BOSTON, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A
report released today by WGBH Boston and five other organizations
found significant increases in educational outcomes in literacy,
based on programs they implemented with middle school students
across the country. The work of the six organizations was
funded by a $33 million adolescent
literacy grant from the Walmart (NYSE:
WMT) Foundation.
Titled Telling Our Stories, the report
(http://middleschoolsuccess.net/) profiles each organization's
research-driven solution to bridging gaps in adolescent literacy
and improving education outcomes for disadvantaged students. The
grant recipient organizations are: BELL, Citizen Schools, City
Year, Innovations in Civic Participation, National Summer Learning
Association, and WGBH Boston.
"Walmart is dedicated to strengthening the communities it serves
around the world. The Walmart Foundation grants profiled here have
benefited thousands of students in the most disadvantaged schools
in the country," said Kathleen
McLaughlin, CEO, Walmart Foundation. "These initiatives
offer a rich collection of data-driven outcomes and best practices
for leveling the educational playing field for all of our nation's
students."
The Walmart Foundation selected the six organizations because of
their successful track records in directly improving literacy
outcomes for high-needs students, and each organization's ability
to build a program that would be scalable and sustainable over
time. Each organization's adolescent literacy program showed
significant measurable increases in academic outcomes for
participating students:
- Four months of gains in math and two months of gains in
literacy skills for BELL summer scholars in six weeks.
- English Language arts proficiency in grades served by Citizen
Schools extended learning time increased by an average of 4.2
points, and math proficiency increased by 6.2 points each
year.
- A full letter grade improvement in English language arts for
39% of sixth through ninth graders working with City Year in the
2012-2013 school year.
- Expansion of Innovations in Civic Participation programs to
over 600 at-risk students in seven communities.
- An average gain in math of 4.1 months by NSLA Summer Advantage
USA scholars in Chicago and Indianapolis, and an advancement rate of 94%
to top college preparatory schools by scholars in Washington D.C.'s Higher Achievement
Program.
- An 8% increase in vocabulary for 300 students after completing
just five WGBH-developed literacy lessons that were funded with the
grant.
About BELL
BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life)
is a national non-profit organization that partners with schools
and community organizations to expand learning time in the summer
and after school. BELL's mission is to transform the academic
achievements, self-confidence, and life trajectories of children
living in under-resourced, urban communities. More info at
www.experiencebell.org.
About Citizen Schools
Citizen Schools is a national
nonprofit organization that partners with middle schools to expand
the learning day for children in low-income communities. Citizen
Schools mobilizes a team of AmeriCorps educators and volunteer
"Citizen Teachers" to teach real-world learning projects and
provide academic support in order to help all students discover and
achieve their dreams. For more information, please visit
http://www.citizenschools.org/.
About City Year
City Year is dedicated to helping
students and schools succeed. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps
members serve full-time in high-poverty urban schools, providing
high-impact student, classroom, and school-wide support to help
students stay in school and on track to graduate from high school,
ready for college and career success. A proud member of the
AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is made possible by
support from the Corporation for National and Community Service,
school district partnerships, and private philanthropy from
corporations, foundations and individuals. Learn more
at www.cityyear.org.
About Innovations in Civic Participation
Innovations
in Civic Participation (ICP) is a global leader in the field of
Youth Civic Engagement. ICP believes that well-structured youth
service programs can provide innovative solutions to social and
environmental issues, while helping young people develop skills for
future employment and active citizenship. ICP carries out its
mission through three main activities: 1) Incubating innovative
models for youth service programs; 2) Assisting governmental and
civil society organizations with the development of youth service
programs and policies; and 3) Conducting research and serving as a
source of information on youth civic engagement, especially
national youth service and service-learning. Learn more at
http://www.icicp.org/
About The National Summer Learning Association
The
National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is the only national
nonprofit exclusively focused on closing the achievement gap by
increasing access to high-quality summer learning opportunities.
NSLA recognizes and disseminates what works, offers expertise and
support for programs and communities, and advocates for summer
learning as a solution for equity and excellence in education.
NSLA's work is driven by the belief that all children and youth
deserve high-quality summer learning experiences that will help
them succeed in college, career, and life. For more information,
visit www.summerlearning.org.
About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public
broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the
Web, including Frontline, Nova, American
Experience, Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur,
Curious George and more than a dozen other prime-time,
lifestyle, and children's series. WGBH also is a major supplier of
programming for public radio, and oversees Public Radio
International (PRI). As a leader in educational multimedia for the
classroom, WGBH supplies content to PBS LearningMedia, a national
broadband service for teachers and students. WGBH also is a pioneer
in technologies and services that make media accessible to those
with hearing or visual impairments. WGBH has been recognized with
hundreds of honors. More info at www.wgbh.org.
Media Contact:
Colleen
Flynn
Colleen_flynn@wgbh.org
617-300-3904
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/telling-our-stories-report-shows-gains-in-adolescent-literacy-300085700.html
SOURCE WGBH