Through the partnership, undergraduate and graduate students have special opportunities to contribute to educational reform. The first of these clinics, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, opened in the fall of 1990. Centers will be replicated in all the Chelsea elementary schools in succeeding years. The Intergenerational Literacy Program assists families of marginally literate parents and adult family members to learn how to read, using books they can then read to their children, thus breaking the cycle of illiteracy. In addition to these initiatives, the partnership offers opportunities for Chelsea teachers to take courses and earn degrees at Boston University through scholarships.
Teachers can also visit model programs in other school systems.