CYLA: Building A More Equitable Future

Youth Economic Advancement (sponsored by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

CYLA serves students ages 7-16 years old in grades 3-9 living in Boyle Heights, Koreatown, South L.A., and Watts. Our students are 88% Latinx, 10% African American, 1% white, and 1% Asian. CYLA exclusively works with systemically under-resourced schools, which are labeled "high poverty" by the National Center for Educational Statistics, as 99% of students qualify for the free/reduced-price lunch program. Students in the communities CYLA serves face obstacles such as hunger, homelessness, lack of access to healthcare, and exposure to violence that hugely impact their ability to excel in school. According to recently released results from California's 2022 Smarter Balanced assessments, 72% of LAUSD students are not meeting state standards in math and about 58% of LAUSD students are not meeting standards in English. The scores show that about five years of gradual academic progress in LAUSD have been reversed.

Through our Whole School Whole Child program, AmeriCorps Members (ACMs) are assigned to schools in groups for the year where they focus on the following support elements: ? Academic: ACMs lead small group and 1:1 tutoring sessions for students, host office hours, and create opt-in opportunities for academic enrichment. They work closely with teachers to help students who are behind, delivering lesson plans focused on specific skill-building as well as specific state assessments. ? Attendance: ACMs ensure all students are in attendance with phone calls to parents, check-ins on student attendance, and ensuring students and families stay informed about the school community, building strong personal relationships to ensure students feel connected. ? Social-Emotional Development (SED): We provide special training for all ACMs to ensure they actively support students' well-being. We use a combination of diagnostic academic assessments and the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment to identify students who can benefit most from SED interventions. ? Whole School: ACMs become a part of the fabric of the school serving in various whole school capacities. ACMs complete various projects around the campus such as school beautification projects, teacher appreciation presentations, school-wide activities, and more. ? Extended Learning Time: ACMs provide services before and/or after school, tutoring students, and facilitating clubs and sports that enrich students' overall education.

CYLA collects data multiple times per year to analyze our ability to implement programming and the efficacy for students and schools. Our metrics for success are: ? 6 ACMs will be deployed to our partner schools. ? 14,000 students will receive whole school support. ? 1,100 students will receive individualized tutoring in math, English, and social-emotional learning ? 85% of teachers will report that ACMs improve the academic performance and confidence of their students and foster a positive learning environment. ? 50% of English and math students will improve failing grades, maintain passing grades, or meet their expected growth. ? Social-Emotional Development students will receive at least 8 weeks of intervention. One of the strongest testimonials of our impact is the relationship we've maintained with our partner schoolteachers, 95% of which agreed/strongly agreed that ACMs had a positive impact on students' focus in classrooms and on students' emotional health.

CYLA provided services in 17 under-resourced schools across LAUSD this year, deploying 100+ ACMs to monitor attendance, guide students through social-emotional development, and provide individualized interventions in math and English. Our 2022-23 metrics include: ? 1:1 intervention for 963 students, whole-class support to 4,127 students, and whole-school support to 13,890 students ? Focus list students received 12,954 hours of tutoring and all students received 38,400 hours of after-school programming ? ACMs led 21,473 Extended Learning Time sessions At the conclusion of the school year, we provided a survey to principals and administrators to assess their satisfaction with CYLA. Results included: ? 95% agreed/strongly agreed that ACMs had a positive impact on students' instruction. ? 94% agreed/strongly agreed that ACMs had a positive impact on students' sense of belonging. ? 96% agreed/strongly agreed that ACMs had a positive impact on students' social and emotional health.