2020-21 Annual Report

A year unlike any other. Thank you to our community of supporters. Together, we emerged stronger than ever! Scroll to learn more.

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We can’t say it enough. Thank You!

It cannot be said enough – 2020-21 was an unprecedented year in education. Amid a global pandemic, educators, students, and families everywhere were challenged to reinvent their learning routines, tools, and spaces; build and sustain relationships in new and different ways; and demonstrate unparalleled resilience, resourcefulness, and compassion. 

Thanks to the commitment of our faculty, staff, and tutors, hard work of our students and families, dedication of our partners and peer educators, and unwavering support from our donors and Board of Trustees, Hill had a remarkable year and indeed emerged stronger. 

Please explore this annual report to learn more about the accomplishments that your investment and support made possible. You will discover that Hill transformed into a virtual, learning hub for students, educators, and parents. You will appreciate that Hill leveraged public and private dollars, along with your generosity, to exceed our revenue goals and continue delivering the highest quality programs and expanding our reach. You will experience the character of the Hill community, where trust amongst colleagues and gratitude from students, families, educators, and partners are stronger than ever. 

Most of all, you will learn that our commitment to the 1 in 5 students with learning differences and attention challenges runs deep. We know many of these students have been disproportionately impacted by the educational disruptions and learning loss caused by the pandemic. We will continue to marshal Hill’s resources, in partnership with others, to further access to the instruction and support they need and deserve. 

Deep appreciation goes to our incredible Board of Trustees, as well as Hill’s Leadership Team and every single employee who helped lead us through this last year. Finally, I cannot overstate my appreciation for you, our donors, friends, and supporters who make this work possible. We would not be where we are today without your steadfast belief in us, and in the remarkable students and educators we serve. 

I look forward to all we will continue to accomplish together. 

With deep gratitude,



Beth Anderson
Executive Director

The Heart of Hill

As we executed an entirely virtual year for our students and educators, we also took a close look at our organizational resilience, setting a high aspirational goal in fundraising to meet the expected needs of the year ahead of us.

Our foundation supporters were both understanding and flexible in the allocations of the grants they had made allowing us to move nimbly in  continuing to deliver our high quality programs to students and educators. We received funding from five new foundations and two of our long-time funders made significant additional grants to assist with our COVID-19 response. We replaced our spring tradition of running a Hill Mile to raise funds for Student Financial Aid with a virtual Hill Monti storytelling event that brought us together as a community around the theme of Resilience and Reimagining and poignantly served to remind us of the “why” of our work.

There is nothing like a crisis to pull people together, and in a year of ongoing challenges, our Hill community pulled together to help us come out stronger than ever before. This is an amazing reflection of the heart of Hill. Thank you for sticking with us, and for continuing to make a difference in the lives of so many students who struggle to learn.

A complete list of donors who contributed to Hill Learning Center between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 is available online at hillcenter.org/annualreport.

Our Virtual Year By the Numbers

Your Support Made the Difference

Strategic Priorities - Forward Momentum

We are a small nonprofit with a bold vision that ALL students with learning differences and attention challenges receive the instruction and support they need. We can’t accomplish it alone, but the need, the inequities in education, and our potential to make a difference demand we continue to strengthen and expand our impact. Following are the organizational priorities that are guiding our work, investments, and partnerships.

Evolving Student Programs

Hill served more than 600 students through virtual Hill School, Summer, and Tutoring Programs and emerged with a cohesive portfolio of in-person and online offerings for the future. We made a courageous, forward-looking decision in July 2020 to operate all student programs virtually for the entire year.

READ MORE

Evolving the Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP)

HillRAP is an individualized, small-group (4:1) structured literacy methodology that guides teachers through effective instruction for students with persistent reading difficulties.

Despite pandemic disruptions and pervasive remote learning in the many school districts that Hill serves, HillRAP consistently provided more than 500 teachers outside of Hill with an instructional tool to support their students with persistent reading difficulties.

READ MORE

Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

In January 2021, Hill’s Board of Trustees completed an 18-month process that began with an examination of financial aid across Hill student and educator programs and culminated in the formal adoption of a strengthened commitment to Furthering Access at Hill:

We actively work to reach, engage, and retain students and educators representing all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities, and socioeconomic classes to experience and benefit fully from Hill programs and practices.

