City Year Launches New Resource to Help Educators Advance Equitable Learning and Student Achievement

The Student Success Coaches Playbook offers guidelines for providing academic, social and emotional support for young people in systemically under-resourced schools

Boston, Nov. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — City Year, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing school and student success, has launched the Student Success Coaches Playbook for Program Developers. The playbook offers practical guidance for educators, schools and youth programs seeking to enhance support systems for students through a focus on student success coaching that blends academic, social and emotional support.  

City Year’s student success coaches are AmeriCorps members, ages 17 to 25 who partner with classroom teachers every day to provide students with 1:1 tutoring, small group instruction, mentoring and life skills coaching.  By adding additional capacity to our nation’s most under-resourced schools, SSCs contribute to more equitable and healthy school ecosystems that promote a sense of belonging, trust and engagement.  

“This playbook is for educators, school leaders, mentors and youth-serving organizations to help them create more equitable spaces for the young people they work with and support,” says City Year Vice President Jennifer Boyce, who oversees technical assistance for student success coaching. “It’s not just about improving academic outcomes—although that’s critical—it’s about building authentic relationships with students, helping them thrive holistically.”  

Research, including studies by the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University, shows that student success coaching can improve student academic performance, social-emotional development and attendance. Student success coaches play a crucial role in identifying individual student needs, fostering resilience, and encouraging a growth mindset. The playbook includes insights and proven methods for coaches to cultivate meaningful relationships with students, helping them to navigate challenges and succeed academically and socially. 

“Every student deserves a space where they feel like they belong, and this playbook helps ensure that student success coaches can provide that,” says Jonathan Raymond, senior vice president of education policy and systems change.  “The resource is adaptable to different environments, recognizing that while each school may have its own unique needs, the foundational principles of relationship-building and holistic student support are the same and designed to help students grow and reach their potential.” 

This launch coincides with a recent report from the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS) that the initiative has surpassed its goal set by the Biden Administration to significantly increase the number of tutors and mentors in schools. “This milestone reflects a growing commitment to providing students with the necessary resources to succeed, addressing pandemic-related disruptions to learning, and building a more equitable education system,” Boyce says.  

You can download the Student Success Coaches Playbook for Program Developers or view it on the publication’s section of City Year’s website. You can also learn more about the new playbook at https://www.cityyear.org/national/stories/our-impact/city-years-new-student-success-coach-playbook-helps-schools-launch-sscs/ 

About City Year 

City Year is a trailblazing, youth-powered organization with a dual mission: expanding educational equity for students furthest from opportunity and developing diverse leaders through national service. Research shows the more time a student spends with a City Year AmeriCorps member serving as student success coach, the better the student outcomes—academically, socially, and emotionally. A public-private partnership, City Year is a proud member of AmeriCorps, operating in 29 U.S. cities with international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa. Today, 42,000 alums continue to lead and serve where they live and work. Learn more about City Year’s six areas of impact: www.cityyear.org, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

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• Student Success Coaches Playbook for Program Developers

CONTACT: Joe Zappala, Vice President of Communications
City Year
607.339.1098
joseph.zappala@cityyear.org