After weeks of intensive preparation, including Summer Institute and campus-based training, Citizen Schools New York welcomed more than 300 students during our Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Launch Week. Across two campuses, Renaissance School Of The Arts M.S. 377 and P.S. 157 Benjamin Franklin, excited faces filled our classrooms with anticipation. Teaching Fellows eased into their roles with all the necessary tools and energy needed to support our students. With over 20 apprenticeships such as Hydroponics, Google Girls in Charge, Capital One Coding Academy and Math Mysteries, the New York region is ready to introduce students to fascinating companies, helping them gain real world skills and broaden their horizons.

As a complement to these real world learning experiences from industry proessionals, ELT programs will also provide academic support, utilizing educational resources such as Iready and IXL. Iready provides adaptive instruction in math and reading, through which teachers can track progress and motivate using meaningful rewards; IXL improves targeted skills using modules with visually appealing tasks. At Renaissance School Of The Arts, first shift teachers will be teaming up with Teaching Fellows to create personalized Math and English Language Arts packets that will serve as another tool towards closing the achievement gap.