Congressman Capuano meets with Citizen Schools staff and principal Andrew Bott.

Recently, Congressman Michael Capuano of Massachusetts visited Orchard Gardens Middle School in Roxbury, MA. During the visit, Capuano was able to meet with Principal Andrew Bott, Pat Kirby, the Executive Director of Citizen Schools Massachusetts, and Megan Bird, the Campus Director of Orchard Gardens, to discuss the importance of the partnership between the school and Citizen Schools. The Congressman was also able to see students in action as they participated in their apprenticeships including “Invest like a Millionaire,” ”Video Game Programming,” and “Rescue by Design,” an all girls engineering apprenticeship.

This news roundup includes news from 4/20-5/11.

Citizen Schools News

• Forbes – 4/20 – 3 Ways to Be Generous With Your Tax Refund – Citizen Schools was mentioned as a possible organization to donate to in the piece.
• Santa Fe New Mexican – 4/29 – Students’ Amazing Accomplishments – Mentions Citizen Schools student Carlo’s visit to Washington D.C. during Hill Day this spring.
• NYT School Book – 5/2 – Princeton Review Charged With Falsifying Billing for Tutors – The New York annual gala was mentioned as an event going on in New York City.
• Frieda C Fox Family Foundation – 5/1/12 – Citizen Schools: Success in the Bay Area and Across the Country – Joe Ross, Executive Director of Citizen Schools California, is speaking at an upcoming event mentioned here.
• Citi Performing Arts Center Blog – 5/4/12 – Creative Expression at Citizen Schools – A reflection on what students are working on at the Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston.
• Skoll Foundation – 5/4/12 – Citizen Schools in Fast Company and New York Times/WNYC – The Skoll Foundation posted on our most recent media coverage.
• Santa Fe New Mexican – 5/6/12 – Program Motivates Students to Succeed – This article features our partnership at De Vargas Middle School.
• Huffington Post – 5/10/12 – How to Learn in the 21^st Century – Op-ed by the Ford Foundation and the National Center on Time & Learning about the new Time to Succeed Coalition mentions Citizen Schools as a partner organization.
• Chicago Now: District 299 – 5/10/12 – Here Comes Citizen Schools – About our launch in Chicago.
• Huffington Post – 5/11/12 – Why we need a longer school day – Op-ed by Eric, Citizen School’s CEO and co-founder.
• Catalyst Chicago – 5/11/12 – In the News – Citizen Schools is mentioned in their news from the week.

Education Stories

• The Atlantic – 4/20 – The 3 Main Obstacles in the Way of Education Reform – The article sites three main problems that are holding back education policy: “we buy reform,” “schools lack for an adequate way to measure teacher performance,” and “education policy is by its nature political, conservative, and change-adverse.”
• TIME – 4/26/12 – School Reform: Why Romney and Obama aren’t talking about education – According to Andy Rotherham, when it comes to school reform, both candidates have a party-base problem
• Edutopia – 4/26/12 – Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement – A great collection of eighth grade student responses to the question, “What engages students?”
• USA Today – 5/1 – Column: Teach black and Hispanic students differently – Coauthored by Richard Whitmire, author of Why Boys Fail and The Bee Eater, and Gaston Caperton, of the upcoming The Achievable Dream: College Board Lessons on Creating Great Schools.
• Dropout Nation – 5/2/12 – The Andressan Theory Will Power Reform – or Why You Shouldn’t Worry Much About the Future of Digital Education – This article discusses the future of digital education.
• New York Times – 5/3/12 – The Campus Tsunami – A piece by David Brooks on online learning.
•  Education Week – 5/10/12 – Most 8^th Graders Fall Short on NAEP Science Test – This piece highlights and discusses the recent findings of the National Assessment Governing Board on earth, life, and physical sciences mastery on the NAEP.

Please share your thoughts on these stories with us by leaving a comment below or on Twitter or on Facebook!

At the outset of my senior year of college at Tufts, I thought I knew who I was and where I was going. Truth be told, I knew little than as I know little now. However, I had sufficiently gathered my thoughts and experiences together to understand one truth: the pursuit of a just and sustainable society would motivate me for the rest of my life. The question of how to harness this energy and channel it into something meaningful was daunting. Fortunately, it did not take long before I discovered my path forward in the Citizen Schools Teaching Fellowship.

