.

Our volunteers are more than just tutors; as academic mentors, they guide students through new concepts, problem-solving strategies, and study skills. And in the process, they model the skills young people need to grow: emotional regulation, self-advocacy, and building confidence. We’re proud of the academic progress our students make, and we know that behind every success is a story of accountability, resilience, and personal growth. By connecting students with mentors who embody these values, we help them develop both the skills and the confidence to thrive.

We connect the community to the classroom.

If we want to truly close opportunity gaps and address the education debt created by generations of inequity, we need the entire community involved. For more than 50 years, BPIE has built bridges between classrooms and communities, connecting thousands of students with caring volunteers who live and work in the Boston area.

We believe strong relationships are the foundation of student success, and that extra individualized attention from someone outside of a student’s immediate family or school staff can have a lasting impact. Together, we can help every Boston student feel seen, supported, and prepared for what’s next.

What separates BPIE from other mentoring programs?

  • SUPPORTING THE WHOLE STUDENT

      • Academic mentorship designed to support students’ academic achievement and socio-emotional growth so they can reach their full potential.

  • CONSISTENT AND ADAPTABLE

      • Ongoing mentoring sessions for the duration of the school year result in stronger student-mentor relationships and greater impact. Program delivery supporting both in-class and online learning allows mentors to meet students wherever learning takes place.

  • PROVEN PROGRAM MODEL

      • The only nonprofit partner offering academic and mentoring support to BPS students in every grade and subject area.

  • LONGSTANDING AND TRUSTED

      • Longest continuous nonprofit partnership with the Boston Public Schools – over 50 years of volunteer programming and community partnership guidance. 

Our History

Nearly 60 years ago, a national volunteer movement was gaining momentum in an effort to improve the American educational system. Here in Boston, a concerned group of community members took notice, forming Boston Partners in Education (then called School Volunteers for Boston or SVB) to help create greater educational parity for students in Boston’s public schools. When SVB began its official operations on March 14, 1966, it placed 28 volunteers in six Boston schools.

For the first time, students in Boston had a conduit to interact directly and positively with volunteers – mentors, career counselors, businesspeople and individuals working in higher educational institutions. Fostering these partnerships and exploring the possibilities for student enrichment and academic support became the trademark of these early years. Boston Partners in Education has since evolved to respond to the ever-changing educational and emotional needs of young people in the Boston Public Schools.

Today, our academic mentors make a commitment for the entire school year to work with students identified by teachers and families as needing extra academic support and attention. Though much has changed over five decades, our commitment to BPS has never wavered. Over fifty years later, BPIE proudly stands as the oldest active nonprofit partner of the Boston Public Schools.