City Year Greater Philadelphia Corps Members to Graduate From Year Of Service in High Need Schools
Aramark sponsors ceremonies for 255 City Year Greater Philadelphia corps members who joined national effort to increase urban graduation pipeline
PHILADELPHIA, PA, June 5, 2014 /3BL Media/ – City Year Greater Philadelphia will graduate 255 corps members who joined in a national effort to keep students in school and on track to succeed. Across the country, 2,700 City Year AmeriCorps members served in 242 high-need public schools. In Philadelphia, corps members served in 20 public schools as full-time tutors, mentors, and role models for students who face the greatest risk of dropping out.
City Year Greater Philadelphia will honor these corps members for their year of service in the city’s highest-need schools during a graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 5, at 5 p.m. at Universal Audenried High School, 3301 Tasker Street. CEO and President of Universal Companies Rahim Islam will serve as the graduation keynote speaker. The graduation will be sponsored by Philadelphia-based Aramark, a global provider of award winning services in food, facilities management, and uniforms.
“City Year believes that all children should have the opportunity to meet their potential – it’s what’s right for our children, it’s crucial to the health of our city’s economy, and it’s essential to our nation’s future,” said City Year Greater Philadelphia Executive Director and Vice President Ric Ramsey. “We are deeply grateful to our corps members for dedicating a year of their lives to this goal, and to our many community partners – including the School District of Philadelphia, Universal Companies, Aramark, and many others – who helped make this a year of success.”
Aramark has been a long-time City Year supporter on the national and local level. For the last seven years, the company has been the sponsor of the Civic Engagement Team in Philadelphia. Aramark is a City Year National Leadership Sponsor and is helping City Year evolve and strengthen civic engagement nationally. As City Year’s official uniform partner, Aramark provides uniforms and the signature red jackets to 2,700 corps members and staff.
“Aramark and City Year have a mutual commitment to communities and passion for service,” said Bev Dribin, Vice President, Community Relations, Aramark. “As a company dedicated to enriching and nourishing lives, we are proud to partner with City Year, and support the Philadelphia graduation. It is always inspiring to witness first-hand the impact City Year has on student success and the important role of service.”
Across the nation, nearly one million students drop out of school every year, one every 26 seconds. In Philadelphia, the current four-year, on time graduation rate is 66 percent. City Year AmeriCorps members help keep students in school and on track to graduate by concentrating interventions on attendance, behavior, and course performance in English and math.
In 20 schools across the city, City Year Greater Philadelphia AmeriCorps members tutor over 1,800 students in literacy and math. Fifty percent of the students who started the year with Ds and Fs are now earning As, Bs, and Cs. In addition, City Year Philly works with nearly 900 students to improve their attendance, and they coach and mentor close to 800 students on their behavior throughout the school day. Nearly 2,800 students participate in after-school programs led by City Year AmeriCorps members.
Data from the 2012-2013 school year in Philadelphia demonstrates the effectiveness of City Year’s intervention and support efforts:
· 61% of students improved at least one full year (grade level) in reading ability
· 47% of students improved at least one full benchmark level in math
· 535 students improved by one full year (grade level) in reading ability or by one benchmark in math
· 100% of administrators were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of service provided by City Year
· 93% of teachers were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of service provided by City Year
City Year is currently in the process of rolling-out a long-term impact strategy to ensure that 80 percent of students in schools where City Year serves reach the 10th grade on track and on time. Studies show that students who reach the 10th grade successfully are four times more likely to graduate high school than students that do not. City Year’s Long-term Impact strategy includes a plan to expand from 25 to 38 cities, and deploy more than 12,000 City Year AmeriCorps members to reach nearly 800,000 students a day.
About City Year
City Year is an education-focused, nonprofit organization founded in 1988 that partners with public schools and teachers to help keep students in school and on track to succeed. In 24 communities across the United States and through two international affiliates, this innovative public-private partnership brings together teams of young AmeriCorps members who commit to a year of full-time service in schools. Corps members provide individual support to students who need extra care and attention, focusing on attendance, behavior, and course performance through in-class tutoring, mentoring, and after school programs.
About AramarkAramark (NYSE: ARMK) is in the customer service business across food, facilities and uniforms, wherever people work, learn, recover, and play. United by a passion to serve, our more than 270,000 employees deliver experiences that enrich and nourish the lives of millions of people in 22 countries around the world every day. Aramark is recognized among the Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE and the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
