Citizen Schools: Catalyst

Providing teachers with the tools and supports for STEM project-based learning in middle schools classrooms with STEM professionals  

Our new pilot program, Catalyst, offers Citizen Schools’ core competency of citizen-driven learning to schools and teachers. This new model builds off the foundation of our research-backed and proven Expanded Learning Time (ELT) model elements, including our apprenticeships, in the design of tools, resources and training to bring real world problem solving and exposure to STEM professionals into the traditional school day.

Last year, we designed and tested a new model in partnership with a cohort of teacher co-designers and innovative district and school leaders.

The core principles informing the design of Catalyst are:

• Innovate through a design thinking approach — maintain fierce focus on the needs of our customers (schools and teachers) by leveraging a human centered design approach to product design and delivery systems

• Leverage core assets from our proven ELT model — center solutions around our core competency of volunteer recruitment, training, support and partnership with instructional staff

• Seek partnerships — where possible, leverage opportunities  for collaboration with high quality providers as a complement to our core assets & unique value proposition in the market

We have evidence that mentorship and maker-centered learning works to inspire students, shift mindsets toward career pathways, and build critical 21st century skills. Our current direct service model is too costly to bring mentorship and project based learning to the ~4MM low income middle school aged students in this country who deserve access to and could benefit from this approach. And our partners are interested in ways to offer opportunities to volunteer to many more employees, but need more scalable options to do so.

Our goal over the next 12 months is to complete the design and pilot phases of Catalyst to produce the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) we will bring to market in the first post-pilot year (the 2019-20 school) including technology (Learning Management System and online volunteer matching platform), staffing, and assessment tools to demonstrate Catalyst’s efficacy. 

In the pilot year (2017-18), Catalyst reached 500 students and 10 middle school teachers in urban public schools in three states. The teachers participated in trainings and received on-going virtual and in-person coaching and support, and shared extremely valuable feedback as the first cohort of participating teachers.

In the first pilot year (the 2017-18 school year), 500 students were served across three states. In 2018-19, we plan to reach approximately 3,000 students. In three years, we expect to reach approximately 27,000 students annually.

For Catalyst, we will raise philanthropic funds to fund this innovation and capacity-building in the early years; over time, corporate and public funding (school and district payments) will fund all operating costs. We will concurrently reduce expenses by further leveraging technology and partnerships to reach more schools and students.

Participation in the Solve community will generate partnerships and learning opportunities with peer organizations. In the near term, our hope would be that Solve can help advance our work within some or all of the following priority areas:

During the first two years of the pilot, significant investments are being made in initial tool development and capacity, such as curriculum development, online learning modules, and customization of the matching platform and Learning Management System. Approaching this as a pilot process provides for substantial iteration of these tools and resources prior to more significant scale. We would welcome Solve's support in achieving this balance of initial development and iteration with an eye towards ultimately rapid scale.