Citizen Schools operates a national network of apprenticeship programs designed to lift the educational trajectories of low-income middle school students (ages 9 – 14), connecting adult “citizen teacher” volunteers to young people in hands-on after-school learning projects that develop skills like oral and written communication, critical thinking, and use of technology. Staff also provide additional academic support such as homework help, study skills instruction, college campus visits, and civic activities. By demonstrating the impact on student achievement of this added learning time and access to opportunity, Citizen Schools seeks to catalyze broader change in the field of after-school education.

Evaluation Status: High-Level Demonstrated Effectiveness

Results from a 2005 comparison evaluation, conducted by Policy Studies Associates, found that regular participants in the Citizen Schools program outperformed peers on six of seven academic measures, including school attendance, less frequent number of suspensions, and academic achievement. Additionally, participants go on to college-track high schools at more than twice the rate of the comparison group. Additional information, including a copy of the full evaluation report, can be found on Citizen Schools’ website.

EMCF Investment

Since 2000, the Foundation has invested $20.6 million in Citizen Schools to help develop and implement its business plan. Between 2000 and 2007, Citizen Schools achieved extraordinary growth, expanding beyond its home state of Massachusetts and establishing campuses in five additional states, and nearly quadrupling the number of youth it serves each year.

In 2007, Citizen Schools began participating in the Foundation’s Growth Capital Aggregation Pilot. Ten other funders and Citizen Schools’ board of directors joined EMCF in this successful initiative to raise up-front $30 million in growth capital to help the organization implement an ambitious business plan to expand dramatically, serve greater numbers of low-income youth, and achieve financial sustainability. 

For more information, visit Citizen Schools’ website at www.citizenschools.org.