Summer Math and Science Honor Academy (SMASH)
Impact
Since SMASH’s inception in 2004, 100% of our 459 alumni have graduated high school and enrolled in college. Of alumni, 94% enrolled in a four-year university and 47% of these attended the top 50 universities in the country. Nearly 80% graduated within five years and 74% declared a STEM major in their freshman year, in comparison to only 23% of all college freshman, an impact three times higher. Persistence levels are also high, with 84% of STEM majors persisting beyond the freshman year and 73% persisting in their junior year. Computer Science is the top major, followed by biology. SMASH alumni attend selective colleges such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Stanford, Emory, Dartmouth, Cal Poly, UCLA, Brown, Duke, MIT and University of Pennsylvania.
Accomplished
- Need Accomplished
- Evaluation Accomplished
- Sustainability Developing
- Replication & Scalability Accomplished
- Partnerships Accomplished
- Capacity Accomplished
- Challenging & Relevant Content Accomplished
- STEM Practices Developing
- Inspiration Accomplished
- Under-Represented Groups Accomplished
Design Principles
The programs in this database clear a high bar. STEMworks reviewed each program against the Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy. Programs must be Accomplished (
) across all Design Principles, or be Developing (
) in a maximum of three areas.
Overarching Principles
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Need Accomplished
Identify and target a compelling and well-defined need.
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Evaluation Accomplished
Use rigorous evaluation to continuously measure and inform progress towards the compelling need identified.
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Sustainability Developing
Ensure work is sustainable.
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Replication & Scalability Accomplished
Demonstrate replicability and scalability.
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Partnerships Accomplished
Create high impact partnerships.
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Capacity Accomplished
Ensure organizational capacity to achieve goals.
STEM Principles
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Challenging & Relevant Content Accomplished
Offer challenging and relevant STEM content for the target audience.
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STEM Practices Developing
Incorporate and encourage STEM practices.
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Inspiration Accomplished
Inspire interest and engagement in STEM.
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Under-Represented Groups Accomplished
Identify and address the needs of under-represented groups.
Program Overview
SMASH is a rigorous, intensive and long-term college preparatory program for high potential students of color, girls and First Generation youth in under-resourced high schools. SMASH serves as a STEM pipeline, preparing scholars take AP courses in high school, qualify and succeed with AP tests required to gain entry to prestigious colleges, enroll in college and then pursue STEM majors and careers. SMASH residential sites over the summer include UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, Stanford University and in 2017, Morehouse College in Atlanta. Students are supported throughout the academic year with weekly Computer Science courses, field trips, seminars and with speakers who are professionals in STEM fields. Please see www.lpfi.org for a more comprehensive description of SMASH.
Funders and Partners
Google, AT&T Foundation, Ford Foundation, The National Science Foundation, Dhanam Foundation, Bayer USA Foundation, Infosys Foundation, Rose Hills Foundation, McCormick Family Foundation, Innovate Family Foundation, Genentech Foundation, Leslie Family Foundation, Callison Foundation, Ford Motor Company, RGK Foundation, Amgen Foundation, Irene Scully Foundation, Oracle Foundation, SanDisk, Microsoft Corporation, Ralph Parsons Foundation