Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Report

Cambridge School Volunteers

2

Cambridge School Volunteers develops programs which match caring and competent adults with students of all needs and levels

Founded in 1966, Cambridge School Volunteers is an independent, nonprofit organization

supporting the academic and personal success of Cambridge public school children

3

Letter from our Leadership

Since 1966, our work has focused on the power of relationships between students and caring, competent adults. During the 2011-2012 school year, Cambridge School Volunteers (CSV) recruited, trained and managed 830 volunteers who gave more than 51,850 hours of individualized services for children in all grades, junior kindergarten through high school, and all levels, from English language learners to those enrolled in Advanced Placement classes. We are very proud of our work and its invaluable contribution to the strength and success of the Cambridge Public Schools. Every day we see how students greatly benefit from our tutoring and mentoring programs, free of charge through-out the school year.

In this report, you can read about some of our programs that focus on our earliest learners and others that assist students at the end of their high school careers as they prepare for college. We have highlighted our early intervention Intergenerational Math and Elementary Literacy programs in which K-3 students who need extra support reaching grade-level benchmarks are paired with individual tutors. At the other end of the spectrum, we showcase our College Planning and Essay Writing program which matches seniors for help with all phases of the col-lege application process.

The greatest challenge facing CSV is to ensure that our programs meet the needs of the student population and dovetail the goals set forth by the Cambridge Public Schools. Last year, the School Department adopted a new Innovation Agenda to create four new “Upper Schools” to better serve grades six through eight. For CSV, this meant revamping our programs to help reach the goals of this Agenda: equity and excellence for all students. As a result, we are rolling out new services to the middle grades—after-school Learning Centers and expanded NetPals mentoring programs, which will be launched during the 2012-2013 school year.

We are so grateful to all of our supporters: our Board of Directors and staff, volunteers, funders, donors, corporate and collaborative partners and Cambridge Public Schools. Thank you to everyone who joined us in March for the CSV NOW! event hosted by Genzyme to honor our three wonderful KeyPal partners—IBM, Draper Lab, and MIT. This event provided a terrific opportunity to showcase the breadth or our programs and the talent and dedication of our volunteers.

Your commitment makes it possible for us to do our important work and we hope you will continue to support us with your time, money and advocacy. Spread the word about volunteering, because giving back enriches the lives of both volunteers and students.

With thanks, Warmly,

Jennifer Fries Louise Adler Executive Director President

4

2011-2012 School Year by the numbers

830 Volunteers 51,851 Donated Hours

$2,592,550 Worth of Services (valued at $50 per hour)

9 Corporate Partners and 5 Collaborating Organizations 208 high school students

received tutoring at the Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School Tutoring Center

Approximately 40% of the students served speak a language other than English as their first language

1,143 students worked with a tutor or mentor 154 classrooms had volunteer assistance, reaching

an additional 3,558 students

Total students reached: 4,701

37 different training and orientation sessions offered to volunteers

5

Our Programs

Elementary & Middle School Programs:

After School Academic Learning Centers

CSV, in collaboration with the Cambridge Public Schools’ staff, provides academic support services to the After School Learning Centers serving students in grades 3-8.

Classroom Assistants

Volunteers are placed in classrooms (K-8) to provide assistance with both individualized and small group instruction within all curricular areas.

Intergenerational Math Program

Volunteers are paired with at-risk students from grades 1-3 for in-class math help or one-to-one tutoring for one or two 45-minute periods a week. Monthly training is provided in skill and enrichment activities that correspond to concepts that students are learning.

Early Literacy Programs

Volunteers work one-to-one or with small groups of children in grades K-3 to improve reading and writing. Classroom volunteers assist with Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop.

Publishing Center Program

Volunteers are trained in the art of book-making to work with individual or small groups of students, grades K-3 on a weekly basis within the school’s Publishing Center.

Library Assistants

Our oldest program which was started with a federal grant to set up libraries in the public schools. These days, volunteers help students with library resources, skills and assistance.

High School Programs:

Tutoring Center, Before and After School

Twice per week, one-to-one tutors help students improve their skills and knowledge in a particular subject area, including English and English as a Second Language, math from pre-algebra to calculus, science, languages, and history.

Academic Support Classes

Students are assigned to the Tutoring Center during the school day for credit-bearing individualized academic support services by CSV volunteers and peer tutors.

Classroom Assistants

Volunteers provide individualized and small group instruction within all curricular areas.

College Planning and Essay Writing

Volunteers provide assistance with college research, the college application and financial aid process as well as critiquing and assisting students in developing their application essays.

