Skoll Entrepreneur(s): Eric Schwarz
Change(s) Addressed: Economic & Social Equity

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DESCRIPTION:

Eric Schwarz’s professional experience as a fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a manager at City Year focused his attention on the crisis in public education in the U.S. He recognized that American students spend 80% of their waking hours outside of school and yet only 2% of public funding supports out-of-school programs. He founded Citizen Schools to transform after-school programs from an afterthought to a powerful element of authentic, large-scale education reform. The organization’s program for low-income middle school students includes hands-on learning, discovery, teamwork and fun — in school buildings, led by professional educators and staffed by volunteer Citizen Teachers.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS OF 2010

• Citizen Schools’ network has grown from a one pilot site serving 63 students to a seven-state network with 37 sites serving 4,500 students.
• In 2009, external evaluation results conducted by Policy Studies Associates demonstrate that Citizen Schools is effective in engaging at-risk middle-school students and building a bridge to high school. For the cohort of Citizen Schools students whose graduation status is available, 75% graduated from high school in 4 years, compared to 58% for the district overall.
• In 2009, Citizen Schools played a large role in encouraging Congress to pass the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. In addition, Citizen Schools worked closely with the office of the late Senator Kennedy on legislation introduced this past summer to expand the learning day and involve community partners in that effort.