FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jul 21, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC.– On July 5, AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, joined the White House launch of the National Partnership for Student Success to meet President Biden’s call for 250,000 more tutors and mentors to accelerate student recovery and success. In addition to $122 billion in American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, AmeriCorps also has made $20 million in Volunteer Generation Funds available to assist nonprofit organizations and state commissions in recruiting and managing up to 200,000 additional volunteers in these critical positions. 

Elected officials and other leaders have applauded AmeriCorps, highlighting the impact this investment will have on communities, particularly in several of the agency’s priority areas, including economic opportunity, education and healthy futures.

See below for what they are saying:

Biden-Harris Administration and Elected Officials

“Since President Biden took office, we’ve prioritized supporting our nation’s students,” said White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice. “Today, we’re doubling down on those investments and launching a national effort to support student success—with the President calling on states and school districts to further leverage ARP funds and calling for a quarter million more adults to offer the instruction and empathy our kids need to make up for lost time.” [Release, 7/5/2022]

“Now—more than ever—students need to feel supported, seen, heard, and understood by adults in their schools and communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona. “Today’s announcements and the launch of the National Partnership for Student Success will mean more students have a trusted adult in their corner, and more adults are prepared to address students’ academic, emotional, social, and mental health needs. Together, we can help all children make up for unfinished learning, recover from the pandemic, and prepare for future success – both inside and outside the classroom.” [Release, 7/5/2022]

“Thrilled to see this partnership between AmeriCorps and [the Department of Education]. Leveraging volunteers and national service to help address educational deficits will go a long way to help students across the country make up for lost time due to the pandemic.,” said Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), co-chair of the National Service Congressional Caucus. [Tweet, 7/5/2022]

Education, Nonprofit and Other Leaders

“This moment calls us to ensure that all students have access to the resources, relationships and opportunities they need to succeed in school, college, career and adulthood, including the additional capacity provided by student success coaches,” said City Year CEO Jim Balfanz. “By collaborating with educators, parents, communities and other champions of NPSS, we can make schools, and growing up in America, more joyful, engaging and equitable for all.” [Release, 7/5/2022]

"Our schools are facing a seemingly unending set of challenges. They are dealing with staff shortages, continued COVID-19 disruptions, chronic absenteeism, a soaring student mental health crisis, and a vast shortages of substitute teachers,” said Robert Balfanz, Johns Hopkins School of Education professor and director of the Everyone Graduates Center. [Release, 7/5/2022]

“President Biden has called on Americans to serve their nation at this critical time, surrounding our teachers and students with the support they need to recover and thrive,” said AnnMaura Connolly, president of Voices for National Service. “AmeriCorps is already playing a leading role in supporting students across the country and we believe the National Partnership for Student Success offers even more opportunities for Americans to step up and serve schools and communities through national service. We encourage those who want to serve to join AmeriCorps to engage in this all-out, historic effort to ensure young people have what they need to succeed in school and life.” [Release, 7/5/2022]

“Students who face historical and structural inequities, including students of color and students experiencing poverty, often must navigate the path to postsecondary education without adequate guidance or a strong college-going culture in their high schools. COVID has only exacerbated this issue,” said Kim Cook, CEO of the National College Attainment Network. “By tapping the power of the National College Attainment Network’s more than 500 member organizations, the National Partnership for Student Success will empower more students across the country to achieve their postsecondary goals.” [Release, 7/5/2022]

“AmeriCorps programs and state service commissions have a long history and proven track record of supporting K-12 students, both in schools and through nonprofit partners. But there is more work to be done, especially in light of the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has exasperated longstanding inequities and opportunity gaps in education. America’s Service Commissions is proud to be a champion of the National Partnership for Student Success, and we look forward to many more students having access to much-needed supports thanks to this national effort,” said Kaira Esgate, America’s Service Commissions CEO.

“This is a coalition of problem-solvers, and we are excited to work with like-minded groups seeking to focus on kids’ needs right now. Accelerate is committed to ensuring that evidence-based practices are implemented to help students in as many districts as possible in the years ahead,” said Kevin Huffman, CEO of Accelerate. [Release, 7/5/2022]

“Our team at the National Student Support Accelerator is thrilled to contribute to this national effort to provide students with the learning experiences that they need to engage in school and to thrive. This effort to expand high impact tutoring really is the best opportunity we have to meaningfully improve outcomes for students across the nation,” said Susanna Loeb, director of the National Student Support Accelerator. [Release, 7/5/2022]

