Our mission

Bootstrap is a curriculum for middle-school students. It teaches them programming through the media of images and animations. It consists of nine 90-minute lessons, delivered once a week in an after-school setting, with accompanying handouts and software. Our primary delivery network is Citizen Schools, who make it easy for community professionals to teach after-school classes as volunteers.

Our students

Bootstrap has already engaged nearly 300 middle-schoolers, of whom 24% are female; 40% of those reporting race are African-American and another 30% Latino; and 70% receive free or reduced price lunch. These students have an average age of 11 years, 9 months. They are in Boston and its surroundings, Austin, the Bay Area (San Francisco, San Jose, and Redwood City), and New York City.

Our algebra connection

Unlike many other middle-school programs, Bootstrap uses algebra as the vehicle for creating images and animations. This is not just algebra over numbers, of course, but over a much richer set of data types, such as images. We're not out to provide a booster shot of algebra to older students; we plan to be the first dose of formal algebra, for students as young as eleven.

In addition, the program was designed from the ground up to be aligned with state standards. Bootstrap lessons cover mathematical topics that range from simple arithmetic expressions to the Pythagorean Theorem, Discrete Logic, Function Composition and the Distance Forumla. The program is based on cognitive science research and best practices for improving critical thinking and problem solving.

Click here to see a comprehensive list of algebraic topics and state standards that Bootstrap covers for Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Texas, and California.

Below are Math Curriculum Frameworks for these states:
California
Massachusetts
New York
Rhode Island
Texas