Download Lesson 1 (68KB)
Keeping children awake in class is one thing. Keeping them in school is another. Citizen Schools has developed a nationwide after-school program aimed at keeping students in school so they can achieve more in their future jobs and in life.
To complete this feat, the program prescribes four essentials to learning: community support, leadership and positive values, access to resources, and new basic skills. These academic and real-life principles set the tone for the rest of the curriculum.
Community
Providing students with a community gives them resources and a sense of relevance. Citizen Schools embeds students in the community by making citizens active participants, or mentors, in the education process.
Mentors are the hallmark of the program. Mentors create a vital link between community, students, and parents. They encourage parents to become more involved in their kids' education; connect parents, teachers, and after-school staff; and entice young people to contribute directly to community improvement.
Leadership and Positive Values
Leadership and positive values help kids obtain self-respect. You can build leadership skills by helping students plan ahead, lead groups, be effective team members, resolve conflicts, be self-aware, and take positive risks.
Access
Access to diverse role models and professional pathways enlightens and enriches student knowledge. Students need access to the best resources their community has to offer -- educationally, culturally, and financially. You can help children become familiar with resources in their community by having them visit colleges and museums, introducing them to professionals and tradespeople, and allowing them to share opinions with political leaders.
New Basic Skills
Technology and other forces of the twenty-first century have spawned a new set of basic skills. Recent research indicates that young adults who develop these new basic skills earn higher incomes. In Teaching the New Basic Skills, authors Richard Murnane and Frank Levy define these skills:
- Oral communication -- the ability to speak to an audience with confidence, making eye contact and using proper body language
- Written communication -- the ability to use new vocabulary, communicate effectively in writing, and read critically
- Data analysis -- the ability to solve problems by looking at the data
- Technological adaptability -- the ability to use technology as a tool
- Teamwork -- the ability to work effectively and solve problems as part of a diverse team
New Skills Chart
Drawing from this list, Citizen Schools emphasizes the following skills in its workshops.
Download the New Skills Chart (504KB)
New Skill |
Assessing the Skill |
Oral presentationThis is the ability to speak coherently and confidently to groups, using appropriate eye contact and body language. |
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TeamworkThis is the ability to work in groups, to encourage others, and to give and receive feedback. |
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LeadershipThis is the ability to make decisions and establish goals, and the willingness to volunteer to help other students. The student is a role model because he or she focuses and completes work, follows directions, and guides others. |
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Data analysisThis is the ability to test hypotheses, use data (qualitative and quantitative), draw conclusions from the data, and interpret and communicate data. |
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TechnologyThis is the ability to identify and use technological tools. |
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Technology Advanced literacy (reading and writing)This is the ability to use new vocabulary, communicate effectively in a written manner, and make inferences when reading. |
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Try to incorporate at least two of these skills in your lesson plans, assessing students' progress in mastering each skill along the way.