Drop-In Math Center

Math tutors are available before school each day to help students with math problems on a walk-in basis.

Science Olympiad

Volunteer advisors work closely with the high school team competing in the state-wide Science Olympiad competition by assisting with research, troubleshooting and serving as a sounding board during preparation.

6

Early Intervention Programs

Elementary Literacy 2012 254 volunteers gave 9,524 hours of free tutoring and individualized support to students during the 2011-2012 school year. Of these, 199 were Reading Buddies matched 1:1 with a student to read every week during the school year or during a semester, depending on the program.

College Planning and Essay Writing Program

Intergenerational Math Program (IMP) 2012 20 volunteers gave 1,230 hours of free tutoring and individualized support to students during the 2011-2012 school year. Students are identified by their teacher or the school’s math coach after early assessment testing. Students who receive IMP tutoring make greater gains in math during the school year than their peers.

Research demonstrates that early intervention pays off. Providing both routine services such as read-aloud programs, enrichment services such as Publishing Center, and intervention services such as literacy tutoring can help close the literacy gap for children living in poverty. Similarly, early intervention in math through intensive, one-to-one intervention and tutoring can help students catch up to their peers.

Students in the program have matriculated to:

Bentley, Boston University, Brandeis, Bridgewater State, Bunker Hill Community College, Clark, Colby-Sawyer, Daniel Webster, Dartmouth, Denison, Evergreen State College, Framingham State, Guilford, Howard U., Indiana U., Johnson & Wales, Lasell, Long Island U., Mass. Bay Community College, Middlesex Community College, Mount Holyoke College, Newbury College, Northeastern, Pace U., Reed College, Regis College, Saint Anselm, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Skidmore, Smith, Suffolk U., Syracuse, Tufts, University of California at San Diego, University of Hartford, UMass, and Virginia State University.

Our skilled and experienced tutors in the College Planning and Essay Writing Program helped 80 seniors at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School:

91% matriculated to college, with 62 going to four-year colleges and 11 to two-year colleges. Many were accepted to their top choices. 41% of the students served will be the first in the family to attend college. During this year, five remarkable students in the program, all children of recent immigrants, applied for and received full, four-year college scholarships to private colleges and universities.

7

8

Deneesha, a 2012 CRLS “Super Senior” began visiting the CSV Tutoring Center in the 9th grade when a

teacher encouraged her to get help in Language Arts. Now a freshman at Suffolk University, she reflects

back on how three different tutors impacted her during her high school years.

In 9th grade, Deneesha began working with a tutor to approach her assignments and class work by

breaking things down into more manageable pieces. She notes, “my tutor really helped me improve my

study habits.” She gained confidence doing assignments as well as classroom work. “It was a great place

to get the help I needed,” she said, even though it was a little hard to walk in that very first time.

By her junior year, Deneesha returned to ask Tutoring Center manager Rene Meshon for a math and

biology tutor. Again, she found the help invaluable, whether it was reviewing textbook assignments or

understanding class notes. The one-to-one help was exactly what she needed; her grades steadily

improved.

In her senior year, Deneesha decided to approach Ms. Meshon again to ask CSV for help writing her col-

lege application essays. She received the help she needed and was accepted as an Engineering major at

Suffolk University.

A student’s experience with CSV

A Teacher’s experience with CSV

“It's organizations like CSV that make me proud to be an educator in Cambridge. I've recommended their

tutoring services and college planning program to hundreds of my students. What they offer our

community is simply priceless. As a full-time classroom teacher I don't always have enough extra time to

help students with their reading and writing. I'm relieved when students get the additional help they

need from a dedicated, skilled, and caring volunteer because their experiences with school can be trans-

formed in such a positive way. I have seen, firsthand, my students taking greater pride in their work,

trusting that schools are places that care deeply about kids, and feeling better about their future. The stu-

dents feel blessed by the support of the volunteers.”

-Steve Matteo, CRLS English teacher and College Essay program trainer

9

A Volunteer’s experience with CSV

What other volunteers have to say:

“Supporting our next generation of scholars, parents and leaders is among the most important things we can do in our lives. I am grateful for the opportunity.” —Classroom volunteer “I love challenges, especially the challenge of trying (with the teacher’s help) to figure out how to approach the student, how to focus on the student’s strengths and weaknesses, and how to help the student develop a problem-solving technique that will help in his/her future.” —Classroom volunteer “Each interaction, whether via email or a face-to-face visit, offers a rewarding and interesting experience” —NetPal volunteerr a face-to-face visit, offers a rewarding

George Kent, a retired Navy officer with 30 years of service, much

of it on submarines, shows students a model of how persistence

and grit get results. George has natural talent as a mathematician

and engineer. A math major at the Naval Academy, George also did

graduate work in Applied Math at Brown University. The most

important lesson for the CRLS students that he tutors, however, is

the value of commitment to one’s work. For the past six years,

George has volunteered three afternoons a week. Rain, shine, or

snow, he is often dressed in full foul-weather gear from head to

toe, as nothing stops George from his commitment to our students.

