Schools that participated in City Year’s schoolwide programs in 22 cities were more likely to see overall improvements on their states’ mathematics and English/language arts tests than similar schools that did not participate, according to a new report by Policy Studies Associates Inc.
The study compared state test performance of schools which received tutoring, after-school enrichment, mentoring, and other services from City Year in a whole-school program, with local comparison schools matched on demographics and other factors.
City Year is a national nonprofit that hires young-adult AmeriCorps to spend a year working and running programs in high-poverty schools.
In the study, schools working with the program were at least twice as likely as comparison schools to show overall improvements in language arts in 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14, and in mathematics in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
