Ask the Scholar

Document scope · 1 page
doc
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory. For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
24493888
label
CNS [Corporation for National Service] Budget/2001 Issues
core
doc
dtoType
document
pageCount
1
Source metadata
Source extras
naId
24493888
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
otherTitles
42-t-7367480-20130436S-013-011-2015
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
9a5b48149245b723
ocrText
Americans Funding PHOTOCOPY PRESERVATION CNS budget/101 usues CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL * SERVICE ANN, Cell me if questions Gary Kowa/caya 202-606-5000 X 340 1 file. Ameriups Preliminary Findings: The Activities and Effects on Student Reading of Tutoring Programs in Which AmeriCorps Members Serve Contract No 97-743-1004 Task Order 04 September 26, 2000 Prepared for: Corporation for National Service 1201 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20525 Prepared by Moss Moss Abt Associates Inc. 55 Wheeler Street Cambridge, MA 02138 Preliminary Findings: The Activities and Effects on Student Reading of Tutoring Programs in Which AmeriCorps Members Serve The Corporation for National Service (the Corporation) is a public corporation established by the National Service Trust Act of 1993. The Corporation's mission is to provide opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to engage in service that addresses the nation's educational, public safety, environmental, and other human needs to achieve direct and demonstrable results and to encourage all Americans to engage in such service. Funding is provided through three major programmatic streams: AmeriCorps; Learn and Serve America; and the National Senior Service Corps. Examples of service projects include: tutoring disadvantaged students; organizing neighborhood crime watches; converting vacant lots into neighborhood parks; leading community health awareness campaigns; and operating food banks. AmeriCorps is composed of three programs, State and National; National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). The focus of this report is on the AmeriCorps*State/National program, which currently involves 35,000 members nationwide in 961 programs. State/National programs are operated through State Commissions and National service organizations. They support a national network of community-based programs providing opportunities for participants, referred to as "members," to engage in community service. In exchange for a year of full-time service, AmeriCorps members each receive a stipend and earn an education award that may be used to pay for higher education or to help pay back existing student loans. Members serving part-time receive pro-rated stipends and educational awards. Education-related activities have been a priority for the Corporation since its inception. Indeed, education programs comprise the largest single area of service (of the four issue areas of need) as well as a significant portion of the Corporation's funding. Most recently, the Corporation has directed substantial resources toward the national issue of children's reading performance. This focus supports an important national mandate, as articulated in the America Reads initiative: to help ensure that every child can read well and independently by the end of the third grade. Toward this end, the Corporation has encouraged its programs to provide literacy services to young readers. Members offer these services through a variety of strategies, including tutoring, mentoring, volunteering as classroom assistants, and other literacy-related activities (e.g., conducting trips to the library or organizing book distributions). Such literacy activities represent a major investment of Corporation resources. Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 1 Overview of the Study To inform staff, programs, Congress and other stakeholders about its literacy activities, the Corporation contracted with Abt Associates Inc. to conduct two independent studies of AmeriCorps' literacy and tutoring programs. This report summarizes the findings of both studies, conducted between spring 1998 and summer 2000. The first of these, a Descriptive Study of AmeriCorps Literacy Programs: State and National, had several goals: 1) to describe the programmatic structures and activities of AmeriCorps* State/ National programs engaged in literacy development and reading tutoring; 2) to identify programs using effective instructional models likely to improve children's reading abilities; and 3) to describe the target populations receiving services. The second study, the Reading Outcomes Study. was designed to investigate in greater detail the subset of programs included in the Descriptive Study which provide direct reading instruction in the form of tutoring to students in grades one, two and three. The Reading Outcomes Study was designed to determine the effects of the AmeriCorps tutoring programs on the reading performance of students in these early grades. The Descriptive Study was completed in November 1999; the results of the Reading Outcomes Study are still preliminary at this time. To provide the fullest possible picture of what has been learned to date, the results of both studies are summarized here. The results of the Descriptive Study are based on information collected during the 1998-99 school year, while the preliminary results of the Reading Outcomes Study are based on information collected during the 1999-00 year. Major Descriptive Findings: AmeriCorps Literacy Programs. Slightly more than half of the AmeriCorps*State/National programs provide educational services in their communities (See Figure 1). In spring 1999, directors of these programs were asked to complete a survey which provided information about: 1) the sponsoring agencies supporting the programs; 2) the AmeriCorps*State/National programs conducting educational and literacy activities; 3) the population receiving services; and 4) the structures and operations of their programs' literacy component. Completed surveys were received from 481 project directors resulting in a 93 percent response rate. Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 2 Figure 1: Frequency of Educational and Literacy Services in AmeriCorps*State/National Programs* (n=961) Among All Programs: (n=961) 54% Provide Any Educational Services Direct Literacy Non-Education 42% Provide Literacy Tutoring Services: Educational Services 37% (n=360) Environmental Public Safety Other Human Needs 46% (n=444) Other Education: Literacy Other Services / 5% Not/Specified (n=46) 12% (n=111) EXPIRATION *Based on the 1998-99 program year. Sponsoring Agencies The majority of agencies sponsoring AmeriCorps State*/National literacy programs (83 percent) have been operating for five or more years. Most often, the sponsoring agencies are community-based organizations (61 percent) or secondarily, educational institutions (29 percent). The sponsoring agencies report education as a primary focus of their mission and are experienced providers of educational services, particularly to children. The majority had provided literacy services to their communities prior to the 1998-99 program year. Resources Funding Two-thirds of the literacy programs receive funding from at least one other Corporation source (e.g., America Reads, AmeriCorps Education Award, AmeriCorps Vista) in addition to their AmeriCorps*State/National grants. Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 3 Some programs (17 percent) use members and volunteers who are funded through the Federal Work Study Program. Literacy providers Literacy services offered by programs were substantial: nationwide, over 10,000 members and 40,000 volunteers (recruited by members) provide literacy services. The literacy programs typically had fewer than 20 members providing services: only nine percent have 50 or more members conducting literacy activities. The majority of members (93 percent) and volunteers (80 percent) were high school graduates. Three-quarters of the members and half of the volunteers had participated in some postsecondary education. Recipients of Literacy Services Approximately 260,000 individuals received the literacy services offered by AmeriCorps*State/National programs. Ninety-percent (235,000) of these recipients were children. AmeriCorps*State/National programs typically provided literacy services to large numbers of students: most programs (76 percent) provided services to over 100 students. Literacy services were provided to the full spectrum of learners, from infants/toddlers, to elementary and high school students, to families and other adult learners. However, across all programs nationwide, the majority of students receiving literacy services are concentrated in grades 1 through 6. Nationwide, two-thirds of the recipients of literacy services are African-American or Hispanic. Literacy Program Structures The primary goals of virtually all of the literacy programs are to improve students' overall academic achievement, motivation for reading and reading comprehension skills. The majority of programs (56 percent) also strive to increase parents' involvement in their children's reading. Almost all literacy programs provide some training to members and volunteers in literacy instruction and in working with children. Typically, about 16 hours of training are provided before and 20 hours are provided during the delivery of literacy services. Training is provided by a combination of staff from the sponsoring agency, the AmeriCorps program. the school district, and/or outside experts. Most programs provide literacy services in two broad areas: 1) direct reading instruction (e.g., tutoring in reading, classroom and homework assistance, and reading to children); and 2) support for instructional activities (e.g., developing and organizing instructional materials, recruiting volunteers). Three-quarters of the programs conduct formal evaluations to assess the effectiveness of their literacy activities. Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 4 Literacy programs engaged in direct tutoring of reading are more likely to conduct formal evaluations than are programs with no tutoring component (78 percent vs. 50 percent). Tutoring Activities Tutoring activities are of particular interest since they are aimed directly at improving children's reading abilities and those activities were the central focus of the Reading Outcomes Study. As a foundation for the Reading Outcomes Study, the Descriptive Study collected detailed information about the nature and potential effectiveness of these activities. The findings summarized below are based on the responses of the 360 AmeriCorps*State/National programs providing literacy tutoring. Tutors engaged in a wide range of activities with their students; these activities encompassed the full range of reading subskills (e.g., reading aloud, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, reading fluency, decoding). Over half (55 percent) of the tutoring programs reported that tutors conducted decoding activities with students (i.e., activities that help beginning readers develop sound-symbol correspondences). Most of the tutoring programs incorporated some of the structural and instructional features perceived by educators and researchers as important for positive reading outcomes.' The features reported most frequently include: - coordination of tutoring activities with the classroom curriculum; - adequate intensity of tutoring activities-meeting at least twice weekly for at least 1.5 hours/week; and - provision of training to members and volunteer tutors before and during service delivery in two important content areas: 1) reading and tutoring children; and 2) child development." Almost half of the tutoring programs used well-known. widely-used instructional models (e.g., Reading Recovery, Reading One-to-One, Success for All). Programs sponsored by colleges and universities were slightly more likely to report use of effective tutoring practices, on average, than were programs under other sponsorship. Programs utilizing members supported by Federal Work Study (FWS) funds, on average, used more effective tutoring practices than did programs not using members supported by FWS. Programs receiving America Reads funds, on average, used more effective tutoring techniques than programs not receiving these funds. More fully implemented programs used more effective tutoring techniques than partially implemented programs. The findings about tutoring activities described above suggested that the Corporation's efforts to encourage programs to develop and implement effective tutoring programs Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 5 appeared to be meeting with some success. The use of effective tutoring practices appeared to be fairly widespread across programs, at a minimum to the extent that programs' intentions about effective tutoring activities were well aligned with what is known in the research. This is an important preliminary finding about the potential effects of these tutoring programs on children's reading abilities. To determine the effect of these tutoring programs on students' reading performance. a second study, the Reading Outcomes Study was undertaken during the 1999-2000 academic year. The next section of this report describes the preliminary findings of that research. Effects of AmeriCorps Tutoring on Student Reading Performance Study Design Building upon the results of the Descriptive Study, the Corporation commissioned Abt Associates to conduct a Reading Outcomes Study using a pre- post design to estimate the effects of tutoring programs on children's reading performance. Student reading performance was assessed using a set of well-known standardized reading tests that are part of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement. In the absence of a national comparison group, the gains made by the tutored students were compared against the "norming sample' of students for the Woodcock-Johnson--a nationally representative sample of children tested as part of the standardization of scores on the test. By comparing the performance of the study sample to the norming sample, we could determine the extent to which students receiving tutoring gained more or less than expected based on the normal development of reading skills during this time period. Data were collected in late fall 1999 /early winter 2000 (pretest) and again in spring 2000 (posttest) on 869 first, second and third grade students being tutored in a nationally representative sample of 68 AmeriCorps tutoring programs. This sample allowed us to generalize the findings to the entire population of AmeriCorps programs and tutored students (through the use of sampling weights at the program and student level). During 1999-00 program year, AmeriCorps members tutored more than 100,000 first, second and third grade students nationwide. Students were tested individually using four reading subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson test battery. Difference scores (posttest score minus the pretest score) were computed for two key components of reading achievement: 1) reading comprehension, composed of two subtests, Passage Comprehension and Reading Vocabulary; and 2) reading skills, composed of two subtests, Word Attack and Letter-Word Identification. Taken together, these two scores represent the building blocks needed to become competent reader; they measure critical skills involved in the mechanics of reading as well as comprehension of text." Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 6 Changes in Student Reading Performance The tutored students at all grade levels improved their reading performance from pretest to posttest more than the gain expected for the typical child at their grade level. Reading comprehension and reading skills started out below grade-level: by year-end, students closed the gap and were reading at or near the grade-level expectation." As presented in Table 1, the reading gains range from 3.7 to 6.6 points, depending on the grade and reading score. All of the gains are statistically significant, most at the .01 or .001 level. Another way to interpret the size of these gains is in terms of their 'effect size.' These gains represent effect sizes ranging from .25 to .33. According to the convention in the field, this kind of effect size is small but educationally significant." Figure 2 displays the average pre- to posttest gains relative to grade-level expectations for the three grades in the study. The gains are most pronounced for second graders who, on average, are performing at or slightly above expectations on both reading measures at posttest. Reading scores can also be characterized in terms of percentile ranks that represent each student's standing relative to the norming sample. Also included in Figure 2 are the percentile ranks for each grade and test. Note that on average, first grade students performed at the 38th percentile at pretest (in other words, 38 percent of the norming sample obtained lower scores), while they performed at the 45th percentile at posttest, on average. Implications / Discussion Students' gains from pretest to posttest in their reading performance are consistent across grade-levels and reading measures. The gains are statistically significant and of sufficient size to be considered by researchers and practitioners to be educationally meaningful. However, the absence of a randomly-selected control group means that we cannot attribute the gains made by tutored students to the AmeriCorps tutoring program with total confidence because we cannot establish conclusively that other, similar, non-tutored students would also have made similar gains." vi Below we discuss other data that can help us to interpret the gains seen among AmeriCorps-tutored students, and for the next several months we will continue to review additional data that can improve our interpretation of the Reading Outcomes Study. National Trends in Reading The improvement in reading achievement demonstrated by students receiving tutoring has occurred at a time in which there has been increased national attention on reading instruction and reading performance in the primary grades. As one example, our sample contains 28 programs located in states that are implementing the federal Reading Excellence Act (REA) initiative to improve instructional practice in reading in the early grades. Furthermore. many states and school districts are also instituting research-based reforms to improve instructional practice and ultimately students' development of reading skill. Thus, improved reading performance may be attributable to other instructional reforms occurring in reading, and not only related to reading tutoring programs in which AmeriCorps member serve. Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 7 Table 1: Mean Scores on Three Reading Achievement Clusters, by Grade Grade 1ª Grade 2 Grade 3 Reading Achievement Clusters Pretest Posttest Gain Pretest Posttest Gain Pretest Posttest Gain Broad Reading (letter/word identification and passage comprehension) N 255 255 255 280 280 280 279 279 279 Mean 94.4 97.5 3.1** 95.1 100.7 5.7 93.3 98.2 4.9* Std error 1.9 1.7 1.3 1.7 1.8 1.2 1.8 1.9 2.4 Reading Skills (word attack - letter/word identification) N 283 283 283 283 283 283 278 278 278 Mean 94.5 98.3 3.7 95.0 101.7 6.6 95.4 99.4 4.0** Std error 1.8 1.3 1.2 1.4 2.4 1.8 1.6 2.4 1.5 Reading Comprehension (passage comprehension and reading vocabulary) N 257 257 257 275 275 275 278 278 278 Mean 94.1 98.8 4.8*** 96.4 101.5 5.1* 92.7 98.2 5.5** Std error 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 2.0 2.2 1.3 1.7 2.0 a Mean pretest, posttest and gain scores are weighted to represent the national population of students participating in the AmeriCorps tutoring program during the 1999-2000 school year. Note: Statistical significance is indicated using the asterisks: = statistically significant at the .05 level ; ***) = statistically significant at the .01 level; and = statistically significant at the .001 level. The tests of significance are one-tailed t-tests, meaning that we hypothesized that mean posttest scores would be higher than the mean pretest scores Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 8 Figure 2: Student Performance on the Woodcock-Johnson Reading Test First Second Third Grade Reading Skills Reading Comprehension Standardized (word attack and letter word identification) (passage comprehension and Scores 115 115 vocabulary) 113 113 111 111 109 109 107 107 105 105 Grade 2 103 103 Grade 2 Grade Level 101 Grade 3 101 Expectation Grade 1 99 Grade 1 (100) 99 Grade 3 97 97 95 95 93 93 91 91 89 89 87 87 85 85 Pretest Posttest Pretest Posttest Percentile Ranks Percentile Ranks Pretest Posttest Pretest Posttest Gr1 38 45 Gr1 38 49 Gr2 38 50 Gr2 40 52 Gr3 38 50 Gr3 31 45 Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 9 There is some evidence, however, that these broad reforms have yet to improve the reading performance of the nation's primary-grade students. The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that reading performance for a nationally representative sample of students nine-year olds (generally, third graders) has remained flat from 1992 through 1999 (NAEP Trends in Academic Progress, 1999). Given that there are no reading gains in the national population of nine-year olds, and there are gains for AmeriCorps students (in all three grades), we can take this as some evidence to suggest that the tutoring program may be responsible for these reading gains. Summary and Conclusion Our Descriptive Study documents that AmeriCorps programs are conducting reading tutoring activities on a large scale, using methods and practices that should be effective in improving student reading performance. Moreover, in our Reading Outcomes Study, students in the AmeriCorps tutoring programs improved during the course of their participation in the program. At year-end, their performance in both reading comprehension and reading skills was close to the expectation for their grade level. The evidence suggests that the students in the AmeriCorps tutoring programs improved their reading skills more than would be expected when compared with a nationally representative group of their peers. While this study cannot establish with certainty that this improvement in reading is attributable to participation in the program, it is our belief that AmeriCorps tutoring has had a positive effect, based on knowledge of the current national trends in children's reading performance. Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 10 End Notes i These features include: 1) coordinating with classroom instruction: 2) tutoring on more than two occasions during the week; 3) conducting formal evaluations; 4) convening for a total of at least 1.5 hours weekly: 5) providing pre- and in-service training: 6) use of 'brand-name materials': 7) involving a reading specialist in planning literacy activities; and 8) using a stable one-to-one tutoring model. ii The survey collected information about types and amounts of training: however. we have no information about the quality of these trainings. a critical element of effective training. iii The test developers provide a third reading achievement cluster score. Broad Reading. This IS score uses one subtest from each of the other two clusters (letter-word identification and passage comprehension) and is therefore redundant with respect to the other cluster scores. For this reason. although mean scores are shown in the results Table 1. we do not discuss them in this report. iv Grade-level expectations are based on the grade-standardized scores for the norming sample. These scores have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 at each grade-level. At any point in time then. by definition, the expected level of performance for the typical child (i.e., the norming sample) would be a score of 100. The Woodcock-Johnson tests allow for the conversion of raw scores to several types of scores. For this analysis, grade-standardized scores and percentile ranks were used. V We applied the definitions suggested by Cohen (1977). who proposed that differences of 20 to .50 of a standard deviation corresponds to a 'small' effect. For instance, a five point gain from pre to posttest computes to an effect size of .33 (the five point gain is divided by 15. the standard deviation of the distribution of grade-standardized test scores in the norming sample). vi A second source of caution concerns the fact that the sampled students were not a random sample, but rather. were referred for tutoring by school personnel (e.g., classroom teachers, reading specialists) based on their need for services. This raises the possibility that the some part of students' gains may be the consequence of a statistical artifact referred to as "statistical regression." rather than a true improvement in reading ability. We have carefully examined our data for evidence of such statistical regression. however. and we believe the weight of the evidence suggests our findings are not an artifact of statistical regression. but instead, represent true improvement in reading ability made by students in the tutoring program. Abt Associates Inc. Draft: Preliminary Findings, September 26, 2000 11 09/27/00 WED 09:37 FAX 202 456 6244 0FC OF THE FIRST LADY 5. 001 09/26/00 TUE 18:10 FAX 2025652783 C.N.S. CEO Ale:Anenzarp X 001 FROM: Melody M. Scales Assistant to Chief of Staff CORPORATION 1201 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20525 FORNATIONAL (202) 606-5000, ext. 191 SERVICE (202) 565-2784 fax [email protected] To: Anne Bovand, Matthew Nelson, Anne O'Leary Fax Number: Pages: $ (including cover) Date: 26 Sept. 2000 09/27/00 WED 09:37 FAX 202 456 6244 0FC OF THE FIRST LADY 1 002 09/26/00 TUE 18:10 FAX 2025652783 C.N.S. CEO 002 CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL * SERVICE TO: Thurgood Marshall, Jr., Karen Tramontano, Barbara Chow, Shirley Sagawa, Thomas Kalil, Ann O'Leary CC: Anne Bovaird FROM: John Gomperts RE: Senator Lott's Digital Divide Press Release DATE: September 26. 2000 As you know, last week the President announced $9 million in AmeriCorps grants to assist in bridging the digital divide. Attached is the press release from Senator Lott announcing the grants in Mississippi. He mentions the Corporation for National Service and AmeriCorps several times. This is a huge step in the reauthorization process. If there are any questions, please call Melody at 606-5000 ext. 191. Many thanks. NATIONAL SERVICE: GETTING THINGS DONE 1201 New York Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20525 AmeriCarps Lewn and Serve America National Senior Service Corps telephone: 202-606-5000 website: www.nationalservice.org 09/27/00 WED 09:38 FAX 202 456 6244 OFC OF THE FIRST LADY 003 09/26/00 TUE 18:10 FAX 2025652783 C.N.S. CEO 003 TRENTLOIT UNITED STATES SENATOR MISSISSIPPI Immediate Release Contact: Lee Youngblood - 202/224-4216 Wednesday, September 20, 2000 Marie Moore - 202/224-4239 $1 Million of Federal Technology Funds Approved for State of Mississippi "Washington -- Federal technology funding-totaling more than $1 million has been approved by the corporation for National and Community Service for use at 100 school and community sites throughout Mississippi, said U.S. Senator Trent Lott today. The funds are being administered through the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service, and the program will be used to provide personnel for 100 "Power Up" stations in the state. "Power Up" is a public/ptivate partnership established to give under-served youth greater access to technology, specifically computers. Power Up will be providing equipment for this unique program while the federal funding will support personnel and technical assistance which will help bridge Mississippi's 'digital divide.' "I had the opportunity to visit a Power UP size in California several months ago," Senator Lott said. "I was very impressed with this program, and I am confident Power Up will help Mississippi's educators close the woubling 'digital divide' which threatens to leave technologically under-served communities and our school children in those communities behind." Juanita Sims Daty, of Jackson, now serves on the Corporation for National and Community Service Board of Directors following her nomination by Senator Lott and approval by the President and U.S. Senate last year. Other national benefactors and partners include: America On Line, Sun Microsystems, YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Power Bar Incorporated, Family Education Network and the US Department of Education. MORE FINANCE , COMMERCE, SCIENCE & TRANSPORTATION a RULES PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER WHAT:01 00. 02 d35 00/17/80 WED 09:38 FAX 202 456 6244 OFC OF THE FIRST LADY 004 09/26/00 TUE 18:11 FAX 2025652783 C.N.S. CEO 004 TRENT|OIT UNITED STATES SENATOR MISSISSIPPI TECHNOLOGY ADD ONE "These efforts to bridge the digital divide by the Corporation for National and Community Service Board are commendable," Senator Lott continued. "I know Mrs. Doty and this board will continue working on behalf of young people throughout Mississippi who have the will and ability to succeed, bur who currently lack some of the tools." Specifically, the program will provide computers in the schools through funding provided from the aforementioned partners/benefactors, and the labs will be staffed by AmeriCorps Vista workers. Nationally the Corporation for National and Community Service will use approximately $12.5 million to award grants of this type to eligible organizarions in support of efforts that will help overcome technology barriers currently separating Americans. Mississippi's share of this funding totals $1,051,101 and will be administered by Mississippi's Office of the Attorney General and the Mississippi Department of Education. The sites are being determined at the state level. In the sites, a targeted 80 percent of the faculty and staff will demonstrate greater computer proficiency, and AmeriCorps members will tutor at risk K-12th grade students. Also, AmeriCorps members will provide after-school tutoring and computer instruction to 5,000 students on weekday afternoons and some weekends. Members may also contact up to 2,000 families in the local communities during school hours and weekends to encourage them 9 become more computer savvy. An on-line mentoring program will also be developed. Partner sites include 25 community-based organizations including eight Big Brothers Big Sisters regional locations and Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the state. - -30- FINANCE 1 COMMERCE, SCIENCE & TRANSPORTATION . RULES PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER 2/2'd WHDT:01 00. 02 a35 — CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL * SERVICE 12/15/59 Ann - 1h-ly for all your help. for your info, here is a short memo Harry jest over Call me if you have questions D OFFICE OF THE CEO CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE December 15, 1999 MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESIDENT From: Harris Wofford Amin Subject: Bulletin on Progress in National Service I write to bring you up-to-date on three significant developments: First, the Corporation for National Service took the leading part in bringing about a new compact with more than a dozen of the leading national youth organizations specifically pledging to increase opportunities for young people to help fulfill America's Promise for other young people. We are working closely with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, the YMCA, and Boys and Girls Clubs to demonstrate that young people must be seen - and see themselves - as resources and leaders in fixing what ails us as a nation. By adopting common strategies to achieve this shared agenda, we are making major strides toward bringing service by youth to scale in this country. The compact includes concerted support for the goals of 100,000 AmeriCorps members, two million President's Student Service Awards for 100 hours of service, and half a million work-study students in community service. Second, the Corporation continues its close collaboration with the Department of Education to advance service-learning in schools at all levels. In September, we released the findings of a joint study that shows one-third of all public schools in the country - and nearly half of all public high schools - engage students in service-learning, and nearly two-thirds organize or recognize some form of community service. Just last week, Secretary Riley and I renewed our agencies' (and the Administration's) commitment to a set of principles that are critical to promoting service-learning in our nation's schools. Third, consistent with your emphasis on closing the Digital Divide, we recently joined in the announcement of a new multimillion dollar initiative called PowerUP. It is a joint venture of America Online, the Case Foundation, America's Promise, the YMCA of the USA, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Waitt Family Foundation, and other partners and funders who are donating computers, internet access and other resources to schools and community centers that are without them. In 250 new PowerUP centers, more than 400 trained AmeriCorps*VISTA members will serve full-time as mentors to young participants and train them in computer technologies they'll need to succeed in the digital age. Most of the VISTA costs will be paid by the Case Foundation or other partners such as the Boys and Girls Clubs. I enclose further information on each of these developments. Taken together, they represent strong progress in making citizen service the common expectation of all Americans and to using service as a key strategy in engaging young people in solving some of the country's most pressing problems. NATIONAL SERVICE: GETTING THINGS DONE 1201 New York Avenue, N.W. - Washington, D.C. 20525 AmenCorps Learn and Serve America National Senior Service Corps telephone: 202-606-5000 website: www.nationalservice.org A Compact to Fulfill All Five Promises through Young People: Giving all young people the challenge, inspiration, and opportunities to serve We, the undersigned organizations, join in the common conviction that young people are vital resources for their communities and can play a key role in fulfilling all five of the promises of the