The students respond to the clear message that George takes their

success seriously.

George patiently helps students to break down confusing ideas into

discrete concepts. He then helps them to develop confidence at

each level. For one recent student, this approach enabled him to

pass the MCAS math exam, a requirement for graduation in

Massachusetts. “I never thought I’d be able to pass before I

worked with Mr. Kent,” the student admitted.

There is an emerging area of research—confirming what educators

have long known—that shows that grit and determination are

character traits which best predict the educational and career

success of students. For low income students in particular, these

traits can see them through great difficulties. George’s tutoring has

awakened these traits in his students.

10

Our Corporate Partners

Cambridge Systematics

Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Genzyme Corporation

Harvard Graduate School of Education

IBM

MIT

Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

W.R. Grace & Co.

CSV gratefully acknowledges our corporate partners, who coordinate major, sustained volunteer projects—NetPals, KeyPals, and Reading Buddies — involving commitment and collaboration.

NetPals/KeyPals partners adult volunteers with middle school students who share a variety of assignments through weekly emails. The volunteers act as coaches by asking open-ended questions and encouraging students to edit and improve their work. Students & mentors meet face-to-face at 4 events throughout the year.

Reading Buddies pairs adult volunteers with 1st, 2nd or 3rd graders to read aloud weekly or biweekly, usually during the adults’ lunch hour.

CSV collaborates with other nonprofits to provide enhanced services to the students of Cambridge Public Schools. We provide administrative support for the volunteers of these organizations:

MIT Teacher Education Program

Science Club for Girls

Everybody Wins Metro Boston

Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy

Harvard Model Congress Mentoring Program

Our Collaborators

11

Our Events

On May 10, we honored our 800+ volunteers who served during the 2011-2012 academic year. The reception took place at the Gutman Library of the School of Education and was hosted by the Harvard University Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs.

Awards were given to the following outstanding volunteers:

Patricia Almeida Intergenerational Math Program, MLK, Jr. School

Denise Han Classroom Assistant, Fletcher-Maynard Academy

George Kent Tutoring Center, CRLS

Bill Sullivan Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Reading Buddy, Kennedy-Longfellow School

Matthew Weiss IBM KeyPal, Kennedy-Longfellow School

Gail Lemily Wiggins College Planning & Essay Writing, CRLS

Teacher Rose Grandinetti Mallard received the the Kenneth S. Neal Award for her long-standing efforts connecting ELL students with tutors at CRLS.

Robert Wolf and Carol Cerf were honored for 15 and 20 years respectively of volunteer service.

Mack I. Davis Awards CSV NOW!

Student speaker Jonathan Herrera with his teacher Dan Tobin and Superinten-dent Jeffrey Young at our Mack Davis

Representatives from IBM, Draper and MIT accept awards at CSV NOW!

Mayor Henrietta Davis, CSV Founder Mary Samp and Superintendent

Jeffrey Young at our CSV NOW! event.

We celebrated our commitment to the academic success of Cambridge Public School students at this special event and fundraiser on March 15 at Genzyme, a Sanofi Company, in Kendall Square.

Our keynote speaker, Amy Domini, CEO and founder of Domini Social Investments, shared her views on the importance of volunteerism and public education.

Our student speaker, CRLS sophomore Amy Tung who had participated in KeyPals in 6th grade, spoke about the program’s positive impact on her academic life.

KeyPal Program Honorees:

Draper Laboratory, IBM, & MIT

This special event honored these three companies who have dedicated their time and efforts to the long-est-running corporate program at CSV. They have been collaborating to mentor students in Cambridge for 18 years! Their extraordinary commitment to the students was gratefully acknowledged and appreciated.

Paul Parravano of MIT spoke from the heart on behalf of all three companies. Funds Raised: $27,440

89% of funds raised went directly to programs thanks to our general sponsors and to Genzyme, our champion sponsor.

