Starting this year, Microsoft will sponsor full-time support for students at Ocala STEAM Academy in San Jose through its partnership with City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, an education-focused national service organization dedicated to helping students get back on track to graduate, ready for college and career. City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley serves over 7,000 students in 13 Bay Area schools every day, partnering with over twenty local corporations to provide high-quality data-driven interventions for students in need.
“We’re thrilled to partner with City Year, an organization that is tackling local community challenges and has massive impact on students and schools,” said Sid Espinosa, Director of Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at Microsoft in Silicon Valley. “Our CEO Satya Nadella recently announced that Microsoft is committed to increasing access to computer science education for all youth, especially for those from under-represented backgrounds, and partnerships like this will play a key role in achieving that goal in the Silicon Valley community.”
Microsoft’s support in Silicon Valley will allow thirteen AmeriCorps members to work full-time in sixth through eighth grade at Ocala STEAM Academy, serving over 530 students daily. Microsoft provides full-time support in five schools in the City Year network, as well as an innovative new Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) curriculum in five cities.
Nationwide, City Year AmeriCorps members serve full-time in 292 schools, providing students with tutoring and in-class support, extended day programs, as well as organizing school-wide initiatives to increase academic achievement and student engagement. A recent third-party study by Policy Studies Associates found that schools that partner with City Year are two to three times more likely to improve on state student assessments in English and math compared to similar schools. It also found that City Year partner schools gain the equivalent of one month of additional learning each year.
“It is a privilege to partner with 13 schools this year and serve over 7,000 students on the East Side – a feat only made possible by the unwavering support of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District and the East Side Union High School District. Our growth and success as a site is indebted to San Jose’s business community, our generous sponsors such as Microsoft, and, most importantly, our 138 AmeriCorps members who would not be here without the support of countless family members and friends. We’re so excited for this year and all that lies ahead,” said Toni S. Burke, City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, Vice President and Executive Director.
City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley is made possible by a public-private partnership between corporations, philanthropic individuals, the Alum Rock Union School District and East Side Union High School District, the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Learn more at www.cityyear.org, City Year’s Facebook page, and on Twitter.
