Equipping Under-Resourced Middle School Students for the World of Tomorrow

Jose Melo was a middle school student in the Boston area when he was introduced to a resource that would forever change his life: the nonprofit Citizen Schools. “He was attending a school that was underperforming, under-resourced, and didn’t have a lot of opportunities for kids outside of school,” says Nadia K. Selby, the CEO of the organization. Through Citizen Schools, Melo was introduced to a STEM apprenticeship and mentoring program that inspired his love of mathematics and science, which ultimately led him to pursue a career in biotech, where he is flourishing. “Two years ago, he came and did a panel for us and talked about how Citizen Schools really ignited that in him,” says Selby.  

Melo is just one example of student success stories empowered by Citizen Schools. Back in 1995, Eric Schwarz, the founder of the organization, strongly believed that professionals were underutilized in public education. He wanted to bring their knowledge, skill sets, and enthusiasm into the classroom through one-on-one mentorship and experiential learning to enhance the school curriculum for the students. And Citizen Schools was born. The organization specializes in giving middle school students a more well-rounded, energizing approach to learning by creating opportunities where students can thrive, learn new skills, and be set up for success into adulthood. 

“If we can make classrooms built with opportunities to learn, grow, and discover moments of joy, then students not only get excited about learning but they can build the skills over time that they need to be successful and pursue higher education,” says Selby. 

Citizen Schools partners with public schools and educators to transform classrooms into vibrant spaces of learning and discovery. Teachers receive support and 1:1 coaching to turn their lessons into engaging, hands-on experiences. Volunteers, who are carefully vetted, are personally matched to classrooms and work side by side with students to bring learning to life and serve as ongoing mentors. They engage with students in a variety of ways from completing projects to providing insight into future careers to helping to cultivate strong public speaking skills. Volunteers have come from such widespread professional backgrounds such as Dell, Amazon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Duke University. 

Each individual Citizen Schools site is different based on geography and need. “I’m from New York, and a school in the Bronx is very different from a school in Queens,” explains Selby. “Although they serve the same population of students, their backgrounds, where they’re coming from, all of the components are very different, and what we do is tailor our approach to meet the needs of the community and the school.”  

An approach they believe is easily scalable among all middle schools, through key partnerships. “We want to go deep within a community and make sure that we are serving the whole community and the schools within them,” says Selby. 

In just one year of its partnership with AmeriCorps, Citizen Schools reached 35,000 students from grades K-12, proving that classrooms, educators, and students are eager to embrace their innovative, experiential learning practices to set students up for success.