Media Coverage of Citizen Schools and the After-School/Out-of-School Time Sector:

The Importance of Right-brain Thinking in Education
GOOD Magazine
January 29, 2010
I signed up to teach through a remarkable organization called Citizen Schools.  Citizen Schools is a national organization that provides figurative scaffolding for people like me who want to teach (in the form of helping with lesson plans, sourcing materials and, thank heavens, classroom behavior management). Professionals and hobbyists can literally teach anything they know using the tools provided by Citizen Schools.

Staying after is fun at Citizen Schools
South Coast Today
January 5, 2010
When the final bell rings at the end of the day, a lot of middle school students can't get out the door fast enough. For those involved in the Citizen Schools program, it's a completely different story. "This program is awesome," said Dylan Trombly, a sixth grade student and participant in the Citizen Schools program at Keith Middle School. "You learn about all sorts of new stuff you wouldn't know about if you just went home and watched TV."

The challenge of STEM education
The Educated Guess
January 4, 2010
Stephanie Couch, program director for the California STEM Innovation Network, observed the truism that schools teach to what they measure. Students are given statewide STAR tests in science only in fifth grade. It's no coincidence then that a Bay Area study found that K-5 teachers spend less than an hour per week teaching science. Kids must have the time and the tools to experiment and develop a passion for science and engineering. In the near term, that will probably have to take place in after-school programs. Citizen Schools... brings in volunteer engineers and scientists to engage middle schoolers in hands-on learning.

Kids learn rocket science through special schools program
Fox News, Boston
December 27, 2009
If science and math were not your favorite subjects as a kid, you're not alone. But imagine if you were taking rocket science as a sixth grader. That's a reality for some Boston school kids, and thanks to their teacher it's pretty fun. Dr. David Mantus of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, volunteers his time to get the sixth graders at the Edwards Middle Schools in Charlestown excited about science.

Living the dream at United for Success Academy
NBC, San Fransisco
December 21, 2009
For MLK Day 2010, Citizen Schools and the United for Success Academy welcome community volunteers to participate in "Living the Dream" - an afternoon where volunteers work with middle school students on a series of projects including re-organizing the school library, cleaning the walls of the school, and decorating bulletin boards. Facilitated by Citizen Schools staff, volunteers will work in small groups with students to make needed improvements to United for Success Academy and share their own thoughts on age-appropriate ways students can apply Dr. King's ideals of equity and justice in their daily lives.

SouthPark mall's Belk hosts young designers, models
Carolina Weekly
December 11, 2009
Shoppers at Belk at SouthPark mall Dec. 8 may have glimpsed the future of fashion, as Eastway Middle School students modeled hot trends and showcased their passion for fashion at the Citizen Schools WOW! event. During the apprenticeship students studied fashion trends, careers and what it takes to make and sell the latest designs, in a scaled-down simulation of the hit TV show, "Project Runway."

Students produce Biodiesel at VGCC
VGCC News
December 11, 2009
Henderson Middle Schools students were recently producing biodiesel fuel on the main campus of the Vance-Granville Community College, as part of a partnership that has developed between the college's Bioprocess Technology program and the Citizen Schools after-school program at the middle school. VGCC's two-year Bioprocess Technology degree program is designed to prepare individuals to work as Process Operators in biological products manufacturing facilities.

STEM education: How Tufts students can help
The Tufts Daily
December 11, 2009
Next spring, the Experimental College (ExCollege) will kickoff an inaugural course with Citizen Schools, a national non-profit organization, to give Tufts students the chance to improve science education firsthand.  As part of the ExCollege course, students will develop and implement a STEM curriculum in their own once-weekly, after-school apprenticeship taught at a local middle school. This ExCollege course, entitled: "Teach What You Love: Become a Citizen Teacher," is designed to bring students from a variety of disciplines together to find creative ways to engage middle schools students in an educational endeavor.

Teens go for green at lake cleanup
The Daily Texan
December 11, 2009
As volunteers gathered trash at the lake, students from Kealing and Bedichek Middle Schools presented information about how pollution impacts the environment. The students learned the information through Keep Austin Beautiful's Green Teens environmental education program, which partnered with the Citizen Schools organization at the two middle schools.