READ MORE

Advancing Knowledge and Field Building

In 2020-21, Hill entered a new virtual era in our efforts to provide research-based training and tools for educators that set the course for the year, and for our future. For the first time ever, Hill released an online course catalog of virtual offerings for educators anywhere in the world.

READ MORE

Building Culture, Care, and Community

When Hill made the decision to operate virtually for an entire year, we knew that we would need to make intentional efforts and investments to stay connected and care for ourselves and our community while working apart. We elevated this work to an organization-wide priority supported by the board and Leadership Team and led by a committee of dedicated employees.

READ MORE

Building Organizational Resilience

When planning and budgeting for 2020-21, we were not sure what to expect and planned for all potential outcomes. Thanks to the early receipt of a Paycheck Protection Program loan, and the flexibility of foundations and individual major donors allowing reallocation of restricted funds, we were able to maintain full staffing and proceed boldly into the uncertainty of a year of remote living, learning, and working.

READ MORE

2020-21 Annual Report

A year unlike any other. Thank you to our community of supporters. Together, we emerged stronger than ever! Scroll to learn more.

We can’t say it enough. Thank You!

It cannot be said enough – 2020-21 was an unprecedented year in education. Amid a global pandemic, educators, students, and families everywhere were challenged to reinvent their learning routines, tools, and spaces; build and sustain relationships in new and different ways; and demonstrate unparalleled resilience, resourcefulness, and compassion. 

Thanks to the commitment of our faculty, staff, and tutors, hard work of our students and families, dedication of our partners and peer educators, and unwavering support from our donors and Board of Trustees, Hill had a remarkable year and indeed emerged stronger. 

Please explore this annual report to learn more about the accomplishments that your investment and support made possible. You will discover that Hill transformed into a virtual, learning hub for students, educators, and parents. You will appreciate that Hill leveraged public and private dollars, along with your generosity, to exceed our revenue goals and continue delivering the highest quality programs and expanding our reach. You will experience the character of the Hill community, where trust amongst colleagues and gratitude from students, families, educators, and partners are stronger than ever. 

Most of all, you will learn that our commitment to the 1 in 5 students with learning differences and attention challenges runs deep. We know many of these students have been disproportionately impacted by the educational disruptions and learning loss caused by the pandemic. We will continue to marshal Hill’s resources, in partnership with others, to further access to the instruction and support they need and deserve. 

Deep appreciation goes to our incredible Board of Trustees, as well as Hill’s Leadership Team and every single employee who helped lead us through this last year. Finally, I cannot overstate my appreciation for you, our donors, friends, and supporters who make this work possible. We would not be where we are today without your steadfast belief in us, and in the remarkable students and educators we serve. 

I look forward to all we will continue to accomplish together. 

With deep gratitude,



Beth Anderson
Executive Director

The Heart of Hill

As we executed an entirely virtual year for our students and educators, we also took a close look at our organizational resilience, setting a high aspirational goal in fundraising to meet the expected needs of the year ahead of us.

Our foundation supporters were both understanding and flexible in the allocations of the grants they had made allowing us to move nimbly in  continuing to deliver our high quality programs to students and educators. We received funding from five new foundations and two of our long-time funders made significant additional grants to assist with our COVID-19 response. We replaced our spring tradition of running a Hill Mile to raise funds for Student Financial Aid with a virtual Hill Monti storytelling event that brought us together as a community around the theme of Resilience and Reimagining and poignantly served to remind us of the “why” of our work.

There is nothing like a crisis to pull people together, and in a year of ongoing challenges, our Hill community pulled together to help us come out stronger than ever before. This is an amazing reflection of the heart of Hill. Thank you for sticking with us, and for continuing to make a difference in the lives of so many students who struggle to learn.

A complete list of donors who contributed to Hill Learning Center between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 is available online at hillcenter.org/annualreport.

Our Virtual Year By the Numbers

Your Support Made the Difference

Not reflected here Hill Learning Center also invested $694,148 in facility capital investments in response to COVID-19, including installing a new HVAC system, replacing classroom furniture, and upgrading technology. 

Click here for Audited Financials, Statement of Activities, and Balance Sheet.

Strategic Priorities - Forward Momentum

We are a small nonprofit with a bold vision that ALL students with learning differences and attention challenges receive the instruction and support they need. We can’t accomplish it alone, but the need, the inequities in education, and our potential to make a difference demand we continue to strengthen and expand our impact. Following are the organizational priorities that are guiding our work, investments, and partnerships.

