Jennie Johnson is the executive director for City Year Providence, a nonprofit that has its members partner with local schools to provide educational support for teachers and students.
Johnson talks with Providence Business News about how City Year is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and what the organization’s role will be as the Providence Public School District is now under state control.
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PBN: How is City Year trying to help schools now with students doing remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
JOHNSON: During these uncertain times, we have restructured our service delivery model and training supports to provide our schools, teachers and students a menu of support systems. City Year is continuing to focus on social and emotional learning, and instruction, as well as engaging with students both in big and small virtual groups.
Our AmericCorps members are continuing to build relationships and community among the students, and they are proactively creating videos to promote students’ well-being and support within a positive virtual climate. Through Zoom and Google Classroom, our AmeriCorps members support teachers through co-leading and planning daily virtual classes or responding to students’ questions. They are also facilitating small targeted groups to enhance the classroom core instruction to continue personalized attention and coaching.
PBN: What current challenges is the organization facing with the pandemic?
JOHNSON: Like many organizations, we have adapted our work scope, forms of communication and overall approach to our work. During this transition, our goals remain constant. We will support students through the virtual-learning approaches of our schools and teachers while continuing to plan for the future and to care for the needs of our AmeriCorps members and our staff.
We are in the middle of our recruitment cycle and plan to launch a new cohort of AmeriCorps members to serve in Providence schools in the fall. With so many unknowns remaining, we find ourselves to need to plan for multiple scenarios.
PBN: Can you offer an example of a student who was able to succeed through City Year’s assistance?
JOHNSON: Hearing student stories is one of my favorite things about my job. One student that I recently heard an update about is Luis (name changed to protect his privacy). Luis was in the sixth grade when he moved to the United States and was paired with one of our AmeriCorps members who worked closely with him as he navigated a new school and a new language. She would describe him as being a shy student who loved to play math games with his friends and loved soccer.
Luis taught his ACM basic Spanish and she would spend time creating interactive worksheets and lessons that would allow him to reach his full potential as a visual learner. Luis grew so much during his time with City Year and increased his assessment score by over 100 points!
Since City Year is consistently in schools year after year, Luis continued to work with ACMs through the ninth grade and he is now a junior and on track to graduate! When his first ACM spoke to him recently, he told her, “You helped me to speak up more and learn math. I love math now and I want to go to Harvard and become an engineer.”
PBN: What will City Year’s role be as the Providence Public School District is in transition as part of the state takeover?
JOHNSON: After the findings of the John Hopkins report, the state identified four priorities to focus on amid the state takeover of the Providence Schools: enhancing the school’s culture and climate; social-emotional and academic support; family and community engagement; and diversifying the Providence educational workforce.
Through our Whole School, Whole Child model and by forging positive and caring relationships with their students, City Year AmeriCorps members work one-on-one with students to help them grow social-emotionally and academically, progressing towards graduation and college and career goals. In addition, AmeriCorps members add capacity and work alongside teachers to provide whole classroom support and contribute to positive school culture, climate and community.
PBN: Are there any new initiatives being developed by City Year?
JOHNSON: Organically, City Year is attracting, training and sending a growing number of diverse City Year AmeriCorps members into education careers. City Year is a pathway for future educators, with nearly 50% of City Year AmeriCorps members expressing interest in pursuing a teaching career.
City Year Providence and key stakeholders are working together to build upon City Year’s existing track record of providing educators to Rhode Island after their year of service, launching a comprehensive teacher pathways initiative that encourages and develops City Year AmeriCorps members to seek careers as educators in urban schools.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