Kids become Iron Chefs to learn about nutrition
NBC 17
November 15, 2009
Students in Durham are taking part in the Citizen Schools after school program. It's part of a 6 week curriculum called Operation Frontline and is partnered with groups like the Foodbank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and the Interfaith Food Shuttle in Raleigh. "Each week the kids get to take home a bag of food that had the ingredients," said Kelly Warnock, a nutritionist with Durham County. "So they got to go home and show their parents how to cook the recipe for that week."

Citizen Schools 'Choice' times at Salemwood
The Salemwood Reporter
December 3, 2009
Garcelle Renaud shares her new skills and talent for writing in this article from the Salemwood Reporter, which is a product of her journalism apprenticeship. Renaud reports on the exciting Choice Time students are given during program throughout the week and how it enriches her after school time with engaging activities, social time and service learning.

Citizen Schools makes learning fun
The Salemwood Reporter
December 3, 2009
Sophia Pierre shares her new skills and talent for writing in this article from the Salemwood Reporter, which is a product of her journalism apprenticeship. Pierre reports on the fun and excitement surrounding her after school program with Citizen Schools.

Students become 'Citizen' journalists
The Malden Observer
December 3, 2009
Calling their newspaper the Salemwood Reporter, the students from the Salemwood Middle School in Malden, MA dedicated their afternoon once a week to analyzing news, learning the elements of a news story, practicing interviewing and eventually going out into their school to report on the stories that mattered to them. "With a lot of hard work, the students put together their own stories to create this newspaper," said Citizen Teacher and editor of the Malden Observer, Natalie Miller. "I am very proud of all the students; their eagerness to learn, thoughtful participation and passion for their work are truly inspirational."

Outreach in the Age of Pullback
The New York Times
November 11, 2009
"Sometimes just as you prove your success, people in the funding world, both government and foundations, will pull back and say, “We’re on to the next idea,’ ” said Mr. Schwarz, who runs Citizen Schools, a Boston-based nonprofit that provides creative after-school programs in 20 districts, including Newark, Houston and Charlotte, N.C. “With this, we could potentially grow to new communities. It’s a great idea."

How to Move Beyond the DIY Transition to Encore Careers
BusinessWeek
November 11, 2009
Gina Cassinelli was lucky enough to take advantage of an Encore Fellowship, essentially an internship for grown-ups, being piloted in Silicon Valley.  She spent the past year working for Citizen Schools, an entrepreneurial nonprofit that provides apprenticeships for young people led by volunteer "citizen teachers."

'Citizen' Journalists, Ages 10 to 13
The Daily Dispatch
November 11, 2009
Have you ever been guilty of saying that today’s kids are alienated, uneducated and unmotivated? You aren’t part of Citizen Schools. You haven’t met our kids. You could learn a lot from them.

Leaders and Laggards: A State-By-State Report Card of Education Innovation
Center for American Progress
November 9, 2009
Other independent ventures have also devised promising approaches to important challenges, including Citizen Schools, EdisonLearning, The New Teacher Project, K12 Inc., Blackboard Inc., Wireless Generation, Teach for America, and New Leaders for New Schools.

Celebrating a New Future for the Edison School
The Allston-Brighton Tab
September 11, 2009
Citizen Schools partners sixth- through eight-graders with local community leaders in apprenticeships. Whether they learn from members of a law firm or a Bollywood instructor, students will take lessons twice a week in their chosen professional field.

Program Brings 'Citizen Teachers' Into Classroom at Henderson Middle School
The Daily Dispatch
September 4, 2009
As Henderson Middle School students begin to settle into their new class schedules and finish up buying this year’s school supplies, some Henderson community members are gearing up to teach students what they know. These are not classroom teachers — they are “citizen teachers,” volunteers who teach kids about their own profession or life experience.

At Your Service
Harvard Magazine
September & October 2009 Issue
An entrepreneur in high-tech ventures who began his career as an engineer for the Apollo program, Helies teaches astronomy to middle-schoolers through Citizen Schools, a Boston-based organization that runs after-school enrichment programs around the nation with volunteer teachers—many of whom are retired professionals over the age of 50.

Cool Ways to Give Back
AARP The Magazine
September & October 2009 Issue
Inspire a Middle Schooler: Serve up the lowdown on finance, gardening, rocket science—whatever your expertise may be—and expose disadvantaged students to career possibilities.

