Grant Middle Schoolers Go Professional
Professional Volunteers Teach Advanced Skills To Middle School Students After School
As we hear stories of our nation’s students falling behind in math, reading, and other subjects, an after-school program in Albuquerque is taking an innovative approach to teaching these and much, much, more: tapping the expertise of the area’s top professionals. Citizen Schools, which runs after-school education programming at Grant Middle School has recruited volunteers from Sandia National Laboratories, Biciaccion Bike Repair, and many others to teach various skills in a hands-on and practical way.
“In Citizen Schools, I get to learn what it is like to be a professional in the real world. I master useful skills that help me at school and everywhere else!”
Citizen Schools, a national nonprofit education organization, runs programs in New Mexico at Grant Middle School (62 students), Wilson Middle School (58 students) and Van Buren Middle School (32 students) in Albuquerque, as well as De Vargas Middle School (54 students) in Santa Fe. The program includes academic support—60-
This week, the students will teach back what they have learned. Each youth apprenticeship culminates in what Citizen Schools calls a “WOW!”—a publicly displayed product, presentation or performance. On Saturday December 6, 2008 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, all students participating in the Citizen Schools program at Grant Middle School will showcase their expertise and skills in various areas. The public is invited to applaud their hard work at the UNM Continuing Education and Conference Center located at 1634 University Blvd., NE in Albuquerque, NM.
Early evidence suggests that Citizen Schools programs are getting promising results. A multi-year, independent, matched comparison group study of 1,000 students in Boston Public Schools conducted by Washington, DC-based research firm Policy Studies Associates has found that participants in the program are performing better academically in middle school, enrolling in better high schools, and outperforming their peers in 9th grade math and English grades. Citizen Schools currently serves 3,000 students at 30 campuses in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and New Mexico. Its largest cluster of campuses remains in Boston, where the program was founded in 1995 and where it operates in nearly half of the city's public middle schools.
Citizen Schools is a leading national education initiative that uniquely mobilizes thousands of adult volunteers to help improve student achievement by teaching skill-building apprenticeships after-school. Our programs blend these real-world learning projects with rigorous academic and leadership development activities, preparing students in the middle grades for success in high school, college, the workforce, and civic life. Launched in Boston in 1995, Citizen Schools currently serves 3,000 students and engages 2,300 volunteers in 15 cities nationwide. Learn more about our programs, our results, our plans to advance the after-school field, and how to get involved at www.citizenschools.org.
