Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognize City Year

City Year is being featured in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual “Back to School” campaign as one of three grantees – all of which are AmeriCorps programs – making a notable impact on combating instructional loss associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and creating pathways to the future. The campaign kicked off last week with a public endorsement of City Year’s work from Bill Gates on the GatesNotes blog that validates our work, encourages other investors to support us, and calls on young people to serve with City Year.

“All young people should get the advising, tutoring, and coaching they need to get on the college pathway that’s right for them. And because of COVID-19, this work is especially urgent for the next few classes of graduating seniors. As the country focuses on the needs of these young people, supporting College Advising Corps, City Year, and Saga would be a great start.”

Tuesday, August 18, the Gates Foundation highlighted City Year’s work, and on Tuesday, August 25, they will host a virtual roundtable that will feature two City Year leaders. The roundtable will be a discussion among experts, practitioners, and advocates. Media will have a chance to ask any questions following the roundtable. The event will be on August 25th from 12:30 to 2:00 pm EDT with full details below.

As a result of Covid-19, many U.S. students are at risk of falling off track. More than half of Black, Latinx, and students from families with low-incomes have changed their plans after high school because of the pandemic. (CIVIS Analytics, COVID-19 Impact Research 6/25/20). During the roundtable we will highlight promising and scalable models to get and keep students on track. Each organization has developed effective and research-based approaches that provide the best supports for students who have been historically underserved. These programs are student-centered and equity focused.

Since 2018, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested over $15M in City Year through our Networks for School Improvement and work in Social Emotional Learning. That support has included $12.7M for a network of middle schools to identify and solve common problems to improve student achievement, and $1.1M for research to better understand the relationship between the growth in social emotional learning and academic progress which showed that more time spent with a City Year member is associated with improvements in social, emotional, academic, and attendance outcomes for students. Most recently, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation made a $1.5M grant to support a network of middle schools to foster students’ resilience and a sense of belonging during the 2020-21 school year. This recognition by the Gates Foundation is a validation of City Year’s efforts to support students as they return to school, re-engage in their learning communities and recover from learning loss.

To reserve your spot, visit https://events.gatesfoundation.org/d/f7q1hc/4W

You must register by August 24th at 12:00 p.m. EDT and RSVPs are not transferable.