campaign for America's Promise for other young people. We - youth and those who are older - will combine our efforts to achieve these aims: build awareness, enthusiasm, and the will to serve among the young; offer high-quality opportunities for service - including service-learning - by the young; recognize, reward, and highlight youth as role models for service and citizenship; develop the leadership potential and encourage the civic engagement of young people through training, peer-to-peer exchanges, and service experiences that challenge them to assume increasing responsibility; and add resources to and strengthen the infrastructure of the youth service field to accomplish the above aims. A Youth Service Strategy: A centerpiece of our strategy to achieve these aims will be National Youth Service Day, April 14- 15, 2000. This day will kick off a year of continuing and growing activity for service by young people, including other signature days of service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, Make a Difference Day, Family Volunteering Day, the Youth Summit at the National Community Service Conference and the Youth Service Day of the Fraternal Congress. All of these days will provide opportunities 1) to sign up more young people to serve; 2) to honor, reward, and recognize young people for their leadership; and 3) to expand the service opportunities for young people to fulfill their service pledges and commitments to help fulfill the five promises. In addition to these days and seasons of service, our collaborating organizations will pursue together the following: 1) a 'toolkit' or 'cookbook' on how to engage youth in service including model initiatives and strategies from each participating organization; 2) joint training for key staff in each organization in how to include youth as leaders in service and training in fundraising for local organizations to help them build sustainable initiatives; and 3) a national public information campaign to highlight youth as resources. During this year, through a range of youth service initiatives sponsored by the participating organizations, one of the measures for service will be the standard of 100 hours - to be tracked by the President's Student Service Awards. This initiative, paralleling the President's Physical Fitness Awards, puts civic fitness on par with physical fitness by honoring youth ages 5 to 25 who perform at least 100 hours of service to their communities. On each National Youth Service Day, we will report our progress, launch new partnerships, and share resources for the common elements of the national youth service agenda. This strategy to provide opportunities and inspiration for young people to give back through their own service on behalf of all five promises should seek to achieve the three targets set by the Goal Five Advisory Board created by America's Promise after the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in Philadelphia in 1997. The Advisory Board developed three specific milestones toward which to strive: 1) At least two million additional young people to serve 100 hours per year by the year 2000. (The President's Student Service Awards were created to promote and track progress toward this goal.) 2) At least 100,000 young people to have the opportunity to become service leaders who provide more than 1,000 hours of service per year. (The President's budget forecasts funding for 100,000 AmeriCorps members per year by 2003. Some of them would be part of a proposed new high school AmeriCorps.) 3) At least half of the one million college students paying for college costs through the federal work-study program to work in the community, rather than on campus. (More than 1,200 colleges and university presidents have joined in a call to service by work- study students through local America Reads and America Counts Challenge programs.) Implementing the Strategy: This year-round strategy for service by young people - including the following key initiatives of the participating organizations - will enable us to achieve the aims set forth in this compact. Each participating organization will embrace - in addition to its own initiatives and priorities - as many of the following as their missions permit. And as new initiatives develop, the participating organizations will consider how to help them succeed. America's Promise, States of Promise, Communities of Promise - As sponsor and key partner of this Compact, America's Promise will ask its several hundred corporate and non-profit commitment-makers and the network of States of Promise and Communities of Promise to join in advancing this strategy for youth engagement in service. This Compact will be presented to the public as one of the important ways that America's Promise is organizing an Alliance for Youth that works together to fulfill all five promises. President's Student Service Awards - The Awards honor youth ages 5 to 25 who perform at least 100 hours of service to the community in a 12-month period - or, for those under age 15 at least 50 hours. All award winners receive a gold or silver pin, a presidential certificate, and a letter from the President. More than 17,000 Awards have been distributed thus far. President's Student Service Scholarships - So long as Corporation for National Service funds are available and matched by local contributors, each high school in the country may select up to two students - preferably one junior and one senior - to receive a $1,000 President's Student Service Scholarship for outstanding service to the community ($500 is provided by the Corporation). National Youth Service Day - National Youth Service Day is the largest annual service event in the country mobilizing approximately 3 million young people and adults through thousands of service projects. Its goal is to recognize the contributions of young people through service, to mobilize the next generation of volunteers and service leaders. and to highlight youth as resources in their communities. Next year's National Youth Service Day is April 14-15, 2000. America Reads Challenge - The goal of this presidential challenge is to ensure that every child can read by the end of the third grade. Thousands of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps* VISTA members, Senior volunteers, and college work-study students or volunteers are engaged in organizing and participating in after-school, in-school, or summer literacy programs. The Communities In Schools model for Schools of Promise is being replicated across the country. City Cares is working with universities and colleges to get college tutors to give four hours per week to tutor a child. SERVEnet - Youth Service America is committed to having volunteer opportunities for every zip code in America on its web site by the end of the year 2000. This database is accessible through "Volunteer Now" boxes on popular culture web sites, such as MTV, NBA, Sears & Roebuck, and Timberland, with Parade Magazine and REACT magazines now joining the effort. Youth Summit - A Youth Summit is in the initial stages of being organized as part of the Year 2000 National Community Service Conference in Orlando in June, 2000. The Kindness and Justice Challenge - The K&J Challenge is Do Something's two-week campaign to practice acts of kindness and justice for character education and leadership training around the Martin Luther King Day Holiday. Last year 16,000 educators engaged more than two million students in all 50 states in this effort. Out-of-School and Summer Service Time - City Cares is encouraging summer time service, working through camps. Its affiliates in Charlotte and Atlanta have developed good models for the national effort. AmeriCorps, including City Year, the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and VISTA, is also giving summer service and vacation programs priority. Bigs/Littles Serving Together - Big Brothers Big Sisters of America encourages its Bigs and Littles and its "sibling matches" to do service together as a core activity in the mentoring relationship. Some programs encourage service together once a month. Older Students Mentoring or Tutoring Younger Students - Big Brothers Big Sisters' affiliates are experimenting with high school and college students mentoring elementary school students. In Boys & Girls Clubs' Keystone Clubs for 14-17 year olds, efforts are underway to encourage older Club members to serve as mentors to younger Club members. Literacy corps and many other local initiatives with AmeriCorps members and service-learning programs are engaged in organizing high school or middle school students to tutor elementary students in after-school programs. Youth Affirmation - This new five-year, $5 million initiative of the Red Cross will make funds available to forty local chapters who demonstrate effective collaborations with other youth service organizations and within the Red Cross structure. Chapters are being encouraged to integrate youth into their leadership structure and to provide substantive and diverse opportunities for youth involvement. Continuing Service Initiative for Former AmeriCorps Members -Working with the partners in this Compact, the Corporation for National Service is developing a special registry of former AmeriCorps members who are interested in continuing volunteer service and will match the skills and experience of these alumni with the specific needs of nonprofit and educational allies. The President issued this Call to Continuing Service on the Fifth Anniversary of AmeriCorps and is writing to all 150, 000 former and current AmeriCorps members. In addition to the primary joint undertakings described above, members of this Compact also recognize the following initiatives of participating organizations and the contribution they make to fulfilling all five promises through young people: Service Passports: City Cares is developing a tool to allow young people to track their service hours to prove eligibility for perks and discounts from corporate sponsors. The program is currently in the first of three developmental phases. When it is ready to be expanded beyond the City Cares network, many participating organizations are interested in supporting this initiative. Schools of Promise: Communities in Schools is leading the charge on behalf of America's Promise to serve as the broker to bring community agencies and volunteers into the schools to deliver all five basic promises Service-Learning Leader Schools: In its inaugural year, seventy high schools located in 41 states were selected through an annual competition and honored by the Corporation for National Service for their exemplary efforts to integrate student service into the curriculum and life of the school. Next year the competition will be extended to middle schools. Leader schools will play an active role in spreading service-learning to other schools in their districts or states. Civic Action: A new initiative of the YMCA funded through the Pew Charitable Trusts will work with young people 18-25 years old to get them involved in community governance and other aspects of civic life. Youth of the Year Program: All Boys and Girls Clubs select a Youth of the Year, with service as an important criterion. Each state chooses a winner and there are regional and national Youths of the Year, all receiving cash scholarship awards. The $1,000 college scholarships for service are also now available to local clubs for their Youths of the Year. Family Matters: This program of the Points of Light