Attend our next fundraising event! March 14, 2013 at Genzyme in Cambridge Food, drinks and silent auction

12

Jennifer Fries Executive Director

Kasey Appleman Director of K-8 Volunteers

Daisy Currie Office Manager & Program Assistant

James Duche Tutoring Center Teacher

Laura Margosian Director of High School Programs

Rene Meshon Tutoring Center Manager

Martha Osler Director of Volunteer Recruitment

Glen Sherman Director of Intergenerational Math Program

Lisa Van Vleck Director of Corporate Programs

Louise Adler President

Bill Zamparelli Vice President

Andrew Spooner Secretary

Susan Wellington Treasurer

Anya Alexandra Bear (joined in 2012)

Beth Chiquoine

Kimball Halsey

Lindy Hess

Andrew Magliozzi

Clare H. Nunes

Sally Peterson

Caryn Saitz

Charles Wyzanski (joined in 2012)

Our Board of Directors

Online donations: Visit our website csvinc.org and click on “Support CSV”

Donations by mail: Send a check payable to “Cambridge School Volunteers” and send to: Jennifer Fries, Executive Director Cambridge School Volunteers CRLS, 459 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02138

Volunteer! Programs are located in all Cambridge public schools K-12, Monday through Friday 7:30am—4:00pm. We are looking for volunteers who can offer at least one hour per week for at least one semester. Contact us for more information: 617-349-6794 E-mail: csv@cpsd.us

Ways to support Cambridge School Volunteers

Our Staff

13

Fiscal Year Financials

13%

11%

76%

Expenses

Administrative support $51,328

Fundraising $40,912

Program $297,278

Total Expenses: $389,518

33%

36%

5%

7%

0%

19%

Revenues

Cambridge Public Schools $131,365

Foundations & Corporations $140,670

Individual Donations $20,828

Fundraising Event $27,440

Bank Interest $9

In-kind Donations $74,688

Total Revenue: $395,000

14

Key Learnings

While this year’s number of volunteers was down by 8.6%, from 909 to 830, the number of volunteer hours has increased 15.3%, from 44,954 to 51,851.

Students received 51,851 hours of support from volunteers in FY12, up 15% compared to FY11.

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

Corporate Elementary High School Total

Ho

urs

Volunteer Hours Completed per Program Type

2010-2011

2011-2012

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Corporate Elementary High School Total

NU

mbe

r of V

olun

teer

s

Number of Volunteers per Program Type

2010-2011

2011-2012

15

Thank you to our supporters!

Albert O. Wilson Foundation $ 7,000 Biogen Idec Foundation $ 5,000 Blossom Foundation $ 10,000 Bushrod H. Campbell & Adah F. Hall Charity Fund $ 7,500 Cambridge Community Foundation $ 4,000 Cambridge Savings Charitable $ 1,500 Cambridge/Agassiz/Harvard Community, Culture & Recreation Fund $ 4,910 Charles O. Wood III and Miriam M. Wood Foundation $ 5,000 Charles Stark Draper Laboratory $ 4,000 Children's Fund/CCF - Katherine Metcalfe and Langdon Wheeler $ 650 Clipper Ship Foundation $ 10,000 Friends of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School $ 1,000 Genzyme $ 12,742 Harvard Graduate School of Education $ 2,000 IBM $ 6,000 Lars Foundation $ 7,500 Martin Fund at The Boston Foundation $ 1,000 Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research $ 10,000 Red Sox Foundation $ 10,000 Sheila Gamble Fund at Cambridge Community Foundation $ 6,000 The MathWorks $ 1,500 Volpe Center-Department of Transportation $ 9,399 W.R. Grace Foundation $ 3,000 William E. and Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust $ 10,000 Cambridge Public Schools - Total Contract $131,365 In-kind support - Cambridge Public Schools $ 63,268 In-kind support—Cambridge Systematics $ 605 In-kind support—Harvard $ 1,814 In-kind support—Genzyme $ 9,000

THE CSV CIRCLE is an opportunity for our individual donors to make a more significant commitment to Cambridge School Volunteers, both as an ambassador—promoting the strengths and successes of CSV—and as an annual con-tributor. We thank the following who have joined in the Circle during Fiscal Year 2012.

$2,000 Geoffrey & Clare Nunes $1,000 Louise Adler Lindy Hess Tom Lehrer John Stone & Sally Peterson

$750 Martelle Adler Andrew Magliozzi $500 Constance Adler $250 Marge Bernstein Jennifer Fries

$250 Daniel & Lorena Leonard Daniel & Lucy Stroock $100 Dudley Blodget J.R. Dreyer Kimball Halsey John Kaliski Ernest & Connie Kirwan

$100 Daniel Mazur Thomas McCorkle Joanne Moses Patricia Nolan Lee Robbins Linda Sanger Arthur Sills William & Kate Zamparelli