What Makes Us Unique

“I have been a high school principal for fifteen years and have always believed that short term SAT prep solutions were a waste of time and money, until I saw the results my students achieved at the Yleana Leadership Academy. Their Socratic and social-emotional approach to working with our first-generation college aspirants works, and I have the data to prove it.”
— Bennett Lieberman, NYC principal

What Makes Our SAT® Program Unique?

Socratic Teaching

Full-Length Practice Tests

  • Our students take six full-length practice tests over the course of the academy/follow-up program

  • We strive to create an atmosphere that is as close as possible to the one our students will experience when they take the official SAT® exam after Yleana

  • The practice tests allow students to practice our strategies and become more comfortable in a testing atmosphere - familiarity is the best predictor of success!

Internally-Developed Curriculum

  • We have developed specific strategies for each of the sections on the SAT® test

  • The strategies range from how to address the math section to how to answer specific question types on the reading section

Holistic Approach To Stress Management

  • Students do focus exercises each day - including guided meditations, visualizations, and breathing exercises - to help them learn to refocus when they feel stressed

Learn more about our SAT® program

 

Beyond The SAT® Exam

Issues Curriculum

  • In one of the most beloved parts of Yleana, students gather in small groups several times a week to engage with difficult social issues

  • Using articles from well-known authors as a jumping off point, students examine their biases and opinions about a particular topic

  • Students say that Issues is one of the most impactful experiences of Yleana and helps them understand different viewpoints from their own

  • The class also introduces students to open forum discussion classes that they may encounter in college, helping them be more college-ready

Entrepreneurship

  • The goal of Entrepreneurship is twofold: first, to introduce students to the basics of starting and running a business and, second, to equip students with the critical thinking skills they’ll need in college and beyond

  • In Entrepreneurship, students do small group activities designed to encourage creativity. They learn how to come up with a unique business idea, craft a pitch, identify their target market, among other key aspects of entrepreneurship. We encourage creative, outside-the-box thinking through activities designed to enhance critical thinking skills

  • We directly address soft skills that are critical to college persistence but which are not always taught in schools, such as how to craft a professional email, how to network, and how to conduct effective internet research

  • Entrepreneurship culminates in the One Day Start-Up Fair at the end of the program, which is a pitch competition modeled on Shark Tank. We can always use volunteer judges and advisors for the One Day Start-Up Fair. Want to get involved?

Free Writing

  • Several times throughout Yleana, students have the opportunity to reflect on their experiences through free writing sessions

  • Students are encouraged to reflect on what they have learned in Issues class and what they will carry with them after the program is done

Games

Yleana is not only testing and classes! We also play games every day, throughout the day, from active playground games to our own internally developed SAT® games

  • Mid-Morning Sports Break (MMSB)

    • Drawing on our experience and research which speaks to the importance of physical activity to break up periods of intense mental work, we have a Mid-Morning Sports Break (MMSB) every class day

    • At MMSB, all students gather to play a game and give their brains a break. Examples of MMSB games include Infinity Tag and Ships and Sailors

  • SAT® Games

    • Who Wants to Be A Millionaire takes place every class day after lunch. This game gives students the chance to practice their SAT skills and earn points for their team

    • Students also play SAT®-based versions of well-known games, as well as unique games designed by our staff such as Construction Game, in which students earn building materials for correct answers with the goal of building the highest tower they can

  • Evening Programs

    • Evening Programs bring traditional summer fun to Yleana

    • These programs - including crafts, campfires, scavenger hunts, talent shows, karaoke, and more - help students relax and bond with their peers in an extracurricular setting

Follow-Up And Mentorship

  • We continue to serve our students after they complete the summer program, principally through our follow-up and mentorship programs

  • The follow-up program continues their learning in their home cities so that they can study and improve up until the weekend of their official SAT® exam

  • Our mentorship program ensures that students have one-on-one help throughout the college application process, from finding good-fit colleges to evaluating financial aid packages. Our mentors are Yleana alumni, teachers and staff who want to pay their Yleana experience forward

Learn more about our commitment to getting students to and through college!