Foundation promotes volunteering by families and sponsors the national Family Volunteering Day. Leadership 2000: This initiative of Youth Service America will seek to integrate service into the current presidential campaign dialogue and debates. Serve 2K: The Grantmaker Forum on Community and National Service is working with other participants to agree on an integrated approach to communications and policy in order to infuse service into the public discourse surrounding the millennium. A central aim of Serve 2K is to create a "universal message" about service (like the auto industry's "buckle up" campaign) to which organizations can attach their own tag lines and logos. Y Earth Service Corps: This existing program of the YMCA engages teams of 10-15 high school and college-age youth in planning and implementing environmental service projects. This is part of the YMCA's growing effort to include service-learning in its youth activities. The Fund for Social Entrepreneurs of Youth Service America: The Fund provides financial support to talented individuals who are launching innovative national and community youth ] service ventures. The Fund will add six slots designated for young people next year. Do Something League: The Do Something organization is promoting a new "sport" of community-building through which every school has a Community Coach to lead a year-round curriculum teaching young people important skills in leadership and service. Fostering Success: This Girl Scouts demonstration project in Michigan serves girls in foster care as an effort to bring the long-standing and tested scouting program model to some new and particularly under-served populations. Mentoring Girls: Supported by the Met Life Foundation, this Girl Scouts demonstration project is operating in 15 sites. Girl Scouts Beyond Bars: In collaboration with the Department of Justice, this Girl Scouts expansion effort works with girls whose mothers are incarcerated. Border Initiative: In collaboration with the Texas Border Council and a leading national Latino organization, this Girl Scouts expansion effort works with girls on the U.S. - Mexico border. Prudential Youth Leadership Institute: This national innovative leadership and service training program for high school age students is administered by Prudential, the Points of Light Foundation, and Youth Service America. A network of 300 trainers from local organizations/partners delivers the training across the country to more than 2,000 students each year. Organizations Participating in the Compact: America's Promise American Red Cross Big Brothers Big Sisters Boys and Girls Clubs City Cares of America Communities in Schools Corporation for National Service Do Something Girl Scouts of America Grantmaker Forum for Community and National Service Points of Light Foundation United Way of America YMCA of the USA Youth Service America Organizations to be invited to join the Compact: Boy Scouts of America Campfire Boys and Girls Campus Compact Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL) Center for Youth As Resources City Year, Inc. Girls Incorporated Jewish Community Centers of North America Job Corps, U.S. Department of Labor Lions Club International March of Dimes Muscular Dystrophy Association National 4-H Council National Assembly of Health and Human Service Organizations National Association of Police Athletic Leagues National Fraternal Congress of America National Governors' Association National League of Cities National Mentoring Partnership National Youth Leadership Council Urban League U.S. Conference of Mayors Volunteers of America Women in Community Service Youth Volunteer Corps of America Partners in the Above Primary Youth Service Initiatives For each of the initiatives described in the "Implementing the Strategy" section above, we list below first the sponsoring organization and then, secondly, the organizations in this Compact that have so far agreed to actively pursue them. President's Student Service Awards, an initiative of the President and the Corporation for National Service administered by the American Institute for Public Service, Points of Light Foundation, and Youth Service America. Organizational Partners: All organizations participating in this Compact. President's Student Service Scholarships, an initiative of the President and the Corporation for National Service administered by the Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America. Organizational Partners: The Points of Light Foundation, Communities in Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Youth Service America, Do Something, the United Way of America, and America's Promise. National Youth Service Day, an initiative of Youth Service America. Organizational Partners: Currently there are 34 National Partners that have signed up to promote the event through their networks, including all organizations participating in this Compact. America Reads Challenge, an initiative of the President, the Department of Education and the Corporation for National Service. Organizational Partners: Communities in Schools, Do Something, The Points of Light Foundation, the YMCA of the USA, City Cares of America, the United Way of America, and America's Promise. SERVEnet, a service of Youth Service America for all youth service organizations. Any organization can post volunteer opportunities and other service-related information on SERVEnet for free. In addition, YSA is providing the Volunteer Now! box and database to interested partners to place on their web sites. Youth Summit Organizational Partners: The Points of Light Foundation, United Way of America, Corporation for National Service, Youth Service America, City Cares, Do Something, the American Red Cross, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, the YMCA of the USA, and America's Promise. Kindness and Justice Challenge, an initiative of Do Something Organizational Partners: Youth Service America, United Way of America, the Points of Light Foundation, Communities in Schools, the Corporation for National Service, and America's Promise. Out-of-School and Summer Service Time Organizational Partners: City Cares of America, the Points of Light Foundation, Do Something, Communities in Schools, Youth Service America, the Corporation for National Service, and America's Promise. Bigs/Littles Serving Together, an initiative of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. Organizational Partners: Do Something, Corporation for National Service, and Youth Service America. Older Students Mentoring or Tutoring Younger Students Organizational Partners: Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, The Points of Light Foundation the Corporation for National Service, and America's Promise. Youth Affirmation, an initiative of the American Red Cross. Organizational Partners: Do Something and the Corporation for National Service. Continuing Service of Former AmeriCorps Members, an initiative of the Corporation for National Service. Organizational Partners: American Red Cross, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Points of Light Foundation, United Way of America, YMCA of the USA, City Cares of America, Communities in Schools, Youth Service America, and America's Promise. Background on the Fifth Promise The historic Presidents' Summit for America's Future - held in Philadelphia in April 1997 - was designed to unleash a new level of energy, organizational commitment and citizen power to help turn the tide for millions of children and youth who lack five basic conditions for success. They are embodied in the five promises declared at Philadelphia and carried forth in the campaign for America's Promise led by General Colin Powell - that all young persons in America will have: (1) an ongoing relationship with a caring adult as mentor, tutor, coach; (2) safe places with structured activities to learn and grow during non-school hours; (3) a healthy start and a healthy future; (4) a marketable skill through effective education; and (5) an opportunity to give back through their own service to the community. Every young person needs all five basic promises, and there must be a common strategy for delivering all five. But none of the promises is more important than the fifth one - that all young people be challenged, inspired, and given opportunities to serve. Much attention is paid to what's wrong with today's children and youth - the problems of isolation, despair, and recklessness. The common response is to look to adults to help children. But much more attention must be given to the role young people themselves can play in delivering the five promises to their peers, to younger children, and to themselves. Youth service - tapping into the talents and energies of young people - is part of the antidote this country needs for our toxic culture of violence, apathy, and alienation. Recent tragedies give ever more reason why we must invest in our young people, why we must ignite their imaginations, why we must engage their minds and bodies in working along side people of different racial, economic, and religious backgrounds to solve problems and achieve common goals. Young people must be seen - and see themselves - as resources and solutions, not as problems and victims. They must be asked to take responsibility, work hard, and become leaders. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve." To fulfill America's Promise, every young person must be challenged and inspired to realize this greatness. We must challenge families, schools, colleges and universities, communities of faith, national service and youth corps, and community organizations to create more high quality opportunities for young people to serve America. Most importantly, we must ask. We must ask more of young people - to demonstrate their power to lead, to serve, to deliver America's Promise to their peers and themselves. A Gallup Poll showed that teens were nearly four times more likely to volunteer if they were asked than if they were not. So we must ask all young people to become active-duty citizens-and to discover their own potential through service. History shows that great goals galvanize. The five promises of America's Promise have this same potential. Our vision - the vision of Promise Five - is to make citizen service the common expectation and common experience of all Americans. Raising people's sights to this vision is one of the nation's greatest needs. Taken from the working paper of the earlier advisory group on Promise Five: "Tapping the Power and Talent of Young People." OF UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NEWS UNITED of LAMITA FOR EMBARGOED RELEASE: 11 a.m. Contact: David Thomas (202) 401-1579 September 29, 1999 Siobhan Dugan (202) 606-5000 SURVEY SHOWS COMMUNITY SERVICE, SERVICE LEARNING ON THE RISE A new survey shows that many public schools are encouraging students to perform community service and that much of this service is integrated into the curriculum, a practice known as service-learning. According to the survey, approximately one-third of public schools use service-learning as part of the curriculum and nearly two-thirds have students involved in community service that is recognized or arranged by the school. Furthermore, the study finds that community service and service-learning are now rooted in public education at all grade levels. "Schools are teaching students to become better citizens by helping their fellow citizens," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, "and