Cisco Commits $4.5 Million to City Year to Curb High School Dropout Crisis
Resource type: News
Philanthropy News Digest |
City Year is an Atlantic grantee.
Cisco Systems and the Cisco Foundation have announced a pledge of $4.5 million in new funding to City Year‘s Whole School Whole Child program.
The foundation will donate up to $1.5 million over the next three years to enhance the program’s capabilities, while the company will contribute up to $3 million in products and services to help City Year build a 21st-century collaboration and communications platform. The new platform will enable City Year to scale the program more effectively and efficiently around the United States.
The Whole School Whole Child program utilizes a corps of young volunteers who act as “near-peer” tutors to kids in underresourced public schools who are at risk of dropping out. According to City Year national director of corporate development Nicole Quinlin, 723 corps members provided targeted intervention for 7,200 students in 88 schools during the 2008-09 school year, while 56,000 students benefited from classroom support and school-wide enrichment activities. Next year, the WSWC model will be implemented in 110 schools, with 1,100 corps members serving 11,000 students and an additional 85,000 students benefiting from classroom support and school-wide enrichment activities.
“Addressing the dropout crisis is going to take a nationwide effort that unites the private and public sectors to get students back on track to graduation,” said City Year CEO and co-founder Michael Brown. “The idealism of young Americans in service has even more impact when powered by the expertise and resources of Cisco. We are grateful for Cisco’s deep belief in City Year, for their fifteen-year partnerships, and for this tremendously generous new investment to help get the right interventions to the right students at the right time to help students stay in school and on track.”
“Cisco Makes $4.5 Million Commitment to City Year to Help Address Growing High School Dropout Crisis.” Cisco Press Release 6/10/09.
“City Year Strengthens Schools Through Service.” Cisco Press Release 6/10/09.