[How I Work] Cultivating the people who close opportunity gaps for kids

National education nonprofit Citizen Schools is committed to helping all children discover and achieve their dreams. Their work equipping young people with the skills, access, and beliefs to succeed in college and career inspired Michelle Carter to make the leap to Boston, relocating from her North Carolina hometown, and help re-imagine the learning day in support of students across the country. Today, Carter serves as a Talent Business Partner and has supported staff in all six of the organization’s service regions.

New YorkGuest UserOctober 11, 2018Work For Good, national, National ServiceComment

Teach Us All: Documentary Screening with Viacom

On September 20, Citizen Schools New York held a screening of Teach Us All, a documentary film directed by Sonia Lowman. The documentary details the history of school segregation and educational inequality, and how these issues are still impacting schools in the United States. Much like the courageous efforts of the Little Rock Nine, the film highlights how young people are still at the forefront of disrupting educational inequities.

New YorkMaria Perez CortezOctober 10, 2018viacom, teach us all, documentary film education

CSNY Campus Round-Up 2018-19

Citizen Schools NY is proud to be partnering with 4 schools this year. Our team of 4 Campus Leaders and 33 Teaching Fellows are now serving nearly 500 students in the East Harlem and Brooklyn.

CSMA Campus Round-Up 2018-19

Citizen Schools MA is proud to be partnering with 7 schools this year, including 2 launch campuses and 1 new district. Our team of 12 Campus Leaders and 73 Teaching Fellows are now serving over 1,700 students in the region.

Working Alongside Teachers, Volunteers Help Bring Real-World Learning Experiences to the Classroom

Amy Hoffmaster, Managing Director of Program Innovation got the chance to sit down and chat with Melissa Arellano, who is a 7th grade science teacher at Sedgefield Middle Schools in North Carolina about her experience working in the Catalyst pilot program.

Media CoverageGuest UserSeptember 27, 2018Catalyst, education week, North Carolina, catalyst

Deanna Christmas: Citizen Schools Opens a World of Possibility

Deanna Christmas was a 2018 summer high school interns at the Citizen Schools headquarters in Boston on the Civic Engagement team. Her role consists of helping recruit volunteers for the apprenticeships and to support in ensuring that all the supplies are were ready for the upcoming semester of apprenticeships. Deanna attended the Browne Middle School and is now a sophomore at Chelsea High School. Here is her story.

MassachusettsGuest UserSeptember 27, 2018csma, high school summer internship, mock trial, CSMA Summer Interns

Benjamin Erazo: Real World Learning Experiences Inspire Passion for Business & Stocks

Benjamin Erazo was a 2018 summer intern at Citizen Schools headquarters in Boston. As a member of the Technology team, he was responsible for helping repair computers and assisting the tech team solve any problems. Benjamin attended the Browne Middle School in Chelsea, MA, and is now a sophomore at Chelsea High School.

Pro Bono Perspectives: Episode 3 - Emily McCann

Emily McCann joins Common Impact CEO, Danielle Holly, on their new podcast, Pro Bono Perspectives - where Holly interviews leaders from all walks of life to learn about their personal and professional backgrounds and explore what drives them to create positive change through their careers and daily lives.

Media CoverageWhitney BuckleySeptember 19, 2018common impact, danielle holly, Emily McCann

Catalyst Year 1 Report

In our year one report on our teacher support model, Catalyst, we share lessons learned from our initial design year and the ways those lessons informed our year two approach. This approach includes a new volunteer experience design team, comprising a group of volunteers from Citizen Schools National Leadership Partner, Dell.

NationalWhitney BuckleySeptember 6, 2018catalyst, dell, volunteer

Educating the Future Generation: Organizations Earn Grants For STEM Outreach Programs

Students in rural and low-income communities will soon have access to experiential learning experiences, one-on-one hands mentoring and STEM education through a $1 million program called the US2020 STEM Coalition Challenge.