making their community service even more relevant by linking it to what they learn in school. This is a good recipe for-connecting education to life experiences. The increase in these activities is a good sign for our schools, our communities and our nation." Riley added that he is encouraged by the complementary work of the Corporation for National Service, which is ensuring that students pursue quality in their community service experiences and that schools find innovative and effective ways to incorporate community service activities into their curricula. "The survey confirms what we've been hearing from educators - that service learning makes a tremendous impact on students and their communities," said Harris Wofford, CEO of the corporation. "Students develop solid citizenship skills by participating in projects to make their communities better places to live." -2- Wofford will highlight findings from the report today in Philadelphia, along with James Kohlmoos, deputy assistant education secretary, and David Hornbeck, Philadelphia's superintendent of schools. During the event, students at Simon Gratz High School will demonstrate the impact that service-learning has had on their education. Service-Learning and Community Service in K-12 Public Schools, released by the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, is the first study to provide reliable national estimates of the percentage of public K-12 schools incorporating service- learning into their course curriculum, as well as providing the most recent data on school engagement in community service. Highlights from the survey include: Sixty-four percent of all public schools, including 83 percent of public high schools, had students participating in community service activities recognized by or arranged through the school; Fifty-seven percent of all public schools organized community service activities for their students; Thirty-two percent of all schools organized service-learning as part of their curriculum, including nearly half of all high schools; Most schools with service-learning cited strengthening relationships among students, the school and the community as key reasons for practicing service-learning; and Eighty-three percent of schools with service-learning offered some type of support to teachers integrating service-learning into the curriculum. The survey also provides reliable national estimates on sources of funding to support community service and service-learning, school policies making participation in service-learning voluntary or mandatory, and how schools are implementing service-learning. -MORE- IMPROVING OUR SCHOOLS and the CHALLENGE of CITIZENSHIP A Declaration of Principles O urs is a nation blessed with unmatched resources and an inspiring tradition of self-government. As we face the rising of a new century-indeed, a new era-perhaps no single issue demands more serious attention than how we shall go about assuring the highest quality education for all Americans. The challenge of citizenship in a democratic society demands from each of us our very best. What efforts must we make to develop the leadership and skills that it will take for our children not simply to survive but to thrive in the 21st Century? Education is the key to honoring America's promise. Our schools are indeed the crucible of our democracy. Their quality and constant improvement-a daily obligation, a daily rediscovery-is very much the measure by which our success as a nation depends. That is a daunting standard, but its achievement is within our grasp. That is why we believe it is important to emphasize the common enterprise of school improvement and the national service movement. Service-learning is the bridge. Travelers from both directions know how much each depends on the other, and how each contributes to the greater good of our schools and indeed our public life. Working together, the Corporation for National Service and the United States Department of Education seek to honor and to support the many thousands of teachers and parents and students who each day continue to make distinctive contributions to the quality of learning and life in their many communities across the country. Six principles declare our shared commitment to school improvement and what's best in our American tradition of self-help and com- munity spirit. Each is a partner to the other; neither stands alone. Achievements across the country already demonstrate that there are many effective ways to advance the goal of school improvement, and many models to praise and follow. No single formula for school improvement will fit every local community's needs, but innovative service-learning is invariably a key feature of local school success. A remarkable symmetry of both purpose and pedagogy illustrates the partnership we seek to advance. Principle 1. All children can achieve higher levels of academic success while learning to serve if they are set challenging stan- dards and given the opportunity to reach them. Demand the most from young people and they will confidently exceed your best expectations. Not only do students learn more by serv- ing their communities, but also their communities prosper as their students learn and provide needed service. Principle 2. By solving real-life problems, students engaged in service-learning are challenged to exercise leadership and responsibility. Citizenship is something we learn, not something we merely inherit. Hundreds of thousands of young people are learning to lead and "getting things done" in America's communities. Principle 3. School improvement and service-learning require career-long teaching and professional development. Successful service-learning programs invariably find innovative ways to advance the twin goals of teacher development and innovative curriculum development. That is the kind of partnership at the local level that will improve the quality of learning for all our children. Principle 4. Improving our schools requires parental and community involvement. Service-learning provides both teachers and parents with significant roles in helping students bridge the academic skills of the classroom and the responsibilities of daily life. Principle 5. Improving our schools requires the participation of the private sector and the full range of every community's resources. Businesses, community organizations, places of worship, recreational centers, and institutions of higher education each has a distinctive role to play in strengthening the partnerships between community service and the improvement of our schools. Partnerships of this kind underscore the fundamentally local and community-based tradition of American public education. Principle 6. Ours is a nation of diverse cultures. Yet we are one people. Service-learning is a vital factor in the movement to improve our schools. Their partnership is essential to helping our children to understand and to respect each other, and to exercise the rights and responsibilities of democratic citizenship. Unflinching devotion to the highest academic standards and expectations of community responsibility are the cornerstones of genuine education reform and national service. We invite and anticipate the support of every American. Nick Richard W. Riley Harris Harris Wofford Woffrd Power NA P. BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lisa Ellen (212) 453-2444 Susan Porter (202) 828-8866 MAJOR "DIGITAL DIVIDE" INITIATIVE LAUNCHED Coalition of Business, Nonprofits and Government Partner to Reach Underserved Youth in Thousands of Communities and Schools A Breakthrough in Technology Access and Education -- New Organization Created to Advance Goals of America's Promise AOL and Gateway CEOs Commit Internet Accounts, Computers and Millions in Grants WASHINGTON, November 8, 1999 -- More than a dozen nonprofit organizations, major corporations and federal agencies today launched a major new multimillion dollar initiative to help ensure that America's underserved young people acquire the skills, experiences and resources they need to succeed in the digital age. The new initiative, called PowerUP™, is a unique partnership to give underserved children access to technology and guidance on how to use it. Based in schools and community centers around the country, PowerUP not only will provide young people with access to the wide range of content and information on the Internet; it will also help them develop additional skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. PowerUP will be able to scale quickly and reach thousands of young people because it will leverage partnerships with numerous public and private organizations, and build on thousands of existing community centers, schools and other locations nationwide. PowerUP partners will provide technology, funding, trained personnel, in-kind support and other resources to help close the divide between young people who have access to computer-based information or technology-related skills and those who don't. AOL Chairman and CEO Steve Case, who is chairing PowerUP, said: "There's no single solution to bridging the digital divide -- it's going to take all of us working together to make a difference. In a few short years, the Internet has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives -- and is fast transforming our society. The real question we face now is how we can make sure that everyone benefits from these changes. We must take steps now so that in the Internet Century, no children are left behind." Case added, "PowerUP has drawn inspiration from America's Promise to deliver positive youth development opportunities to the nation's young people. Its goal is not only to provide young people with access to computers and the Internet, but also to leverage technology's power and the potential of the online medium to help young people develop character and competence." - more - 100 ENTERPRISE WAY, #C2, SCOTT'S VALLEY, CALIFORNIA 95066 TEL: 831. 431. 