Ultimately, the genius of HCPSS JumpStart lies in its humility. It admits that a school’s job is not just to teach curriculum, but to teach school . By spending two weeks demystifying the mundane, Howard County ensures that when the real learning begins, no child is wasting mental energy wondering where the bathroom is. In a high-performing district obsessed with metrics and AP scores, JumpStart is the quiet reminder that equity begins not with calculus, but with confidence. It builds the bridge, so that by September, every child is ready to cross.