A Day in the Life: Family Engagement in Citizen Schools
Harvard Family Research Project
August 2009
Emily Schneider-Krzys, the Deputy Program Director of Citizen Schools in Texas, explains how the Citizen Schools program's focus on creating networks, building intentional relationships, and establishing consistent communication helps to engage families and support student learning.

Citizen Schools Ramps Up STEM Efforts in Bay State
Boston Business Journal
July 24, 2009
With industries in Massachusetts suffering from a shortfall in local workers educated in math and science, some 200 business and university representatives convened Tuesday evening at Harvard University to brainstorm on ways to shift the tide.

10 Unique Ways to Help Others
WomansDay.com
June 2, 2009
Reducing dropout rates by getting kids excited about learning is a major goal of Citizen Schools.

White House Creates Office of Innovation
NPR - Morning Edition
May 28, 2009
Citizen Schools Co-Founder & CEO, Eric Schwarz, is interviewed about the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.  He talks about the Social Innovation Fund and how it might impact nonprofits.

Citizen Schools Teaches 2nd Graders Safety
Home in Henderson
May 15, 2009
"On April 24, 2009, twelve students from Henderson Middle School’s Citizen Schools program went to E. M. Rollins Elementary School to teach what they had learned about safety to the second grade classes."

Students and Volunteers Give Rogers School a Facelift
The Hyde Park Bulletin
May 14, 2009
"Last Thursday, 100 employees from Fidelity Investments joined 60 students from the Rogers Middle School in Hyde Park and spent a day painting, planting and refurbishing several rooms in the school’s building in a beautification effort to enhance learning. Citizen Schools, a non-profit education program that supports after school programs at across the country, coordinated the project."

Sneakers Give a Run at Global Warming
Boston.com 
May 13, 2009
"This spring, 12 McCormack Middle School students in Dorchester spent the first half of an eleven-week project learning about the science, impact and potential solutions to manmade climate change, in an afterschool program organized by the non-profit Citizen Schools and The Canary Project."

$50 Million Social Innovation Fund to Target Education, Health, Economy
The Nonprofit Times
May 6, 2009
"The fund will: Identify and support evaluation and scaling of innovative, promising ideas, such as, Harlem Children’s Zone, YouthVillages, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Citizen Schools."

N.J. After-school Programs Could Disappear Under Budget Cuts
Star-Ledger
May 5, 2009
"After-school activities are not immune to the recession and the state's budget problems, and programs could shrink or disappear in September for some 4,000 New Jersey children under new proposals."

Students Mix, Perform Own Beats
The Daily Texan
May 4, 2009
"The goal is to provide students at Austin’s Kealing and Bedichek middle schools the chance to develop technical and artistic skills while working side-by-side with local professionals in the hip-hop industry."

Supporting the Helping Habit
Boston Globe
March 23, 2009
"As early as today, the US Senate can give final approval to the largest expansion in national service since President Kennedy inspired the creation of VISTA and the Peace Corps...It provides grants to small start-ups, to encourage the sort of social entrepreneurship that germinated organizations like Citizen Schools, Jumpstart, YouthBuild, and City Year - which began in Boston."

Girl Scouts Shake Up the Recipe
Boston Globe
March 21, 2009
"They've launched new programs that tap into relevant issues of the day, including "Project Re- Runway," a joint after-school apprenticeship with Citizen Schools in New Bedford and a national collaboration with Microsoft on Internet safety and social networking."

House Votes to Expand National Service Programs
NPR - All Things Considered
March 19, 2009
Hear what Citizen Schools Co-Founder & CEO, Eric Schwarz, has to say about what this legislation would mean for Citizen Schools and the students we serve.

A Front Row Seat: "Change" Winner Goes to Inauguration
The Case Foundation Blog
February 10, 2009
"We ended up with Gerald, a 23-year-old 'citizen teacher' and mentor at Citizen Schools, who has worked with Boston-based students on numerous projects, including developing an award-winning documentary on gang violence."

Picking Up Performance When the School Day Ends
Edutopia
January 28, 2009
"Citizen Schools Overview:  After-school mentors can keep middle school kids from dropping out."

MLK Day of Service 2009
Good Magazine Online
January 20, 2009
"BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS:Citizen Schools worked with local students to draft letters to President-elect Obama."

Citizen Schools Aid Wins Inauguration Tix
Boston Business Journal (and Triangle Business Journal)
January 19, 2009
"The Case Foundation has selected Gerald Jimenez, a Citizen Schools volunteer and Boston resident, as the winner of its 'Change Begins With Me' campaign, a civic engagement project created to channel inauguration excitement into community action."

