BOSTON — United Way has announced an expansion of its North Shore AmeriCorps Program, which is aimed at improving the academic performance of English Language Learners in Lynn, Salem and Gloucester public schools.
In Lynn, more than 25 percent of students are English Language Learners (ELL) and, in Salem, that population is more than 13 percent. Gloucester’s ELL population is lower, at about 5 percent, but is expected to grow.
Twenty new members were sworn into the North Shore program earlier this month at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, which has expanded into Gloucester for the first time for the 2019-2020 service year.
The new volunteers will partner with K-12 schools in the three cities to provide tutoring and mentoring to immigrants, refugees and students with a first language other than English. The goal of the partnership is to support the English proficiency and social-emotional development of students, according to United Way.
United Way started the program in Lynn and Salem to help the schools respond to a growing number of ELL students who needed better services in order to ensure their academic success.
In 2013, in Lynn, for example, the public schools were finding that many of those students were failing to graduate high school, which left them unprepared for college or a well-paying job. This led to the North Shore program being founded, according to United Way’s website.
Statistics provided by United Way showed that last year, 89 percent of ELL students in Lynn and Salem reported that they felt working with an AmeriCorps member helped them do better in school and 82 percent said they felt more confident using their English since the start of the year. In addition, 74 percent of those students said they felt more connected to their communities.
“Schools and community organizations need support to help ensure English Learner students graduate high school prepared for college and career paths,” said Michael K. Durkin, president and chief executive officer at United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, in a statement.
“It’s a challenge no one organization can tackle alone, and we are proud to bring together the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Massachusetts Service Alliance, public schools and community-based organizations to invest in English Learner students and help ensure their educational success.”
The 20 members with the North Shore AmeriCorps program are serving in 11 public schools and five community organizations across Lynn, Salem and Gloucester this school year.
Those sites in Lynn include Thurgood Marshall Middle School, Breed Middle School, Lynn Classical and Lynn Classical High schools, Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, Girls Inc. of Lynn, New American Center, Metro North YMCA, and Gregg Neighborhood House.
Sites in Salem include Witchcraft Elementary School, Collins Middle School, Salem High School and LEAP for Education. In Gloucester, the program will partner with Veterans Memorial Elementary School, O’Maley Innovation Middle School and Gloucester High School.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at an event hosted by the Massachusetts Service Alliance and the Massachusetts office of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which featured remarks from U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass) and Barbara Stewart, CNCS CEO. There are more than 1,000 AmeriCorps members statewide.