Citizen Schools took a step toward a larger role in education policy at the federal level with its briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on April 9. The event marked the release the results of how our programs are working in communities – with demonstrable academic results and positive impact on children and families. We also shared our recommendations for expanded learning time and creating a corps of teaching fellows to provide a "second shift" of educators beyond the school day to create these positive benefits for more children.

"Too much after-school programming is well intentioned, but isn't getting the results we want," said Eric Schwarz, President and CEO of Citizen Schools. "Citizen Schools is getting extraordinary results."

Senators Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) (above, at the briefing) co-sponsored the briefing, which focused on the Phase V findings of a longitudinal evaluation and a white paper on the impact of a promising expanded learning program in Charlestown, MA. A gathering of experts—an alumna, a principal, a business leader, and Senator Burr himself—shared their insights about Citizen Schools and the importance of programs like ours to schools and communities.

"There has never been a greater link between educational opportunity and economic opportunity," Schwarz said at the event. "The difference between college graduates and high school graduates in terms of lifetime earning potential is greater than ever before. Yet after heavy investment in schools, the improvement is flat. My message today is that Citizen Schools and other high-quality after-school programs are the essential second act of education reform."

More about the white paper on Expanded Learning Time

"Citizen Schools has been an extremely positive influence in my life," said Leide Cabral, 19, who participated in the program when she was in middle school.  "The fact that I am now in my second year at Hamilton College is a true testament to the effect that after-school programs like this can have.  I owe a great deal to the mentors and volunteers who played a huge role in my continuing education."

Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, where three middle schools in Charlotte host Citizen Schools programs, appeared at the briefing amid a busy schedule to express his support for expanding the learning day in strong terms. "As far as I'm concerned, fixing K-12 education is the number one priority," Burr said. "I think it is a travesty that in my state 70% of the population drops out of high school. You have to look at the core of what this country's all about. The goal can never be less than 100%."

Burr stressed the importance of involving all citizens in education, but emphasized the commitment that legislators must make to really address the challenge. "Martin Luther King, Jr. predicted a values revolution, challenging us to value our neighbors' children as much as our own," Burr said. "There's no silver bullet, no single effort that's going to solve K-12 problems today. But collectively we can solve this problem. It takes collective change on the part of policymakers."

"We see our bridges and our roads falling apart, but we also see our kids falling apart," said Jeff Riley, Principal of the Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, MA, which has engaged Citizen Schools as a partner for seven years. "Is there anything more important? If we're going to compete on a global scale, we've got to do this for our kids."

The Edwards has participated in a pilot expanded learning day program within Massachusetts public schools. The state-funded Expanded Learning Time Initiative in Massachusetts, launched by education nonprofit Massachusetts 2020, allowed the Edwards to extend its school day by more than 30 percent. Citizen Schools partnered with Edwards to serve all the 6th grade students with a program that includes its signature element, volunteer-led apprenticeships. As explored in the white paper, the Edwards posted the greatest gains on the MCAS exam when compared to the other six middle schools in the pilot program.

"I've come today to tell you that ELT works, and it works for my kids," said Riley. "This past year, the results have been pretty dramatic." He stressed that careful collaboration with external organizations helps explain the success, ensuring that additional time was not merely "more of the same." "I don't believe that just extra time itself is sufficient. You have to have a plan. We needed to go look for quality partners. We chose Citizen Schools."

John Tate, a Vice President at Wachovia in Charlotte, NC, has partnered with Citizen Schools through financial support as well as employee engagement. Bank staff have taught students about saving money, starting their own business, and other real-world applications of learning. "Citizen Schools is making curriculum relevant," he told policymakers at the briefing. "Effective apprenticeships hold the power to open a child's eyes to what can be. Couple that with a belief in a child to succeed and the stage is set for a whole different expectation dynamic than simply moving through the current coursework."

Moriska Selby, the Campus Director of Citizen Schools at the Edwards Middle School, also stressed the need to align the school culture around achievement so that students find learning positive. Inspired by the innovative nature of the Expanded Learning Time pilot, her team designed programs around the theme of trail-blazing. From Math League to apprenticeships to explorations in the community, she and the other staff members emphasized over and over the excitement of trying new things.

Selby stressed that a quality staff was crucial to running the extended day. "Teaching Fellows are the heart and soul of our program," she said. As part of its commitment to after-school and expanded learning programs, Citizen Schools is advocating enacting the Teaching Fellows for Expanded Learning and After-School Act (T-FELAS) to provide federal support for 10,000 AmeriCorps Teaching Fellows who would support school-day learning and lead after-school and Expanded Learning Time classes.

The act is part of a three-point education reform legislative agenda related to the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. The other priorities are enacting a federal demonstration program to support Expanded Learning Time schools that adds at least 30% more learning time for children, and creating a dedicated fund focused on bringing to scale educational innovations that have demonstrable and proven results.

This election year is a unique opportunity to shape the conversation about education in America. Citizen Schools has demonstrated the power of out-of-school learning and civic engagement in closing the achievement gap. This event helped to tell that story to the leaders in Washington who will expand our impact even farther.

"We talk a lot about the achievement gap, but to me it's an opportunity gap," said Principal Riley. "When kids have an opportunity, you see them flourish."