Having worked in urban education for most of my college career, Citizen Schools seemed a logical next step. I was drawn particularly to Citizen Schools because of its innovative model and advocacy for change. The powerful need for out-of-the-box thinkers and community involvement in education is embodied in the apprenticeship, what I see to be the core of Citizen Schools. I have felt that the content that students receive in school can be narrow, impractical and disconnected from the world. The apprenticeship model alleviates this by exposing students to the world beyond the school walls and engaging them with relevant content that provides a glimpse into their potential future.

I knew that I wanted to support a program that pioneered this sort of innovation and exploration and I knew that I wanted to play the role of educator/mentor. It just made sense. Having completed almost a year of the Fellowship, I can confidently say that I am glad that I became a Teaching Fellow. The Fellowship experience can be very frustrating, in more ways than one. That being said, this frustration can produce some fantastic ideas and inspire innovative action. Some of my proudest accomplishments as a Fellow have resulted from a frustration with the status quo and a desire to provide a more enriching experience for my students. There have been spectacular failures in my stumble to refine my teaching style and integrate new content. Still, there is a strong sense of progress in the work of a Fellow. We are building something spectacular, even if it is unclear exactly what it is we’re building.

In addition to the professional and personal growth fueled by the Fellowship, the connections made as a Fellow are invaluable. I have met so many inspiring, kind people, too many to count, during my Fellowship. A veritable think-tank of creative innovators exists in the Fellows’ Circle, where constructive conversations abound and Fellows are always available to lend a helping hand. Regardless of where we all end up after the Fellowship, I am certain that the friendships I’ve built and the connections I’ve made will stay with me for years to come.

Finally, I am proud to be a Fellow because I am proud to serve my students. Sometimes I wonder what impact I am making, if I am having a positive effect on my students. My concerns are calmed when I think about the bonds that I’ve built with my students and the space that we have created in our classroom. It’s not perfect, far from it, but I think our work together is a significant step towards the learning environment that my students need and that I want to create. I will never forget my first team, in its successes and its failures, and will use the lessons they’ve taught me for the rest of my life.

Apply to be a Teaching Fellow today! The final deadline is Friday, May 18th.

George Sienkiewicz, Senior Manager, Global Manufacturing Services, and Kris Dermody, Director, Global Manufacturing Services, explain the importance of blend uniformity in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

It’s not often that middle school students get to learn about pharmaceutical manufacturing, but it happens at Citizen Schools.  A team of eleven Pfizer colleagues  recently brought science to life for a group of 25 sixth grade students at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey.  The Pfizer volunteers even simulated the pharmaceutical manufacturing process by making candy!  Read more about the special event here.  

“We were jumping up and down screaming,” she reflected. “I took a picture and saved it on my phone… I said to myself ‘God, I thank you.’”

Students from the Robotics Apprenticeship at Spencer

Ms. Mallette reminisced about watching her son, Jaryd, receive a STEM award for his participation in Robotics, the highest rated apprenticeship at Louise A. Spencer during the Fall 2011 term. Ms. Mallette and her youngest son, Jayden, screamed in excitement as Jaryd accepted the award with such pride and joy. “His whole face was lit up,” she said. Ms. Mallette commented on how informative and interesting the Fall WOW! event was at Spencer. “Jaryd was nervous during his presentation but he still managed to explain everything,” she reflected. Jayden, Jaryd’s brother, told his mother at the WOW! that he couldn’t wait until next year when he would be in 6^th grade and could participate in Citizen Schools.

As the weeks flew by the Fall semester, I noticed that Jaryd really started to enjoy his Robotics apprenticeship. Jaryd connected his passion for drawing with stenciling pictures of characters from the famous series Transformers. During Citizen Schools, after Jaryd completed his homework, I gave him permission to draw pictures of robots and he would show me his creations with the biggest of smiles. I could really see a transformation in his confidence and self-esteem. Even his fellow classmates noticed and complimented his artistic and creative talent.