1390 email: [email protected] www.powerup.org PowerUP 2-2-2-2 Gateway Chairman and CEO Ted Waitt, a founding member of the board of PowerUP, said, "The gap between the Internet haves and have nots is widening along racial, economic and geographic lines, and we absolutely, positively cannot afford another divide in this country. We can pull together. Nothing is more important in our lives and in the future of our communities than ensuring all of our children have access to the tools and information they need to get ahead, and stay ahead." Note Created as a nonprofit organization, PowerUP is guided by a board of directors that in addition to Case and Waitt includes: Erskine Bowles, partner at Forstmann Little and former White House chief of staff; Jean Case, President of the Case Foundation; Carly Fiorina, President and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company; Jack Kemp, Co-Director of Empower America; David Mercer, National Executive Director of YMCA; Sam Nunn, Partner at King and Spalding and former U.S. Senator; Leon Panetta, Director of the Panetta Institute and former Director of OMB and White House chief of staff; Retired Army General Colin L. Powell, Chairman of America's Promise; Franklin Raines, Chairman and CEO of Fannie Mae; and Roger Staubach, Chairman and CEO, The Staubach Company. A Compelling National Need General Colin L. Powell (Ret.), Chairman of America's Promise, said, "PowerUP is a breakthrough initiative that our nation urgently needs. As I've traveled throughout the country, it has become clear to me that our future success as a nation will depend on how prepared our young people are for the challenges of the 21st century. PowerUP will bring to the nation's underserved youth the skills and experiences they need to build a successful future." Harris Wofford, CEO of the Corporation for National Service, said, "AmeriCorps is proud to add people power to PowerUP. We know from experience that just putting computer hardware and an Internet connection in the schools is not enough. To unleash the full potential of young people -- and of the computer -- kids need to know more than just how to surf the net. They need to learn how to use computers to succeed in a digital world. AmeriCorps members will give students access to advanced technology and compelling programming, in a safe environment with a caring adult. Together, that's what all of us in PowerUP will do." A Powerful Program Offering PowerUP brings together several critical and innovative program elements to create a powerful offering for community centers, schools and other locations nationwide. Key elements include: Computers and Internet Access - Through major grants from the Waitt Family Foundation and the AOL Foundation, PowerUP will provide 50,000 computers and 100,000 AOL accounts for free Internet access to sites throughout the country. - more - PowerUP 3-3-3-3 Innovative, Life-enriching Interactive Programming - A unique "PowerUP Online" guide aggregates information and organizes activities and resources according to the "five promises" identified by America's Promise as essential for children to become successful adults including: tools on how to find a mentor; fun and productive activities to do after school; healthy lifestyle information; exploration of career opportunities and how to acquire the skills needed to take advantage of them; community service; and links with real-time community youth program opportunities provided by participating local youth serving organizations. PowerUP Online, developed by the AOL Foundation, also includes a scholastic/academic component addressing educational achievement. An Army of Trained Workers - PowerUP will provide the people power needed to effectively train young people in attaining digital literacy skills while offering them an ongoing relationship with a caring adult in a safe environment. Initially more than 400 specially trained, full-time AmeriCorps* VISTA members and other staff will provide a sustained and trained presence at PowerUP-supported centers where needed. One of the shortcomings in technology education efforts to date has been lack of dedicated, capable adult staff to work with young people in centers on a regular basis. Partnering with Key Groups to Scale Quickly and on a Large Scale - PowerUP's goal is to scale quickly to reach a national level. It will do this in two ways: by engaging key partner groups at the national and local levels, and by providing flexible program options for existing centers. Youth-serving organizations - PowerUp will partner with local YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, Save the Children's "Web of Support" centers, National Urban League, and other organizations with roots in thousands of communities across the country to connect young people with additional learning and positive youth development activities such as after-school sports, arts and crafts, or other classes and technology services. Federal agencies - In keeping with a PowerUP goal of enhancing scholastic achievement and digital literacy, PowerUP will partner with the U.S. Department of Education's Computer Technology Centers and 21st Century Community Learning Centers to supplement and complement educational goals of children both during and after school hours. Corporations - Companies that have established their own sites or technology programs may choose to add PowerUP program elements, and/or supply additional financing or in-kind support either at the national or local level. Private individuals and foundations - Financial and in-kind support. - more - PowerUP 4-4-4-4 Millions of Dollars in Local Community Grants - PowerUP will provide an initial total of $5 million in direct grants to community- and school-based centers who wish to participate in the PowerUP program. Grants may be used for any activities or resource needs that are consistent with PowerUP's program goals. Links with Schools - PowerUP works to enhance scholastic achievement and national digital literacy goals by forming partnerships with local schools and educators. A section of the PowerUP Online guide features a scholastic approach to educational attainment linked to academic curricula, and AmeriCorps* VISTA members are responsible for connecting the PowerUP program with local schools to supplement and complement educational goals of young people both at school and after school. Healthy Snacks - Through its partnership with PowerBar Inc., PowerUP will provide PowerUP-supported sites with healthy snacks, including PowerBars, PowerBar Harvest bars, and PowerBar Essentials bars. Steve Case said, "We recognize that there are many projects underway in communities across the nation that seek to bridge the digital divide, but they are fragmented and lack the scale necessary to attract significant resources. PowerUP will help knit these initiatives into a national tapestry and jump-start a crusade that can change the lives of millions of kids, bringing together an unprecedented combination of people, skills and resources. "PowerUP offers us the opportunity to make dramatic progress in establishing consistent, quality-oriented methods and resources to ensure that technology centers and programs across the country share a common standard of excellence in driving positive youth development," Case said. "Just as the nation made a successful commitment to ensuring that every child has access to public education starting at the age of five, we must now commit ourselves to ensuring that in the 21st century every child in America has access to technology so that no one falls behind. This mission is what PowerUP is all about." Partnership Brings Funds, People, Skills and Resources The PowerUP partnership brings a range of support services and resources to community centers, schools and other youth service locations around the country: National Benefactors - National benefactors of PowerUP include the Case Foundation, the Waitt Family Foundation, AOL Inc./AOL Foundation, and The Corporation for National Service (which houses AmeriCorps' and The YMCA of the USA. These organizations will bring money, computers, access, interactive programming, trained staff and other community-based services on a large scale to sites across the nation: - more - PowerUP 5-5-5-5 The Case Foundation, established by Steve and Jean Case, will provide an initial grant of $10 million to establish PowerUP. The grant includes $5 million to cover all staff and administrative costs of the program, enabling partnership contributions to go directly to supporting or establishing in-site programs for youth at centers across the country. Another $5 million will provide the local community grants to benefit up to 5,000 local community centers and school- based sites nationwide. The Waitt Family Foundation, established by Ted and Joan Waitt and their family, will supply computer hardware to PowerUP by providing 50,000 Gateway computers and Internet appliances over the next three years. AOL Inc./The AOL Foundation has donated its resources and staff to develop PowerUP Online, a first-of-its kind interactive programming guide built around the "five promises" that America's Promise has identified as essential for children to become successful adults. PowerUP Online aggregates valuable content and organizes activities and resources in an easy-to-use format for use in grades K-12. In addition, 100,000 AOL accounts are being provided for centers that need them. The Corporation for National Service (AmeriCorps* VISTA) is bringing people power to PowerUP. Initially more than 400 AmeriCorps* VISTA members and others in AmeriCorps will be trained and deployed to provide dedicated, full-time mentoring and other assistance to schools, YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, National Urban League centers, Save the Children "Web of Support" centers, the U.S. Department of Education's Computer Technology Centers and 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and other community technology centers across the country. The YMCA of the USA will provide service-learning and positive youth development opportunities for young people at PowerUP-supported sites, including providing a sustained presence of caring, supportive adults who regularly interact with parents and teachers in the community. Founding National Partners - Founding national partners who will support the program through their existing networks of community-based centers, training programs, in-kind contributions and other activities include Sun Microsystems, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Save the Children, National Urban League, Communities in Schools, FamilyEducation Network, PowerBar Inc., and the U.S. Department of Education's Computer Technology Centers and 21st Century Community Learning Centers. - more - PowerUP 6-6-6-6 Founding Local Sponsors - Founding local sponsors who have established pilot sites for PowerUP in their communities include Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and the Case Foundation. The sites are located in San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; Alexandria, VA; and Washington, DC. The sites are additionally supported by the YMCAs of Santa Clara Valley, Greater Seattle, and Metropolitan Washington, which provide service-learning and positive youth development opportunities. PowerUP is a commitment to America's Promise. America's Promise - - The Alliance for Youth led by General Colin Powell, is dedicated to mobilizing individuals, groups and organizations from every part of American life, to build and strengthen the character and competence of our youth. ### Danny wentul Dan Chenok D-R-A-F-T 10/19/99 5:24 AM 5-4951 October 1999 Dear Former AmeriCorps Member, Alxinean cija 5-3263 Along with some 150,000 other AmeriCorps members you have turned the idea of national service into a reality. Together you have made a difference in thousands of communities and in the lives of millions of Americans. The measure of your success is in the children mentored and tutored, the volunteers recruited, trained and organized, the homes built and renovated, the schools repaired, the neighborhoods made safe, the parks restored, the natural disasters to which you responded, and the ways you raised the spirits of those you helped. In your service you saw first-hand the big challenges that confront our communities and our country. More than ever, we need citizens who are willing to step forward to take responsibility personally. Like veterans of military service and returned Peace Corps volunteers, AmeriCorps alumni have special experience that can be a powerful force for good in our country. On the day you were sworn into AmeriCorps, you promised to "carry this commitment with me this year and beyond." Today, I urge you to make good on this promise and to put the skills you developed as an AmeriCorps member to work in sustained volunteer service. To help you answer this renewed "call to service," I have asked the Corporation for National Service to assist you in finding powerful and challenging volunteer opportunities. First, the Corporation will establish a registry of former AmeriCorps members who are interested in continued volunteer service and who want to connect with special volunteer opportunities. Second, the Corporation will make agreements with leading non-profit organizations that want to tap the experience of former AmeriCorps members. The Corporation will then share the names of interested former AmeriCorps members with those organizations. To sign up for the AmeriCorps Alumni Volunteer Registry, please [WHAT?]