Celebrating 30 Years of Empowering Educators: What We’ve Learned Together
Teacher Appreciation Week is a special time when we pause to honor educators—the passionate, dedicated changemakers whose work shapes futures and inspires students every day. This year, Citizen Schools proudly joins the celebration by recognizing our nation's teachers and reflecting on the transformative journey we've shared alongside them over our 30-year history.
From our beginnings, Citizen Schools has learned invaluable lessons by partnering closely with teachers—lessons that have profoundly shaped who we are today. Here, we highlight three pivotal experiences that reflect our deepening commitment to educators as leaders and innovators in education:
1. Preparing a Generation of Educators
Citizen Schools has long believed that teachers are the cornerstone of student success. Through our National Teaching Fellowship and later our Teacher Residency Program, we've proudly nurtured hundreds of aspiring educators, equipping them with the skills, confidence, and vision to thrive in classrooms nationwide. These programs combined hands-on teaching experience with rigorous professional development, teaching us that investing in educators' growth directly improves student outcomes. Our experience showed us the importance of creating pathways for passionate individuals to become educators, shaping our ongoing commitment to teacher preparation and professional growth programs.
Sarah Rabiner, a former Teaching Fellow from Durham, North Carolina, shared:
“The transformation that happens when you focus on improving the opportunities for the kids you grow to care about is a profound growth experience.”
2. Supporting Teachers through Expanded Learning Time
Our national Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Program highlighted the importance of aligning deeply with educators to enhance student learning and engagement. Collaborating closely with schools, we extended the traditional school day, providing vital resources and structured opportunities for teachers to innovate and elevate their practice. This initiative demonstrated the value of teacher collaboration and innovation within the extended day framework, highlighting the necessity of actively involving teachers in designing programs tailored to student needs. This lesson shaped our approach, emphasizing collaborative planning and teacher-led innovations as essential components of successful educational models.
Amy Bednar, a teacher at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina, shared:
“As a teacher, I absolutely love it. I appreciate how Citizen Schools supports us in reinforcing important topics after school... The students are able to get the extra attention that they need after school in a smaller class setting and expand their knowledge with extension activities.”
3. TODAY: Together, Transformation is Possible
In our latest chapter, the in-school program model reinforces our unwavering belief that teachers are the primary experts and agents of educational transformation. By working alongside educators directly in classrooms, we co-create meaningful, student-centered learning experiences. Originally piloted as “Catalyst,” this program taught us the power of placing educators at the forefront of educational innovation, where their insights and expertise drive meaningful change. Recognizing teachers as primary changemakers reshaped our organizational identity, guiding us to prioritize sustained, collaborative partnerships that empower educators to lead impactful transformations in their classrooms and beyond.
Tiara Davis, a Middle School Science teacher at Wilson STEM Academy in Charlotte, N.C., who served as one of our program design pilot partners in 2018, noted:
“The program has allowed me to bring real-world STEM experiences into my classroom, igniting my students' passion for science and enhancing their leadership skills.”
Stuart Whitney, a Math and Science teacher from West Somerville School in Somerville, MA, reflected on the program's impact during remote learning:
“Students became peer collaborators, breaking down a pre-existing framework of siloed work. Timid and shy students became leaders, tapping into their potential.”
As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Citizen Schools renews our commitment to uplifting educators and amplifying their transformative power. Your support helps sustain this vital work, empowering more teachers and students to achieve their fullest potential.
Join us in honoring educators everywhere and consider making a donation today. Together, let's champion the teachers who inspire, lead, and shape the next generation.