Students from Louise A. Spencer on an exploration to a glassblowing studio

“I’m getting a better idea of what Jaryd may do in the future,” Ms. Mallette told me. “I want these kids to make it. Pick an awesome career… Just do it.” She encourages his drawing and interest in robots at home. As a special-needs student, Jaryd is catered to with various teaching and learning methods to meet his educational needs. The Robotics apprenticeship opened a world of opportunity for Jaryd to learn and explore something that really interested him. “People don’t know where he came from,” Ms. Mallette explained to me, “We didn’t think he could come this far and look, in his first year [at Citizen Schools] he wins an award in front of everyone!” Ms. Mallette commented that with his learning disabilities, he is a walking miracle to be able to do all that he is doing. With Citizen Schools, “he’s achieving so much,” Ms. Mallette said, “people don’t know what this [program] does to help.”

Ms. Mallette also noted that through his involvement in Citizen Schools, she has seen Jaryd become more independent and outgoing, and is getting better at handling conflict situations in a more mature way. “It’s been a beautiful experience for both of us,” Ms. Mallette said. From my own earlier experiences with Jaryd, in instances of conflict in the classroom, Jaryd used to shut down or even act out. Nowadays, Jaryd handles confrontation in a much more calm and collected manner, and has learned to just walk away.

Ms. Mallette, Jaryd, and Jayden

Ms. Mallette mentioned three obstacles that Jaryd faces: “[If] you’re born black, you’re in Newark, and you’re male… those three things are held against you. You don’t want to be just a statistic.” Ms. Mallette constantly encourages her two sons, and wants them to continue to learn and grow in a healthy environment. As for the future, Ms. Mallette said: “I want them to own their own homes, their vehicles, and work when they can and want to.”

 “They need more teachers like you,” Ms. Mallette said, “that care and have patience, work with their (students’) flaws, and encourage them in their futures.” Although I am flattered, my reply to Ms. Mallette is that we equally need parents like you, who encourage and support our young scholars so that they may achieve success in both school and the real world. Parent support is so crucial to our work at Citizen Schools. Positive encouragement at home, at school and in the community is necessary to build a support network students can rely on. Ms. Mallette’s continued support and positivity are examples of how parents and family members help keep our program at Louise A. Spencer strong and in demand for students.

Kristen Thiede

Everyone who teaches middle school is amazing. Those who volunteer to do it are particularly courageous. Those who inspire their companies to support education are remarkable. And then, there’s Yul.

Last week at the annual Clark Foundation gathering for leading youth development organizations, I had the chance to meet and introduce Kristen Thiede, a principal at Google and one of their leading innovators. She is employee number two-hundred-and-something (started in 2001) and has worked all over the world for Google, currently on a project to make home internet service 100 times faster. And she’s worked hard on their social enterprise collaborations with the Harlem Children’s Zone and others. She’s a rock star!

I was gratified to hear that lots of her friends have volunteered at Citizen Schools, and that we have been held up at Google as a best practice for employee engagement. Meeting Kristen prompted me to refresh my memory about how our organizations came to work together so closely. A refreshing, sexy story of youthful innovation and leadership.

Jane Choi - Campus Director (Photo Credit: Ralph Alswang)

I knew the Google relationship started with Citizen Schools Campus Director and later Program Director, the fabulous Jane Choi, who led our then after-school program at McKinley Institute of Technology in Redwood City from 2004-2006. I remembered that the first volunteers from Google were friends of Jane’s, but that’s as much as I knew; so I emailed Jane the night before my introduction of Kristen to get the full scoop.

Yul Kwon - Survivor: Cook Islands

Turns out it was an old boyfriend of Jane’s named Yul Kwon, who was on the Google legal team. Yul and an engineer friend named Beverly Chan decided to teach, and recruit other to teach, a few apprenticeships in robotics, cooking, poetry, and other diverse topics.

By the second year, so many Googlers were volunteering that Google hired a bus to bring kids to Mountain View. For several years they hosted our WOW! events at their amphitheater, where presidents and other world leaders often speak.

A few years later volunteers from Google offices in Cambridge and New York started teaching too (we launched Citizen Schools NY at Google HQ in lower Manhattan). Now we know of 442 Google employees who have taught apprenticeships at Citizen Schools, and we hope the inspiring team at Google in Chicago will join the ranks starting this fall. (Watch Googlers sell you on the idea themselves!)

Our latest data shows that an amazing 80 percent of kids who take Google apprenticeships – many of them in video game design – say they are interested in careers in science or technology.  This compares to just 33 percent of children their age in the country. By sharing their passion for engineering and computing, Google’s people are making a difference for kids that will last their whole lives.