. In addition, I urge to contact the AmeriCorps Alums, a private organization not affiliated with the Corporation, for additional service opportunities, and to stay in touch with your colleagues. Information about AmeriCorps Alums can be found at no. www.americorpsalums.org. Then Thank you for the work you have already done as an AmeriCorps member to build similley the American community. You are among the new leaders of our country for the 21st century. As you fulfill your goals for your own life, I hope you will also use the experience and skills you gained as an AmeriCorps member to continue to make a difference in your community. own wenty Taylor bm - have Fellered B could do an em argul mind prown I name the process with registrative -disstment pushic then appoove D5-4815 whenever Ferer Regaster Sincerely, William Jefferson Clinton Eric P. Liu 11/16/99 05:43:10 PM Record Type: Record To: Ann O'Leary/OPD/EOP@EOP, Karin Kullman/OPD/EOP@EOP CC: Anna Richter/OPD/EOP@EOP Subject: national campaign board meeting It would be easier to sell if Jeff had some sort of announcement. Ann -- can you check in with him when you get back and see what he might have to offer? I think he'll have some board members to announce, but ideally he'd have an action of some scale and significance to unveil. Forwarded by Eric P. Liu/OPD/EOP on 11/16/99 05:41 PM Karin Kullman 11/09/99 07:14:34 PM Record Type: Record To: Bruce N. Reed/OPD/EOP@EOP, Eric P. Liu/OPD/EOP@EOP CC: Ann O'Leary/OPD/EOP@EOP Subject: national campaign board meeting Jeff Bleich called me today regarding a date in December for the National Campaign's first board meeting. They would like to plan it for sometime in December, possibly out at AOL in Dulles, VA.) He would like to do some type of reception or event with the President before or after the meeting. I told him that I didn't think people here would start thinking about the December schedule until at least next week or the week after at the earliest. Do we want to start pushing to find a date for this? Do you want me to submit a scheduling proposal? cm Thomas L. Freedman 11/18/99 11:03:51 AM Record Type: Record To: Ann O'Leary/OPD/EOP@EOP CC: Subject: Re: powell/clinton Itrs I got no intellect on this issue. Could you read and see if they make sense? Forwarded by Thomas L. Freedman/OPD/EOP on 11/18/99 11:03 AM Eric P. Liu 11/18/99 10:30:05 AM Record Type: Record To: Thomas L. Freedman/OPD/EOP@EOP cc: Subject: Re: powell/clinton Itrs this was our last emailing about it; I believe the attached docs are my revised versions, which you were going to further revise per Tanya's note. Anyway, if you want, loop up with Ann O'Leary Monday and pass it all on to her -- let's just make sure the letters get out. Forwarded by Eric P. Liu/OPD/EOP on 11/18/99 10:28 AM Eric P. Liu 08/11/99 02:16:47 PM Record Type: Record To: Thomas L. Freedman/OPD/EOP@EOP CC: Subject: Re: powell/clinton Itrs Hope that's enough guidance to revise/send out the Itrs. Let's you and I get lunch next week. Forwarded by Eric P. Liu/OPD/EOP on 08/11/99 02:16 PM Tanya E. Martin 08/11/99 01:08:59 PM Record Type: Record To: Bruce N. Reed/OPD/EOP@EOP CC: eric p. liu/opd/eop@eop, thomas I. freedman/opd/eop@eop, tanya e. martin/opd/eop@eop bcc: Subject: Re: powell/clinton Itrs I think it should be reworded to say that he's reiterating the challenge. Here's my understanding of the President's challenge on federal work study (FWS) and community service. As of July 1994 colleges and universities are required to use at least 5% of FWS funds for students engaged in community service. In 1996, as part of his America Reads Challenge, the President challenged the higher education community to commit 100,000 FWS students to serve as reading tutors. In order to reach that goal, the President asked universities and colleges to earmark 50% of the increase in FWS funding that they received for the 1997-98 school year to place students in community service assignements, particularly as reading tutors in elementary schools. In exchange, the government waived the 25% FWS matching requirement for all federal work-study students serving as reading tutors to preschool and elementary children. [We apparently considered raising the 5% community service requirement to a 50% requirement, but decided to make it a voluntary "challenge".] Bruce N. Reed Bruce N. Reed 08/11/99 11:52:57 AM Record Type: Record To: Eric P. Liu/OPD/EOP@EOP CC: thomas I. freedman/opd/eop@eop, tanya e. martin/opd/eop@eop bcc: Subject: Re: powell/clinton Itrs The letter looks fine. Tanya, I'm trying to remember -- did the President already issue the challenge on 50% of work-study funds by 2002? When was that? If so, we should make sure Powell's letter says he's "reiterating the President's challenge that... II Eric P. Liu Eric P. Liu 08/10/99 07:55:28 PM Record Type: Record To: Thomas L. Freedman/OPD/EOP@EOP cc: Bruce N. Reed/OPD/EOP@EOP, Tanya E. Martin/OPD/EOP@EOP Subject: powell/clinton Itrs made some changes. powell Itr.doc potus workstudy.doc Dear President , As Chairman of America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth, I am writing to enlist your support in a very important endeavor. Two years ago at the Presidents' Summit for America's Future, all the living Presidents and thousands of other Americans pledged to harness the power of volunteerism in the service of our nation's youth. America's Promise was born at that summit, and it continues today to mobilize communities, individuals and institutions to keep five key promises to every youngster: an ongoing relationship with a caring adult; a safe place with structured activities during nonschool hours; a healthy start; a marketable skill through effective education; and an opportunity to give back through community service. Colleges and universities can play a crucial role in this crusade. One very substantial way you can contribute is by using the Federal College Work Study program to enable hundreds of thousands of college students to serve in the communities where they study. By being tutors or mentors, college students can make a tangible difference in the lives of young children. I can attest that there are thousands more nonprofit organizations, schools and community groups that would benefit profoundly from the energy and idealism of your students. I therefore join President Clinton in asking you to commit a greater share of your work study assignments to community service. so that 50 percent of the Federal College Work Study funds will be dedicated to service by the year 2002] Institutions of higher learning have always been leaders in the life of our nation. I hope you will seize this opportunity to demonstrate that leadership again. Thank you. Colin Powell Dear President , I want to commend you for all that you and your institution have done to inspire our nation's young people. And I want to urge you today, in the strongest terms possible, to continue that important work by increasing the portion of your Federal College Work Study resources that support community service. As you may know, one of the original purposes of the Federal College Work Study program was to encourage college students to participate in service activities and to engender in students a sense of social responsibility. Over the years, that emphasis has been lost. I believe it is time to revive that spirit of service. crew My Administration has substantially increased the level of federal support for Work Study, from $617 million in 1993 to a proposed $934 in the 2000 budget. Yet today only about 10 percent of such funds support service by students. Secretary Riley and I have also made it easier to direct work Study finds to community service by waiving matching requirements for literacy and math initiatives, and many college and university presidents have committed to the America Reads Challenge and America Counts Challenge. Much more, however, remains to be done. I challenge you to embrace the goal of dedicating 50 percent of your Federal Work Study funds to support community service by the year 2002. Our prosperity and security give us the opportunity and the obligation to rally all Americans - and especially students - to the importance of citizen service. Now more than ever, the definition of a great educational institution must include not only the quality education it offers in the classroom but also the leadership it provides in the surrounding community. I appreciate all that you have done already, and I look forward to your participation in this effort to strengthen our communities and empower our young people. William J. Clinton Coin Summit stuff Eric P. Liu 11/18/99 11:28:36 AM Record Type: Record To: Ann O'Leary/OPD/EOP@EOP CC: Subject: work study Ann -- Tom F had drafted these letters way back in my first wk here in August, I revised them, Tanya martin (since gone) had a change, and then the letters apparently never got sent out. Would you pls take this over and make sure the revised letters get out soonest? I'll forward you the last email traffic on this I have. Thanks. Forwarded by Eric P. Liu/OPD/EOP on 11/18/99 11:26 AM "Gomperts, John" <[email protected]> 11/17/99 10:38:15 PM Record Type: Record To: Eric P. Liu/OPD/EOP CC: Subject: work study The letter we sent in for the President's signature on work study has become lost in the abyss. Do you have a sense of where it is? I would really like to get this moving. He and Powell discussed and agreed to move forward on this six months ago today. Let's put it on the agenda for our chat. Thanks. JG 12/10/99 FRI 13:00 FAX 401 729 5608 CONG PJ KENNEDY 006 Some questions Congressman Kennedy has prepared How can adults -- parents, mentors, neighbors, religious leaders, teachers - stay engaged with students and help them through difficult times or times when they are thinking of turning to violence? How does self respect, respect of fellow students, and respect for the authority figures affect students' reactions to violence? How can we encourage students to be more accepting of "outcasts?" What role do "cliques" and labels play such as "jocks, preps, or nerds ?". What about the role of parents, should we make it mandatory that every parent must take an active part in their teen's school? 8 12/10/99 FRI 13:00 FAX 401 729 5608 CONG PJ KENNEDY 007 In light of the fact that acts of violence are happening early....just last week a seventh grade student in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, brought a gun to school and wounded several students, when do intervention efforts need to start elementary school, middle school, junior high????? 9 UMB LABOR BRANCH ID:202-395-1596 DEC 09'99 19:28 No.001 P.01 OF THE A PRESIDENT OF THE OFFICE THE UNITED OFFICE OF OFFICE 130009 OF STATE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503 LABOR BRANCH FAX SHEET DATE: 12/10/99 TO: ANN 0 Leary FROM: LARRY Matlack COMMENTS: National Service. NUMBER OF PAGES (INCLUDING COVER) 10 CONFIRMATION: (202) 395-3262 FAX NUMBER: (202) 395-1596