Bronx, New York · Pilot Launch Fall 2026

Know who you are.
Master what you do.

The Masters Project identifies Bronx 6th graders who are performing below grade level and provides them with intensive academic instruction, identity development, and exposure to aspirational environments. Two afterschool sessions and one Saturday per week. Building the foundation scholars need to recover, excel, and never look back.

Get Involved

46%

Beneath grade level on entry

250+

Hours of instruction we provide per scholar, per year

<50%

Below-grade-level 6th graders graduate high school on time

$1M+

Lifetime earnings gap vs. college graduates

"We prepare scholars for the realities of the world ahead, without subjecting them to those same realities."

Stephen Hopkins, Founder & Executive Director

How We Work

Four Pillars. One Transformation.

Every element of the program was designed with intention. Each pillar builds on the last, moving scholars from identification through mastery, identity, and aspiration.

Student Discovery

We identify scholars using the i-Ready Diagnostic in the fall of 6th grade, recruiting from students scoring in the lowest tiers. Not because they are less capable, but because they need the most resources and attention.

Academic Mastery

Intensive ELA and Math instruction aligned to NYS 6th grade standards. We address foundational gaps directly while accelerating toward grade-level proficiency, benchmarked against all three i-Ready diagnostic windows so we can measure progress and iteratively adjust our curriculum to specifically suit each student.

Identity & Navigation

Weekly Navigator's Lab sessions covering racial identity, code-switching, grit, resilience, financial literacy, emotional regulation, and the Master Narrative: your story, your words.

Exposure & Aspiration

Scholars are called scholars from day one. Our long-term vision is hosting sessions in aspirational settings like college campuses, where the environment itself communicates: this space was built for you.

Program Structure

A High-Dosage Model Built for Recovery

The school day handles the curriculum. The Masters Project provides the additional instruction layer that makes that curriculum accessible.

Afterschool (2x per week)

2 hrs

1 hour Math and 1 hour ELA, twice per week. Scholars reinforce and extend what they are learning in school while closing foundational gaps.

Saturday Program (1x per week)

3 hrs

Math Mastery, ELA Mastery, and Navigator's Lab with a movement break and lunch. Structured community learning every Saturday morning.

Annual Supplemental Hours

250+

Research shows middle school students need 5 to 6 months of additional instruction to recover one year of learning loss. Our model addresses that within a single program year.

EdResearch for Action confirms that high-dosage tutoring with 3 or more sessions per week is 20x more effective than low-dosage models for math and 15x more effective for reading.

Weekday Schedule

How We Spend Our Weekday Afternoons

Scholars come directly from school, eliminating the commute barrier that trips up most standalone programs. Two focused blocks, back to back, with a break in between.

Time	Block	What Happens
Afterschool	Math Mastery 1 hour	Scholars arrive directly from their school day. The transition is seamless because scholars are already on campus. No commute, no drop-off, no lost time. Math comes first, when minds are still sharp.
	Break + Snacks	A short reset between blocks. Snacks are provided. Movement and food restore energy and focus for the ELA session ahead.
	ELA Mastery 1 hour	Critical reading, writing, and comprehension using high-interest, culturally relevant texts. Scholars leave with something they built, read, or responded to.

Two sessions per week. Exact timing varies by school site.

+ Saturday

Saturday Schedule

How We Spend Our Saturday Mornings

Math comes first, deliberately. Research on nearly 2 million students shows that scheduling math in the morning increases GPA and test scores by an amount equivalent to improving teacher quality by one-quarter of a standard deviation.

Time	Block	What Happens
9:00–9:15	Arrival + Snacks	Scholars arrive, snacks provided, informal connection with program staff
9:15–10:15	Math Mastery	NYS 6th grade standards and algebra readiness through problem-based learning. Smallest possible group size. Morning slot is intentional.
10:15–10:30	Break	Movement and physical reset preparing the mind for the ELA block
10:30–11:30	ELA Mastery	Critical reading and persuasive writing using culturally relevant texts
11:30–12:00	Navigator's Lab	Identity, grit, resilience, code-switching, race, culture, socioeconomic navigation, and life skills
12:00–12:30	Lunch + Q&A	Lunch provided. Open dialogue, weekly Mastery Journal entry, individual check-ins with program staff

Pope, D. (2016). Time of day effects on student academic achievement. Study of approximately 2 million students, 6th–11th grade, Los Angeles County.

Evidence Based

Every Decision We Make Is Grounded in Research

The Masters Project was built on a rigorous review of the literature on tutoring, identity development, stereotype threat, and middle school transitions.

"Minority students benefit from a growth mindset intervention more than nonminority students. The threat of being stereotyped can stimulate a need to disprove inferiority through the belief that abilities can be improved with effort."

Aronson, Fried & Good (2002), Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

"The average middle school student needs 5 to 6 months of additional schooling to recover a single year of learning loss, significantly more than elementary students require."

EdResearch for Action, Accelerating Student Academic Recovery

"High-dosage tutoring moves an average student from the 50th to the 66th percentile and is 20 times more effective than standard models for math."

National Student Support Accelerator, Stanford University Annenberg Institute

Read the Full Research →

The Team

Built by People Who Lived It

Every person on this team has a personal connection to the Bronx, to underserved youth, or to the academic environments these scholars are navigating.

Stephen Hopkins

Founder & Executive Director

Currently: Senior Project Manager, Westchester Medical Center.
Previously: Management Consultant, Accenture.
B.S. Applied Psychology, NYU.

Justin Feliz

Director of Operations

Currently: Canterbury School.
Previously: Ethical Culture Fieldston School.
Director of Operations, Make a Play 501(c)(3).
B.S. Sports Management, Sacred Heart University.

Ricardo Mercado

Director of Curriculum

Currently: Equality Charter School.
Previously: Ethical Culture Fieldston Middle School.
Educator with 10+ YOE at Ivy Prep and NYC Charter Schools.
B.S. Biology, M.S. Kinesiology.

Omar Vargas

Community Outreach Coordinator

Currently: Community Health Partner, Cityblock Health. Builds relationships between Bronx families and the people and programs designed to support them.

Get In Touch

Let's Build Something Together

Who We Want to Hear From

We are actively building partnerships with Bronx schools, potential venue partners, funders, and anyone who believes in this work.

Bronx school principals and administrators

Funders and donors

Community organizations and venue partners

Researchers and academic advisors

Families with 6th grade scholars at Bronx schools

Anyone who wants to support the mission

[email protected]

Know who you are.Master what you do.

Turning unfinished learning into unstoppable scholars.