NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
September 17, 2007
Citizen Schools selects Success Highways to boost
student resiliency skills and self-esteem
Middle school students in after-school programs in four states to benefit from assessment and training proven to increase attendance and grade improvement
DENVER – September 17, 2007 – ScholarCentric is pleased to announce the adoption of Success Highways by Citizen Schools across twenty-five locations located in California, Texas, Massachusetts and North Carolina as part of its after-school program initiatives for middle school students. Success Highways will be an integral part of Citizen School’s structured after-school activities designed to enhance students’ school success, helping them navigate their education through high school, graduation and beyond.
Citizen Schools operates a national network of apprenticeship programs for middle school students, connecting adult volunteers to young people in hands-on learning projects after school. Through apprenticeships, students work with caring adults to develop real-world skills, learning about careers in architecture, law, technology, art, health sciences, finance, and more. Apprenticeships are supported by academic support and leadership development curricula that provide students with a structured homework environment while building their organizational and study skills. ScholarCentric’s Success Highways will be implemented as the academic element of Citizen Schools for many of the organization’s program sites.
“Adding ScholarCentric’s Success Highways to our programming will help build students’ resiliency skills, giving them the motivation to stay in school,” states Lisa Ulrich, Chief Learning Officer, Citizen Schools. “With its focus on helping students realize that education is relevant to their goals, they will develop the necessary skills needed to get past any obstacles that could impede their progress. The competencies acquired through our after-school programs will allow them to successfully respond to life’s stresses and adversities, and become productive citizens.”
Steve Weigler, ScholarCentric’s CEO, sees Success Highways as an important contribution to Citizen Schools’ model, and the organization’s goal of helping to close the achievement gap. “Programs and districts that have implemented Success Highways are experiencing wonderful results, including rising retention rates, improvement in school attendance and grades, with more classes passed,” he states. “We are delighted that Success Highways satisfied Citizen Schools’ need for a resiliency skills program that would easily flow into their unique curriculum and is aligned with state K-12 content standards in all 50 states.”
Time Magazine (9/10/07) recently included Citizen Schools in a cover story on volunteering and national service. The article listed the organization, among 14 others nationally, as a notable program for volunteering. Citizen Schools is also one of just a few organizations included in the body of the piece, as part of the “10-point plan for universal national service.” A proposal for policy change and a call for service, TIME's “The Case for National Service” addresses one of Citizen Schools' core principles—that by getting off of the sidelines and getting involved, citizens can make a difference. In the case of Citizen Schools, volunteers can transform the education of the nation's youth.
About ScholarCentric
ScholarCentric is a K-12 educational publishing company focused on helping students stay in school and achieve academic success. The company’s flagship product, Success Highways, is an innovative, research-based program designed to help transition middle and high school students into the higher grades and develop the skills they need to learn the rigorous coursework required to achieve a high school diploma. With Success Highways, students stay in school, score higher on achievement tests and prepare for future education. This innovative program is aligned with state standards and was developed from the results of 15 years of research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a seven-year pilot in an urban school district. For more information, visit www.ScholarCentric.com.
About Citizen Schools
Citizen Schools is a leading national education initiative that uniquely mobilizes thousands of adult volunteers to help improve student achievement by teaching skill-building apprenticeships after-school. Our programs blend these real-world learning projects with rigorous academic and leadership development activities, preparing students in the middle grades for success in high school, college, the workforce, and civic life. Launched in Boston in 1995, Citizen Schools currently serves 3,000 students and engages 2,400 volunteers in 15 cities nationwide. Learn more about our programs, our results, our plans to advance the after-school field, and how to get involved at www.citizenschools.org.
For more information, press only:
Carol Ann Waugh, VP Marketing, cwaugh@scholarcentric.com
ScholarCentric
2406 W. 32nd Ave., Suite C
Denver, CO 80211
www.ScholarCentric.com
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