Now, perhaps you recognize the name Yul Kwon. Volunteering at Citizen Schools wasn’t the last brave leap he took: he actually competed on the 2006 season of Survivor.  That was the controversial 13th season of Survivor  that divided participants by their ethnicity. Kwon became the ultimate survivor due to his physical prowess and ability to navigate strategically and morally across the different ethnic tribes, and he became a hero to Survivor buffs.

Yul Kwon - One of 2007's Sexiest Men Alive

That’s a unique resume. But it wasn’t Yul’s peak. In 2007 People Magazine named Yul one of the sexiest men alive.

Oh, and then in 2009 he became a leader of the Federal Communications Commission for Obama. Now he is hosting a new show on PBS called America Revealed.

I told all this to my 10-year-old daughter, Orla, and she asked if he was now married.  “Yes,” I said, “and with one kid.”

“Good,” she said.  “He deserves it.”

I don’t know how much Yul thinks about his experience teaching kids in Redwood City now, or realizes he, Jane, and Beverly helped launch a partnership at Google that is now transforming education. But  someday I hope to meet the top managers at Google to thank them. They have built an incredible culture where hundreds of their people can and do venture out to make the world a better place.

I certainly hope we’re able to build a culture like that at Citizen Schools, and to inspire it in other companies. I don’t know if any of us will be named the sexiest man or woman alive any time soon, but I like to think we have similarly great people making the world a better place.

How can I help? Here is how you can take action and engage Congress to save funding for education and service programs which provide vital capacity and services to schools through nonprofit, community partner organizations like Citizen Schools: Sign the “Stop the Cuts!” petition—The Committee for Education Funding (CEF), a coalition of education groups working together to secure adequate federal support for our nation’s educational system, is in the midst of a campaign to stop the substantial proposed cuts to education funding, which threaten the stability of our education system and economy. For more information on the cuts, read here.

Take Action with Save Service: The Save Service in America campaign is working to ensure policy makers preserve national service programs, such as AmeriCorps. The campaign’s efforts led by constituents across the country saved national service programs from budget cuts (and elimination) last fiscal year, and we need to continue the momentum! Click here to sign up for action alerts, tweet, send an e-letter to Congress, and share your story of service with a local paper. May 1^st -3^rd, 2012 Citizen Schools supporters throughout Citizen Schools’ eight regions participated in the Save Service “District Day”—joining forces with other service-oriented organizations and volunteers to visit local US Congressional offices in their districts and share stories and results of the positive impact service has on schools and communities.

Bryce Bowman is the Executive Director of Citizen Schools’ new launch site in Chicago.

Chicago has been my home for the past seven years and I am energized, honored, and inspired to be in a role that brings an organization with a proven model for student  success to an amazing city. Citizen Schools has been a successful expanded learning time school partner in cities around the nation and I am excited to help bring the organization to the city where I am raising my own family, Chicago, and to the students of Chicago Public Schools.

Education reform and expanding the school day has been a very hot topic in Chicago recently, and what excites me most about bringing Citizen Schools into that environment is that it gives everyday people the opportunity to get off the sidelines and into the classroom. It offers the ability to integrate the Chicago business and civic community into our schools.

We can all agree that, given the right support and access, all kids can learn and we can all help give kids more opportunities. We all have something to contribute to help them realize their potential regardless of what happens with union negotiations and policy decisions.

Through Citizen Schools, rather than just discussing education reform around the water cooler or at a party, people from all walks of life can enter schools, inspire kids by teaching what they’re passionate about, and become active change agents in closing the achievement gap for the students of Chicago Public Schools.

We eagerly look forward to partnering with great  schools and providing them with additional resources to drive student achievement. But, in order to truly impact students, we need to build a great team. Consider volunteering as a Citizen Teacher, applying for the Teaching Fellowship, or learning more about our mission.

Volunteer to Teach 

Apply for the Teaching Fellowship

Learn more

Students' educational opportunities were expanded through Citizen Schools at De Vargas Middle School

On the night of Tuesday, April 17^th the Santa Fe school board was convened to make a decision that would affect the future of hundreds of middle school students in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Santa Fe Citizen Schools staff and I packed ourselves into the humid public forum room. Elbow to elbow, we patiently waited for our opportunity to advocate for the Citizen Schools expanded learning program at De Vargas Middle School. Finally, the school board representatives crackled over their microphones alerting our pack of staff and well-wishers that the opportunity to speak on behalf of our vital program had come.

