Press Release
PRESS RELEASE: Google Supports Citizen Schools With Volunteers and Dollars
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Google Supports Citizen Schools With Volunteers and Dollars
$3.25 Million Grant Supports Hands-On, Expanded Learning Programs
BOSTON, MA, December 14, 2011—Citizen Schools, a national non-profit organization that partners with middle schools to expand the learning day for low-income students, today announced a $3.25 million dollar grant from Google.org to support its programs in 17 communities across the country.
The grant accompanies the personal participation of Google employees in Citizen Schools’ educational model. More than 350 Google employees have volunteered with Citizen Schools since 2006, teaching nearly 100 hands-on courses called apprenticeships with middle schools in New York, California and Massachusetts.
Each apprenticeship unites one or more volunteer adults with about 15 students from a partner middle school, to meet weekly for 11 weeks to complete a project in a real- world field. Google employees have taught curricula designed to bridge academic skills with real-world careers, including blogging, video game design, cell phone marketing, computer programming, mural making, and photography.
“Middle-school students, especially low-income students at higher risk of dropping out of high school, need to spend more time learning, and they need that time to be engaging,” says Eric Schwarz, co-founder and CEO of Citizen Schools. “When passionate adults from Google and elsewhere show them the connections between learning and future careers that look like fun, it translates into better performance in academics.”
Alan Su, a software engineer at Google in Cambridge, has taught nine apprenticeships in the last five years, including one on Android applications in which students from the Edwards Middle School in Charlestown presented the programs they had developed to an audience of peers, families and other Google employees.
The 60 Boston middle school students learning from Google employees this semester present their final projects at a “WOW!” near Google’s Cambridge office on December 15. Five apprenticeships, led by 15 volunteers, will be showcased for parents, Google employees, and a panel of Google judges. Projects include online games, robots, and food: one group of volunteers taught a “Top Chef” apprenticeship, whose dishes will be prepared at the event and judged by Google’s on-site chefs.
Google employees have also taught Citizen Schools apprenticeships at middle schools in other parts of the country—a grand total of 355 volunteers, teaching nearly 1,400 students about a wide range of subjects. In California, students at four schools from Campbell, Redwood City and Oakland have taken Google apprenticeships. In New York, Google volunteers have taught apprenticeships to students in seven middle schools, in East Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.
“Google’s deep commitment to education—especially to bringing technology and engineering to life for students—has set the bar for high impact, results-driven investment,” says Schwarz. “Their talent and resources are really moving the needle for students and schools.”
Citizen Schools’ apprenticeships are part of expanded learning partnerships with 31 middle schools in seven states. The organization provides a “second shift of educators,” consisting of the volunteers plus AmeriCorps members and paid staff, to add 400 hours of learning time to schools’ traditional school year. Those hours, usually from 3 to 5 in the afternoon, comprise academic support and exposure to colleges and careers as well as apprenticeships, led by volunteers from a range of organizations, including Google.
In the next three years, Citizen Schools plans to increase the number of students served from 4,200 to 6,600, and evaluate the program’s effectiveness over time.
Citizen Schools is one of several dozen organizations receiving grants from Google.org at the end of 2011.
About Citizen Schools
Citizen Schools is a leading national education initiative that partners with middle schools to expand the learning day for children in low-income communities across the country through afterschool and expanded learning time programs. The organization mobilizes a second shift of afternoon educators, who provide academic support, leadership development, and “apprenticeships”—hands-on projects taught by volunteers from business and civic organizations. At 31 middle schools in seven states across the country, Citizen Schools students develop the skills they need to succeed in high school, college, the workforce, and civic life. Learn more about Citizen Schools’ programs and results at www.citizenschools.org.
PRESS RELEASE: Staples Invests in Citizen Schools’ Apprenticeship Program
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hundreds of Volunteers Across Massachusetts Prepare to Go “Back to School” This Fall
Staples Invests in Program that Brings Volunteers Into Schools
Boston, MA - August 30, 2011 – Citizen Schools, a national nonprofit organization that partners with middle schools to expand the learning day for low-income students, announced today it has received an investment of $50,000 from Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) to help fund Citizen Schools’ apprenticeships in Massachusetts this school year. Funding from Staples will support Citizens Schools’ apprentice program as it works with more than 600 volunteers to teach students one afternoon each week at middle schools in Boston, New Bedford, and Revere. Since 2006, Staples has given nearly $70,000 in support to Citizens Schools’ programs.
Volunteers, called “Citizen Teachers,” will instruct 10-week “apprenticeships” where students will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with experts in various fields, exploring new professions, learning new skills, and creating something for their community. At the end of the 10-week apprenticeship, students participate in a “WOW!” event, named after the reaction most adults have after seeing students work, which gives youth a chance to turn the tables, become the experts, and teach adults all they have learned.
With the support from Staples, Citizen Teacher volunteers will go back to school to teach a wide array of apprenticeships this fall. Topics will range from “Buying the Celtics,” a course on the business side of sports taught by lawyers from Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, to a course on developing online marketing campaigns for real-life client Reebok Women, to a JavaScript programming course with Google engineers.
“Our apprenticeships help infuse relevance in the school day, spark new interests, and stir motivation for our students,” said Pat Kirby, executive director of Citizen Schools Massachusetts. “Through its investment, Staples is helping to make it easy for Citizen Schools to recruit, train, and inspire the best volunteers to work with our students.”
Through Citizen Schools’ apprenticeship program, hands-on projects show students the math in cooking, the science in recycling, and the discipline to rehearsing a dance routine. Independent studies show that apprenticeships have outstanding results for students, including higher grades, increased attendance, and an elevated graduation rate in comparison with their peers.
“Citizen Schools’ unique Citizen Teacher model provides students with a unique opportunity to explore and discover a love for learning,” said Amy Shanler, director of community relations for Staples, Inc. “Staples is committed to supporting programs that provide valuable opportunities for youth to realize their potential to succeed.”
About Citizen Schools
Citizen Schools is a national nonprofit organization that partners with middle schools to expand the learning day for low income children across the country. Citizen Schools uniquely mobilizes thousands of adult volunteers to help improve student achievement by teaching skill-building Apprenticeships after school. The organization’s programs blend these real-world learning projects with rigorous academic and leadership development activities, preparing students in the middle grades for success in high school, college, the workforce, and civic life.
The Massachusetts Citizen Schools program launched in 1995 and currently serves over 1,100 students and engages thousands of volunteers each school year.
About Staples in the Community
Staples contributes to educational and youth-oriented community efforts, from literacy and mentoring to career skills development, through in-kind and monetary donations and grants from Staples Foundation, the private charitable arm of Staples, Inc. Through its community relations efforts, Staples and Staples Foundation have helped more than 6,000 organizations in 2,000 communities across 27 countries. Community relations is also an integral component of Staples Soul, which recognizes the connection between long-term business success and the impact Staples has on associates, communities and the planet. For more information, visit www.staples.com/community.