Obama's Call for Community Service Inspires Middle School Students
Washington Times
January 19, 2009
"For a group of middle-school students in Boston, the impending presidency of Barack Obama has left them with the belief they will play a part in making a better future."

The Double Payoff of a Stimulus Plan for Nonprofits
Boston Globe
January 15, 2009
"Amidst the escalating demand for a federal stimulus package to rescue what seems like a new industry every day (first the financial sector, then autos, then steel), little attention has been paid to stimulating the nonprofit sector."

Citizen Schools Wants Your Vote
WBZ-TV Boston
January 13, 2009
"A local group is hoping to get your vote on the grassroots Web site Change.org.  Dawn Hasbrouck has more on Citizen Schools."

Group Hopes Obama Gets Its Message on Education
Boston Herald
January 11, 2009
"One local nonprofit is hoping to catch President-elect Barack Obama’s ear on Inauguration Day and

The Critical Years
The New York Times
2006-2007
Articles in this series look at changing theories of how middle school should be taught.

A healthy race for the future
The Boston Sunday Globe: City Weekly
May 27, 2007
"Some of the money we're raising today will help the center, and some will go to a college scholarship for a Citizen Schools student. This is the sort of thing we need more of in the city, not all the violence we keep on seeing."

Business-suited philanthropists
The Financial Times
May 22, 2007
"At the height of the internet boom, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, disappointed with the failures of traditional charity, started a new philanthropic movement."

Kennedy Middle Schoolers Showcase 21st-Century Skills
Citizen Schools
May 10, 2007
In addition to acting, Brandi and her fellow middle schoolers are working closely with the film's director, Debbie Heimowitz, to research the topic, write a script, and make choices about costumes and makeup.

Bow wow WOW!
Citizen Schools
May 2, 2007
For the past ten weeks, Kennedy Middle School in Redwood City has been home to a new breed of student—several new breeds, in fact.  Chihuahuas, Shelties, and an English Bulldog are just a few of the "students" taking part in Dog Training for Kids, a once-weekly class on dog obedience and care.

Saved by the (Later) Bell
The Boston Globe
April 29, 2007
"Since the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law five years ago, school administrators have struggled to meet its federal performance mandates by tinkering with curriculum, textbooks, technology, and staffing, trying to figure out how to produce more learning from the same six-hour day. Now, using state-funded ELT grants, the 10 schools in Boston, Cambridge, Fall River, Malden, and Worcester are finally able to move beyond the usual time limitations."

A Mass. call to service
The Boston Globe: Opinion
April 12, 2007
"School districts can use Commonwealth Corps members to launch and expand service learning initiatives in which K-12 students take their first steps along the path of service."

Learning in the afternoons
The Boston Globe: Opinion
March 18, 2007
"Students often use after-school hours to work or unwind. But the nation must spend these hours more wisely, using them to help students excel so that they have a better shot at competing in the global economy."

8th Grade Academy Middle Schoolers Host 2nd Annual CD Release Bash
Citizen Schools
February 7, 2007
Last fall, when Gavin Middle School student Hyacynth Dixon embarked on a project of putting together a CD to sell and raise money for college, she was all about the music. Ask her about it now, and she'll show you a detailed business plan on the CD's content, production, and marketing. The music is fun, but comes second to these young business people who participate in 8th Grade Academy, an after-school program created by Citizen Schools.

Boston-based Citizen Schools Returns to Hamilton
Hamilton College News
February 2007
"Each visit is dedicated to giving students a passion for college that will motivate them to succeed in high school and successfully transition to college."

Citizen Schools: An After-Hours Adventure
Education Week
January 17, 2007
"Andrea said she first thought about a career in medicine after watching a physician care for her grandmother, taking her blood pressure and performing a variety of other tests. Mr. Delatte, 31, and other volunteers from Harvard lead her and other students through numerous presentations and activities on medical topics. At the end of the semester, the volunteers helped students make 'Wow' presentations, creating posters on HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and the effect of drugs on the brain."

Kennedy addresses school reform at the Center for American Progress
American Chronicle
January 9, 2007
"Talented recent college graduates will be recruited as Americorps volunteers... to serve as a resource in schools seeking to expand the school program to include enrichment activities tied to the school's curriculum."