Since 1988, City Year has been committed to giving children in underserved communities the skills, values, and experiences they need to grow into self-confident, educated, engaged citizens.

Ten years ago, based on feedback from corps members and the communities in which they served, City Year targeted its range of service activities to build on a unique quality of City Year corps members repeatedly praised by teachers, principals, and community leaders, their status as “near peer-age” role models bridging the gap between youth and traditional authority figures. According to Dr. Eleanor Cox-Woodley, Principal of Baseline Elementary School in Little Rock, Arkansas, “City Year corps members have proven themselves to be excellent role models for our students. The relationship between the corps members and our students has not only made a tremendous impact on our students’ academic performance but also has increased their self-esteem and leadership skills.”

Over the years, more and more school partners consistently requested that corps members tutor, run after-school programs and vacation camps, and improve school facilities through physical service projects. Today, more than two-thirds of City Year service initiatives take place in public schools.

Our service focus and the centerpiece to City Year’s five-year strategic plan is developing the Whole School, Whole Child service model to further focus on the most effective ways for corps members to make a difference in schools and communities. Whole School, Whole Child is City Year’s school-based strategy to improve the conditions that lead to students succeeding in schools. It is one of two network-wide service initiatives – the other is the Heroes youth leadership continuum – designed to achieve our service vision. With the support of a multi-year investment from the Cisco Foundation for capacity-building and the input of education researchers and practitioners, Whole School, Whole Child is being implemented at City Year locations across the United States.

The three main components of Whole School, Whole Child are:

• Academic Support – Through tutoring sessions corps members help students develop the skills that lead to success and learning; thereby building student competence, self-confidence, and a meaningful connection with a caring adult at school.
• Positive School Climate – Corps members support an environment in which students want to engage in learning, are excited to be connected to a diverse, strong peer network and can participate in service to explore and address needs in their own school communities.
• After-school Programming – Corps members act as positive role models reinforcing the learning from the school day through academic support, enrichment activities, and community service projects which support the acquisition of academic skills, the development of positive peer relationships and the promotion of the student’s positive association and connection to school.

The model maximizes the assets of City Year corps members who:

• Serve in schools full-time both during school and after school.
• Bridge the generation gap between youth and the traditional authority role of teacher.
• Provide powerful, diverse “near peer” role models who promote inclusion, teamwork, a positive attitude and a strong work ethic.
• Exude an idealistic culture and energy that creates a better learning environment.
• Mobilize and organize school-wide events and assemblies.
• Provide immediate effective intervention to disruptive behavior.

"In schools, City Year corps members serve as student coaches – the same way sports players often have coaches who coach sports players to performance," says Stephanie Wu, City Year Senior Vice President of Academy, Program & Service. “City Year corps members are really good student coaches – they coach students’ academic performance and teach children the skills and the mindset that they can carry with them through their academic career.”

To develop the Whole School Whole Child model, City Year is working with education researchers and practitioners who are experts in the specific areas of dropout prevention and improving school environments, including:

• Dr. Robert Balfanz
  Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University; Co-Director of the Talent Development Middle and High School Project
• Dr. Belle Brett
  Founder and Principal, Brett Consulting Group and established and developed City Year’s Research and Systematic Learning (RASL) department, 1996 - 99
• Sky Harmony Marietta
  Doctoral candidate in literacy at Harvard Graduate School of Education; MA in Teaching and Teach for America Alumna (Navajo Nation)
• Dr. Andrew Munoz-Schneider
  Vice President and Director, Academy for Educational Development, Center for Youth Development & Policy Research and Former Vice President of Research and Systematic Learning at City Year
• Dr. Mike Nakkula
  Kargman Chair of Urban Education and Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Dr. David Osher
  Senior Researcher, American Institutes for Research and Author of most widely used book in American Public Education on school climate: Safe, Supportive and Successful Schools.
• Dr. Karen Vander Ven
  Senior Professor in the School of Education at Pitt and Author of 300 articles on how to do activities with youth to teach skills and promote development

Whole School, Whole Child is rooted in the recognition of City Year’s contributions in a school context, drawing on best practices from throughout the City Year network. For example, in New York and Chicago, City Year has developed strong, strategic partnerships to help meet the needs of students and schools in which corps members serve.

According to Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education – which has a strong partnership with City Year New York, “These remarkable young people tutor and mentor New York City public school children; they serve as positive role models leading children and youth of all ages in community service and civic participation. City Year’s commitment has inspired our students and strengthened the bonds of our communities.”

In Chicago, City Year has partnered with The University of Chicago’s Center for Urban School Improvement and the Chicago Public Schools’ Offices of Literacy and Extended Learning, to train corps members as literacy tutors, giving them the skills to accurately evaluate a student’s skill level and tutor them accordingly so the child makes the most progress possible.

“Our goal in Chicago is to make the Chicago Public Schools the best urban public school system in America. I really see City Year in the forefront of this revolution,” said Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools.