City Year

City Year | Info

City Year

AT A GLANCE

Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts

Social Entrepreneur
Jim Balfanz, President, Michael Brown, Co-founder & CEO

Year Founded
1998

Website
https://www.cityyear.org/

Mission:

City Year works in partnership with schools and teachers, where AmeriCorps members serve to support students in 28 communities across the U.S. and in three international affiliates. By focusing on early-warning indicators (such as attendance, behavior, and course performance) and through in-class tutoring, mentoring, and after-school programs, City Year aims to prepare students for college and their careers. In partnership with the the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University, City Year launched the School Design Division to develop, test, refine, and disseminate new effective practices for high need urban schools


Vision:

City Year believes education has the power to help every child reach his or her potential. It is wholly focused on fighting the national dropout crisis. It is committed to leveraging the talent, energy, and idealism of corps members to serve as tutors, mentors and role models in schools to help students stay on track – and get back on track – to graduate.

Approach:

City Year works with its AmeriCorps members, a diverse group of educated, young adults who serve full-time for 11 months in City Year's partner schools to provide extra support for students, teachers, and the school.

Here are just a few things that AmeriCorps members do throughout the school day:

  • Provide one-on-one or group tutoring before, during, and after school to help students work through their academic challenges
  • Run afterschool clubs and service projects to give students a positive and safe activity to participate in
  • Lead energetic morning greetings for the whole school to create a more encouraging learning environment
  • Take attendance and call late or absent students to encourage them to come to school
  • Make positive phone calls home to fill family and parents in on the progress that is being made
  • Organize and lead activities, celebrations, and projects to improve the school and community as a whole


Impact:

A 2015 study shows that schools that partner with City Year were up to 2-3 times more likely to improve on math and English assessments. City Year also helped 68 percent of evaluated students move on-track in their social-emotional learning skills within one year.