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Lynn Superintendent of Schools Catherine Latham praised United Way’s Lynn AmeriCorps program.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNN — A joint initiative of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, AmeriCorps and Lynn Public Schools is showing improvements in academic engagement and reducing the dropout rate among immigrant students in Lynn.
The program, which engages middle and high school students, is adding Lynn English High School and Lynn Vocational Technical Institute for the 2015-16 school year.
“We have been extremely pleased and fortunate to have AmeriCorps volunteers in our schools through the United Way’s Lynn AmeriCorps Program,” said Dr. Catherine Latham, superintendent of Lynn Public Schools. “They have helped many of our newcomers overcome their language-learning challenges and bolster the strength of our services, and they are great examples of the merit of public service. AmeriCorps has become a valuable program for Lynn Public Schools and it is our hope that this program will continue to grow.”
For three years, an AmeriCorps team has worked alongside Lynn Public Schools and community-based organizations in the city to tutor, mentor and provide family support services to immigrant students who may be facing academic challenges.
Nearly 470 middle and high school students received services during the 2014-15 school year. Seventy-five percent showed improved academic engagement and were promoted to the next grade. Sixty percent showed increased performance in a core academic class.
Immigrant and English Language Learning (ELL) students from Lynn Classical High School who received services earned an average grade of 80 percent in the core subject in which they worked with an AmeriCorps member. Immigrant and ELL students at Lynn Classical who did not get AmeriCorps help earned an average grade of 71 percent in the same courses.
“Key to the successful outcomes for students is the increased coordination and communication between the schools and the community-based organizations who are typically providing after-school programmings,” said Michael K. Durkin, president of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. “With AmeriCorps team members as connectors, staff from the Lynn schools and the out-of-school time programs could identify students in need of academic support and provide them with tutoring and other services. It’s an example of leveraging all the resources that the city has to offer to help students succeed.”
There are 15 AmeriCorps team members working at Marshall Middle School, Breed Middle School, Lynn Classical High School, Lynn English High School, Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, Lynn Housing and Neighborhood Development (LHAND), Girls Inc., New American Center, Lynn YMCA and La Vida and Children’s Law Center.
The partnership selected Lynn because of its concentrated immigrant population. According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 54 percent of students in Lynn Public Schools live in a household where English is not the primary language, compared to 18 percent of students statewide.
The graduation rate among ELL students in Lynn is 56 percent, compared to 85 percent statewide, according to the department.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at bturcotte@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.