Evolving Student Programs

Hill served more than 600 students through virtual Hill School, Summer, and Tutoring Programs and emerged with a cohesive portfolio of in-person and online offerings for the future. We made a courageous, forward-looking decision in July 2020 to operate all student programs virtually for the entire year.

READ MORE

Evolving the Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP)

HillRAP is an individualized, small-group (4:1) structured literacy methodology that guides teachers through effective instruction for students with persistent reading difficulties.

Despite pandemic disruptions and pervasive remote learning in the many school districts that Hill serves, HillRAP consistently provided more than 500 teachers outside of Hill with an instructional tool to support their students with persistent reading difficulties.

READ MORE

Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

In January 2021, Hill’s Board of Trustees completed an 18-month process that began with an examination of financial aid across Hill student and educator programs and culminated in the formal adoption of a strengthened commitment to Furthering Access at Hill:

We actively work to reach, engage, and retain students and educators representing all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities, and socioeconomic classes to experience and benefit fully from Hill programs and practices.

READ MORE

Advancing Knowledge and Field Building

In 2020-21, Hill entered a new virtual era in our efforts to provide research-based training and tools for educators that set the course for the year, and for our future. For the first time ever, Hill released an online course catalog of virtual offerings for educators anywhere in the world.

READ MORE

Building Culture, Care, and Community

When Hill made the decision to operate virtually for an entire year, we knew that we would need to make intentional efforts and investments to stay connected and care for ourselves and our community while working apart. We elevated this work to an organization-wide priority supported by the board and Leadership Team and led by a committee of dedicated employees.

READ MORE

Building Organizational Resilience

When planning and budgeting for 2020-21, we were not sure what to expect and planned for all potential outcomes. Thanks to the early receipt of a Paycheck Protection Program loan, and the flexibility of foundations and individual major donors allowing reallocation of restricted funds, we were able to maintain full staffing and proceed boldly into the uncertainty of a year of remote living, learning, and working.

READ MORE

Honoring our Award Winners

Sharon P. Maskel Methodology Award

Recipient: Sara Gray Horne

The Sharon P. Maskel Methodology Award is given each year to a peer-nominated recipient who demonstrates commitment to developing, improving, and spreading the Hill Methodology.  Our 2021 recipient Sara Gray Horne has spent nearly four decades advancing the Hill methodology while making a remarkable and lasting impact on countless students, teachers, and administrators.

Charles S. Atwater Star Volunteer Award

Recipient: Rick Rosenberg

In April, we honored former Board of Trustees Chair Rick Rosenberg (1955-2021) with the 2021 Charles S. Atwater Star Volunteer Award. Rick was a dedicated volunteer, champion, and philanthropist for Hill from 2012-2021. We dearly miss his wisdom, warmth, dedication, and generosity of spirit. He made us better, bolder, stronger, and simply more fun. We are grateful to his caring and committed family who established the Abigail F. Rosenberg Student Scholarship Fund in honor of his daughter Abby, a Hill alumna and special education teacher, to help make a Hill School education possible for a student of color from a low-income household.

Sharon P. Maskel Methodology Award

Recipient: Sara Gray Horne

The Sharon P. Maskel Methodology Award is given each year to a peer-nominated recipient who demonstrates commitment to developing, improving, and spreading the Hill Methodology.  Our 2021 recipient Sara Gray Horne has spent nearly four decades advancing the Hill methodology while making a remarkable and lasting impact on countless students, teachers, and administrators.

Charles S. Atwater Star Volunteer Award

Recipient: Rick Rosenberg

In April, we honored former Board of Trustees Chair Rick Rosenberg (1955-2021) with the 2021 Charles S. Atwater Star Volunteer Award. Rick was a dedicated volunteer, champion, and philanthropist for Hill from 2012-2021. We dearly miss his wisdom, warmth, dedication, and generosity of spirit. He made us better, bolder, stronger, and simply more fun. We are grateful to his caring and committed family who established the Abigail F. Rosenberg Student Scholarship Fund in honor of his daughter Abby, a Hill alumna and special education teacher, to help make a Hill School education possible for a student of color from a low-income household.

Honoring our Award Winners

Not reflected here Hill Learning Center also invested $694,148 in facility capital investments in response to COVID-19, including installing a new HVAC system, replacing classroom furniture, and upgrading technology. 

Click here for Audited Financials, Statement of Activities, and Balance Sheet.