Impacting the ABC’s of Educational Policy

New York City spends more than $23 Billion annually in education, more than $21,000 for every one student in its public schools.  How it spends that money is a function of policy decisions made at the city and school levels. Read how one 20/20 partner affected the ABC’s of policy – Appointments, Budgets, and Curriculum – at three neighborhood middle schools. Includes narrative, video, and external best practice links. This Case Study was originally published in 2009. // MULTIMEDIA

Case Study: CitiVision

New York City spends more than $21,000 on education for every one student in its public schools.  How it spends an annual budget exceeding $23 Billion is a matter of policy choices made both at the City level and within each local school.

CitiVision, Inc. was an early 20/20 adopter in Washington Heights.  Despite a neighborhood presence dating back to 1974, CitiVision had never reached out to serve any of its local public schools until challenged in 2005 to begin praying regularly for the schools within walking distance.

In 2007, CitiVision approached a school on the same block as their summer program about a summer service project, only to find that the school he thought was there had been closed down and replaced by four new schools in the same building.  One of the four principals agreed, and CitiVision volunteers painted its classrooms throughout the summer.

The following summer, the principal jokingly said she could use air conditioners for classrooms whose spring and summer temperatures often rose above 100 degrees.  CitiVision agreed to provide them, and within a week, secured a donation of air conditioning units.

CitiVision then asked how they could support the students during the school year, not just with summer service projects.  The principal invited CitiVision to sponsor a nine-month character education curriculum, Heart of a Champion, at the school.  Word spread, and by September 2008, CitiVision sponsored Heart of a Champion at three schools with a total population of 1,500 students.  They trained the schools’ teachers to teach the values of commitment, leadership, perseverance, teamwork, respect, integrity, responsibility, self-control, and compassion during the school day, for nine months, to every student’s benefit.

[Learn more about Heart of a Champion here.]

In their pre and post student assessments, Heart of a Champion has documented the following attitudinal and behavioral shifts in its students:

• 77% say they now consider their words and actions before speaking or acting
• 60% are more aware of their character
• 66% now desire to be a person of good character
• 60% say they make better choices
• 85% say they will not quit during difficult circumstances

In one full swoop, CitiVision affected the ABC’s of educational policy at three neighborhood schools: Appointments, Budgets, and Curriculum.

VIDEO

Watch Citivision’s Heart of a Champion students help “Inwood Go Green.”