Youth Council Hearing December 11, 2010

Lauren Greenawalt, City Year Corps Member Testimonial

Good morning Chairman Gray, my name is Lauren Greenawalt. I’m 18 years old and I proudly serve with City
Year Washington, DC at Kimball Elementary School in Ward 7.

I am serving a year with City Year Washington, DC along with 140 other 17-24 year old volunteers, called corps
members, as full-time tutors, mentors, and role models to the students in Washington, DC’s most underserved
public schools. City Year is helping DC Public Schools produce stronger students every year; I know corps
members are making a real difference through our work with DC Public Schools.

To serve and to educate, I hold these two values above all others. These values are why I wear my red jacket
every day; displaying my unwavering dedication to the students of DC Public Schools. Most of what I know has
either been taught or reinforced through service, especially working with children. The infectious energy of
children has taught me the importance of hope and resilience and in return I am devoted to sharing my passion
for education, a gateway to a fulfilling life. It gives me great pleasure to focus on literacy initiatives with students
because reading is a way for children to explore the world and writing allows them to explore themselves.

Every day my fellow corps members and I tutor students one-on-one and in small groups in literacy and math,
provide general classroom support, and run after-school programs that reinforce their teachers’ lessons. The
impact of our efforts to improve course performance is especially important considering Washington, DC has
the lowest literacy test scores in the United States according to the Nation’s Report Card.

Our involvement with students’ goes far beyond the surface of academics, City Year corps members are caring
young adults who take the time to mentor students, getting to know them, then earning their trust. Through
mentoring and positively influencing academic performance as a tutor we’re able to make the largest impact.
One of my students, DJ, has demonstrated how effective this holistic approach to working with students truly is.

Two months ago DJ was a timid little girl who was afraid to speak up in class, constantly distracted, unable to
complete any work, and her reading scores were the lowest in the class. In order to address the areas she
struggled in, I started by sitting with her during work time to help her focus, working with her every day in a
small literacy intervention group, and placing her in a group of her peers where we discuss the importance of
self confidence.

Mr. Chamberlain recently pulled me aside to tell me DJ has been turning in better work, working more
independently than ever, exhibiting more confidence, and her latest test scores showed a 55% increase in
reading fluency! DJ started the school year reading 29 words per minute and now she reads 52 words per
minute, only 8 words away from grade level! I am extremely proud of her progress and once she reaches grade
level I’m going to continue working with her to help her master reading at a more advanced level. All it will take
is a lot of her persistent hard work and my continued dedication to serve and educate.

In addition to DJ, there are many more at risk DC Public Schools students who receive tutoring by a corps
member and significantly improve their literacy levels. 4th grade students are expected to improve literacy
scores by reading 25 more words per minute and 5th graders are expected to improve by 20 more words per
minute. On average, 4th and 5th grade students tutored by corps members improved by over 30 words per
minute. The DIBELS literacy assessment showed significant improvements in students tutored by corps
members; between the fall and spring there were 25% fewer at-risk students and 59% more low risk students.

Chairman Gray, join me and wear your red City Year jacket to show the students of DC Public Schools your
dedication to ensure City Year will continue to be there for them throughout their academic careers.
Aaron Kurz, City Year Corps Member Testimonial

Chairman Gray, service has always been a very important part of my life. I have an interest in making a positive
impact on youth and education. This interest led me to commit a year of full-time service with City Year. My
name is Aaron Kurz, I’m 18 years old, and I am a City Year corps member proudly serving at Stanton
Elementary School in Ward 8.

In partnership with schools, principals, and teachers, City Year is making a positive impact on the students and
school climate of the 11 DC Public Schools City Year corps members serve full-time.

Consistency is one of the most important things at-risk students in under resourced communities often lack.
The inconsistencies they experience can range from having secure basic needs like meals or a place to sleep to
having a guardian’s presence. Children can be influenced in so many ways and not all of them are positive.
Creating a consistent positive influence in their lives at school and in their classrooms is proven to be a
successful way to support at-risk students.

This year my team of 7 corps members and I are dedicated to being that constant positive force in the lives of
the students at Stanton Elementary. Over the first few months, I have seen dramatic changes with the fourth
grade class where I serve full-time. Earlier in the school year students would get into fights on a daily basis. I
talked one-on-one with the students who were getting into fights and related to their frustrations as a near
peer. Eventually our talks helped put things into perspective and made them more aware of their actions. In
the past month, there have only been one or two fights to break up. The students have really turned their
behavior around, it’s been a dramatic improvement, and better behavior means more time to focus on
academics.

The changes Lauren and I have discussed are just small examples of City Year’s impact; the teachers and
principals City Year partners with show overall improvements in the schools’ environments as a result of corps
members’ full-time presence in schools. 94% of principals reported City Year had a moderate to great deal of
impact on the overall school climate. By fostering an environment where students want to be, they are less
likely to have behavior setbacks; students have fewer distractions and are able to give more attention to
academic coursework.

The in-class support corps members provide allows teachers to focus on their lessons while corps members
work with students who are struggling with the concepts or whose behavior is distracting to their peers. 92%
of teachers reported City Year corps members helped them to feel supported in their work and to differentiate
instruction to meet the needs of each student. Since each student has unique needs, having a corps member in a
classroom supporting a teacher allows for more students’ academic needs to be met.

Next year I am considering pursuing an undergraduate degree in international affairs or education policy and
many corps members will go on to careers in education or service. Whatever I and my fellow corps members
do in the future, we will always take our experience in City Year and in the DC Public Schools with us. As a
result of this experience we will be more concerned and involved citizens and voters.

Even though I’ll be sad to leave the students at Stanton Elementary, it comforts me to know they will have the
capable support of next year’s corps members.