Empowering More Students to Be Makers is an Investment in Our Future

Last year, US2020 launched the STEM Coalition Challenge, with support from Schmidt Futures and the Arconic Foundation. The Challenge was a competition for communities across the country to develop cross-sector partnerships to bring quality hands-on maker-centered learning to underrepresented students at scale through STEM mentorship. More than 90 communities participated, signalling a significant need and demand for the tools, resources, programs and support that will help schools, libraries, museums and other youth-serving organizations engage students in maker centered learning with mentors.

Business Leaders Value Broader Range of Skills for Career Success

The importance of social and emotional skills in the workplace has been well-documented, but a virtual focus group of business leaders hosted by the Commission and Citizen Schools on July 25 revealed the broader array of skills that today’s employers value such as intellectual curiosity, willingness to give and receive feedback, personal ownership of problems and challenges, and recognition of unconscious bias.

Paul Reville: Resegregated Schools Are A Reflection Of A Divided City

Paul Reville on Boston Public Radio discusses recent findings by the Boston Globe that allege Boston Public Schools are “intensely segregated.” Reville points to investing in after-school education programs, like Citizen Schools, as “one way to level the playing field.”

Media CoverageWhitney BuckleyAugust 20, 2018paul reville, boston globe, boston public schools

Norwell resident receives President’s Volunteer Service Award

Each year, the President of the United States recognizes volunteers around the country who have done outstanding service. This year, Norwell resident Michael Bevilacqua was one of the recipients of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Bevilacqua is a Citizen Teacher, part of Citizen Schools, an organization that partners with low-income communities to provide students with enriching experiences outside of the classroom in hands-on artistic, scientific and legal apprenticeships. Some of these apprenticeships include rocket science, 3D printing, mock trial, documentary filmmaking, social justice and photography.

Mohamad Ali, CEO & President, Carbonite Delivers Keynote Address at WOW!NOW Breakfast

At our annual WOW!NOW celebration in Boston, Mohamad Ali spoke about the importance of hiring employees with diverse perspectives and skillsets, how Citizen Schools is helping to close the 'IT skills gap,' and called on our cities, states and country to come together to provide opportunities for all students to have an equal opportunity for high-quality education.

Massachusetts, NationalWhitney BuckleyJuly 27, 2018mohamad ali, carbonite, IT Skills Gap, Equal Opportunity

Somerville Citizen teachers honored with President’s Volunteer Service Award

Each year, the President of the United States recognizes volunteers throughout the country with the President’s Volunteer Service Awards (PVSA). Somerville residents Alexandra Armstrong, Gabriel Begun and Xinyue Lu are among this year’s recipients. They shared their professional “know-how” with middle school students in low-income communities during after school hours. The mentorship and support they provide is helping close the opportunity gap which exists between students in underserved communities and their peers from more affluent communities.

CA Technologies Releases Latest Sustainability Report

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA) today announced the release of its latest Sustainability Report, as further evidence of the company’s long-term commitment to operational efficiency. The company has reduced its carbon footprint by approximately 50 percent since first taking part in the initiative in 2006.

Valuing Diversity in The World of Tech

Guest Post By: Teresa Fan, Software Engineer, Google and Coding Academy Coach

These opinions are my own and not meant to officially represent Google.

This past year, I had the opportunity to serve as a coach for the first Citizen Schools Coding Academy program, and I had the very special experience of working with one particular student that made a lasting impression on me.

New YorkRebecca GentschJuly 2, 2018google, coding academy

Celebration of Service

At a special gathering on Friday, June 15 Citizen Schools New York’s team celebrated the incredible work of our 2nd-year AmeriCorps Teaching Fellows who have successfully completed their 2 years of service with Citizen Schools.

Celebrating Students: WOW! Showcase Events

Each year, we excitedly look forward to WOW! student showcases, which celebrate the culmination of our students’ hard work throughout their apprenticeships. At these events, students get to show off all that they have accomplished and families, friends, and volunteers get to enjoy interactive presentations and other festive activities. Every campus in New York had a chance to shine with their very own campus celebration--complete with a pun-inspired theme.

New YorkRebecca GentschJune 29, 2018WOW!, citizen schools new york, Harry Potter

Read our latest news

Guest Post By: Teresa Fan, Software Engineer, Google and Coding Academy Coach