New England Science & Sailing Foundation

Our mission at New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) is to empower students with a love of learning through ocean-based experiential programs that serve schools, teachers, and families. NESS is the first and only program of its kind to be accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Our goal is to advance academic opportunities for K-12 students of all backgrounds in both urban and suburban markets. We offer a unique education model that empowers students with leadership, teamwork, confidence, and problem-solving skills to ensure academic success. Our STEM-based curriculum uses marine science, sailing, powerboating, and adventure sports as learning platforms. We hope you will play a role in helping us continue this important educational mission—in person, online, or on the water! Read More

• About Us
  Inclusiveness: We open doors to on-the-water learning and personal growth for all, regardless of financial means or intellectual or developmental abilities.
  
  Experiential Learning: NESS actively engages students through experiential learning by doing, seeing, and feeling firsthand.
  
  Personal Growth: NESS takes students out of their comfort zones for personal discovery and empowerment.
  
  NESS’s experiential learning programs are designed to deliberately build students’ Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and promote the growth of learning mindsets. This intentionality results in programs that increase students’ confidence, perseverance, self-control, teamwork, and leadership skills, while also building connections between students, their communities, and a sustainable natural environment.
  
  Stewardship: NESS builds connections between students, their communities, and a sustainable natural environment.
• Our Impact
  NESS offers a unique education model that empowers students with leadership, teamwork, confidence, and problem-solving skills to ensure academic success. Our STEM-based curriculum includes using marine science, sailing, power boating, and adventure sports as learning platforms, on and off the water, for students from all walks of life.
  
  Social and Emotional mindsets MATTER:
  Various studies have found mindsets and social-emotional learning (SEL) skills matter as much, or more, than socioeconomic background for underperforming schools because those factors positively impact student achievement. SEL outcomes data for middle school students exposed to NESS programs when compared to a control group show that NESS students are more likely to show gains in:
  
  • 8x more CONFIDENCE
  
  • 5x more PERSEVERANCE
  
  • 4x more TEAMWORK
  
  • 2x more SELF-CONTROL
  
  NESS’s works with educators and schools to help ALL K-12 students reach their academic and personal potentials. Those goals are especially important in creating opportunities for disadvantaged students who often reside within under-resourced urban school districts.