Civicorps School, a K-5 elementary school focused on citizenship education and civic responsibility, was founded as part of the East Bay Conservation Corps.  In 1999, the agency created the mission and pedagogy for a charter elementary school in the Oakland Unified School District.

Civicorps Schools (formerly the East Bay Conservation Corps) promotes citizenship and builds a civil society by creating educational models that draw upon the power of service as a way of learning. Its mission statement recognizes that an educated citizenry is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy and asserts that students who learn not only academic knowledge but also their potential for changing the world become capable, caring citizens.

These beliefs shape the guiding principles of Civicorps Schools and are embodied in its commitment to:

• Academic excellence
• Artistic literacy
• Values, ethics, and spiritual development necessary to thoughtful citizenship in a pluralistic, democratic society
• Service as a way of learning
• Participation in the life of the school and the community through stewardship of the environment
• Creative partnerships in sustaining public education

HISTORY

Civicorps grew out of a well-respected and long-running movement to give young adults a chance to learn job, life, and citizenship skills through environmental service projects while furthering their education.

The founding executive director, Joanna Lennon, helped establish urban conservation corps throughout the nation, with the East Bay Conservation Corps as the model. She was among those who crafted initial standards for service-learning, and her corps was the first to be awarded a Learn & Service America Leadership grant for its school-based program, project YES.

In addition, the East Bay Conservation Corps helped train teachers in service-learning and played a significant part in passing the National Community Service Act of 1990.

In 2007, the East Bay Conservation Corps drafted a charter for Civicorps Academy, integrating much of its history into an urban elementary school.

CURRICULUM
Civicorps School seeks to develop in students three kinds of literary: academic, artistic, and civic.  Angelina Vergara, the school’s service-learning coordinator, describes the school’s aim as “giving each student the tools, strategies, and knowledge to succeed academically, express themselves creatively, and participate in a democratic society.”         

Service-learning is a key part of the school’s civic learning curriculum.  For instance, Civicorps has partnered with a nearby senior center to develop intergeneration projects and create writing materials and projects related to language arts. 

Civicorps also promotes service to the school.  Students assess the schools’ needs and on Wednesdays engage in projects that improve school grounds and policies.  One significant service project has been around the 4 R’s—reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot. 

“Our first goal is to get everyone on the same page academically,” says Vergara.  “For service to be integrated into the curriculum, you need something solid to integrate it with.” 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Civicorps is autonomous in its hiring decisions.  Although its staff is highly qualified and credentialed in academic teaching, it attracts teachers who also have experience with service-learning and connect with the civic mission.

Professional development is 75% focused on academics, 25% focused on civics, Vergara reports.  Teachers use tested strategies and are trained in the New Leaders for New Schools program.

In the summer, staff participate in an institute designed to break down the language of citizenship and define what the term means, especially for younger students.  Teachers developed a curricular framework that enforced responsibility, caring for others, and leadership.

In addition, staff engages in a good deal of informal dialogue on civic learning.  “They put out questions, consult with other teachers, and ask for coaching when they encounter difficulties,” says Vergara.  “Right now, we’re really looking to develop citizenship education.  The culture of service is already integrated.”

CLIMATE AND CULTURE
Civicorps’ strongest work may be in its creating a language around citizenship.  “We’ve worked on creating a civic vocabulary and identity and a community of service, respect, and responsibility,” says Vergara.  On the first day of school, students were greeted with a banner saying “Welcome Citizen Leaders.” 

On Mondays, the school gathers for a community meeting and teachers identify a characteristics of a citizen leader: “A citizen leader walks and whispers in the hall because she respects her classmates and knows that they are learning…”  “A citizen leader wears a hall pass because he knows he has to be safe…” 

When students are spotted behaving like a citizen leader, they are given a paper leaf.  “In that way,” says Vergara, “we are creating a tree that shows our community is growing.”