Citizen Schools complements classroom instruction by engaging middle school students in hands-on learning projects led by adult volunteers after school and supported by a staff of professional educators.
What Citizen Schools does
- Apprenticeships. In 90-minute sessions twice a week for 11 weeks, professionals from businesses, civic institutions and communities teach hands-on learning projects rooted in what they know best -- their own careers or life experience.
- Academic support. Staff of educators lead activities designed to reinforce school-day learning with tutoring, team-building activities, and a culture of achievement.
- 8th Grade Academy. In their capstone year of middle school, students learn key skills they need to navigate high school, make positive choices, and focus their sights on college.
Why Blue Ridge Supports Citizen Schools
By delivering high quality and enriching experiences that extend learning beyond the formal school day, Citizen Schools has the possibility:
- To alter the life trajectories of middle-school students just as they make personal and educational choices that carry long-term consequences
- To demonstrate the power of an extended learning day and inspire a deeper national commitment to investing in the after-school hours