A line formed behind the public forum podium starting with our school’s principal and ending with three of our most supportive parents. The line of champions twisted around the room.

Principal Diane Garcia Piro started off by painting a picture of our school at a tumultuous crossroads until Citizen Schools began to flourish. Garcia talked about how students now look forward to coming to school because they have been given the tools to succeed.

Students  Ruby Lopez, Carlo Quinones, and Suzette Tiscarreno sang the praises of the Citizen Schools program and how it had changed their life. Carlo, fresh off a trip to Washington, D.C. where he, his mother and former Citizen Schools New Mexico Executive Director, Sue Goodwin, endorsed Citizen Schools at our nation’s capital, stepped fearlessly to the microphone with unmatched determination. Carlo described how Citizen Schools had opened his eyes to a world of possibility he would have never otherwise known.

Kathryn Bueller, a De Vargas science teacher, who in the same meeting had been awarded National Teaching Board Certification, proclaimed that “this program (Citizen Schools ELT) should be in every middle school in Santa Fe and across the country!”

Jesus Esparza, a Citizen Schools Teaching Fellow, described his own educational experience growing up in Santa Fe; and his added perspective as a new father has only strengthened his commitment to Citizen Schools and resolve to pursue a career in education.

Returning volunteer Citizen Teachers, Jason Jaacks, Julia Barns, and Alex Gancarz took to the podium espousing everything from hard facts of Citizen Schools’ positive effect on De Vargas’ students to heartwarming moments of triumph in the classroom, declaring the necessity of this program to which they are all so committed.

The public forum portion of the evening concluded with a tearful testimonial from Suzette’s mother, Mrs. Tescarones. Mrs. Tescarones wept as she described Suzette’s education prior to Citizen Schools, previous teachers and administrators had claimed Suzette simply wasn’t intelligent and that her shy behavior was a result of that handicap. When Suzette enrolled in Citizen Schools at De Vargas Middle School as a seventh grader her grades and social parlous began to blossom and grow. Now Suzette is in 8^th Grade Academy with a 4.0 and has become an exemplary public speaker from semesters of practice as a translator at the De Vargas WOW showcase. Mrs. Tescarones pleaded with the board to keep Citizen Schools because it saved her daughter’s life and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

The procession of Citizen Schools ambassadors returned to their seats with heads held high, as they were enveloped with applause and congratulations. The evening was concluded by an rousing presentation from the now transitioned Sue Goodwin and De Vargas’ current CD Kendra Engels. Sue and Kendra employed charts, statistics and a sincere documentary made by CT Jason Jaacks to highlight the triumphs Citizen Schools has seen in Santa Fe and nationwide.

When the microphone was finally silent and the school board was given the opportunity to question and comment on the parade of proponents they had been witness to, they could only thank Citizen Schools for its commitment to excellence. Brief, pointed questions were poised to Sue regarding specific data the board would be interested in, but the over-all climate in the room was one of victory. An army of parents, community leaders, volunteers, and Citizen Schools staff had heralded the vital nature of the work we do and the room reverberated with understanding and awe. That evening I believe we all could have flown home on the wings of a community unified in the fight for education reform and a deep commitment to the future of students at De Vargas Middle School.

Check out the advocacy video below created by Volunteer Citizen Teacher, Jason Jaacks!

May 6, 2012

Learning Curve: Program Motivates Students to Succeed

This story reports on the first year of Citizen Schools’ expanded learning time partnership at De Vargas Middle School in Santa Fe, NM. Citizen Schools has partnered with the school to provide a longer school day for all seventh graders and a cohort of eighth graders – a total of 220 students.

“When she was in sixth grade, she brought home nothing but D’s and F’s,” Ruth Valdez said of her daughter. “She was not motivated, not focused. She didn’t like school. But ever since seventh grade at DeVargas with Citizen Schools her attitude toward school has changed. She likes going to school. She’s becoming more of a leader, you could say — and she has been bringing home a 4.0 grade average.”

Read the full story.