826DC is dedicated to working with students ages 6 through 18 in developing their creative and expository writing skills and to working with teachers to inspire their students to write. We provide after-school tutoring, in-school programming, evening and weekend writing workshops, field trips, a Saturday Reading All-Stars program, and student publishing opportunities all free of charge.
We believe there is a profound need for innovative academic programming that complements the curriculum in our public schools. We also know that urban illiteracy is one of America's greatest challenges, and that students with limited financial, educational, and community resources lack the tools and attention to do their best work. 826DC targets these young people who are at risk of academic failure and steps in to bridge that gap.
We have seen that our work improves students' writing skills, confidence, grades, academic success, interest in schoolwork, interest in writing, and meaningful self-expression. Young people who participate in our programs find new connections to caring volunteers in the community. In addition, our programs address both reading and writing standards for grades K-12 of the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts.
We will provide 4,000 students with free, enriching writing and after-school tutoring programs. We believe that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. Our programs are challenging and fun, and ultimately strengthen each student's power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