“The coalition of organizations that have come together to support the NPSS is extraordinary and recognizes that there is no one size fits all approach to meeting the needs of all learners equitably. Communities, service organizations, and educators alongside parents need to have the tools, information and people-powered support to meet this moment and ensure that all young people are thriving and on a pathway to success,” said Erin Mote, executive director, InnovateEDU. [Release, 7/5/2022]

“The National Partnership for Student Success announced today by the Biden administration will bolster and strengthen our nation’s public schools,” said National Education Association President Becky Pringle. “We look forward to working with the Biden administration and other key national stakeholders to implement this initiative and drive the groundswell of support for our public schools across this nation.” [Release, 7/5/2022]

“As the country’s largest in school provider of wraparound around/integrated student supports, we at Communities In Schools are thrilled to see the administration and NPSS focus on building an army of collaborators connecting students to resources and aligning existing assets. Our overburdened educators experience a deep challenge in getting students turned onto learning because there is so much that is getting in the way of living. We need to rethink how our systems bring a people-powered, relationship-centered approach to the fight,” said Rey Saldaña, president and CEO of Communities In Schools. [Release, 7/5/2022]

“Mentoring is proven, time-tested, and central in our efforts to meet the vast intersectional needs of our nation’s students that have been amplified by the pandemic — from identity development to learning and relational loss, to trauma and uncertainty. This is our opportunity to reinvent people-powered personalized student supports so that our educators, school support staff, and community-based organizations have the resources and coordination necessary to help every student develop, thrive, and strive. By focusing on delivering on relationships for all students, we can meet this moment of reinvention in our schools — and most importantly, for and with all students. MENTOR is proud to serve as one of the lead [technical assistance organizations] for the National Partnership for Student Success to expand the prioritization, provision, and integration of high-quality mentoring in the experience of all students,” said David Shapiro, CEO, MENTOR. [Release, 7/5/2022]

“Coming out of the pandemic, educators, school staff and parents are working together to meet kids’ increased needs, in the classroom and beyond. That means tutors and mentors, student support and success coordinators, and a village of caring adults to help kids’ academic growth, social development and mental health. We are pleased to support this effort—which harnesses the power and resources of government, youth development and service organizations—to work in tandem with public schools, teachers, and school staff, not in competition with them, and help our students access the tools they need to recover and thrive,” said Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers president. [Release, 7/5/2022]

Press Highlights

“With the National Partnership for Student Success initiative, the White House challenged schools, nonprofits and government youth-serving organizations to leverage $122 billion in American Rescue Plan education funding to invest in proven strategies like high-quality tutoring, mentoring, afterschool programs and summer learning opportunities that address student mental health, enrichment, and academic needs and interests,” wrote Aaron Dworkin and Tom Rosenberg, The 74. [Article, 7/18/2022]

“Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the National Partnership for Student Success as a step in this direction. This three-year initiative brings together a coalition of more than 70 education, service and youth-development organizations to recruit, train and support an additional 250,000 adults to provide targeted student supports in schools. It is a partnership spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Education, Americorps, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University. The NPSS aims to be a national body that supports local efforts,” wrote Jin-Soo Huh, EdSurge. [Article, 7/13/2022]

“A new National Partnership for Student Success will bring together school districts, nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions to recruit, train, place and support screened adults who can assist with students’ learning, according to a U.S. Department of Education announcement Tuesday...Through the new program, tutors could sign up to help students through volunteer or national service opportunities, mentoring programs, or work-study options. The partnership is a collaboration between the Education Department, AmeriCorps and the Johns Hopkins Everyone Graduates Center,” wrote K-12 Dive staff. [Article, 7/5/2022]

“The White House announced a series of actions to push back against pandemic learning loss, which includes urging schools nationwide to use the $122 billion in funds from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan COVID-relief package to bolster tutoring, summer learning and after-school programs and increase staff. Part of the administration’s efforts include the creation of the National Partnership for Student Success, a coalition of leading national education and youth development organizations that will work to expand tutoring and mentoring programs across the country,” wrote Joseph Guzman, The Hill. [Article, 7/6/2022]

“The Biden administration on Tuesday will launch a new effort to recruit 250,000 mentors and tutors to help students who have fallen back in their learning during the coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. The program, which will be led by AmeriCorps and the Department of Education along with other service organizations, will seek to get adults to fill the roles over the next three years. Students on average are two to four months behind in reading and math as a result of the pandemic, a White House official said. The program is intended to help address that deficit,” wrote Jeff Mason, Reuters. [Article, 7/5/2022]

“The new partnership brings together 75 education nonprofits and organizations... to create a pipeline of volunteer support staff, including tutors, mentors, mental health professionals, and counselors, in schools. AmeriCorps is tasked with leading the partnership by using $20 million in American Rescue Plan volunteer-related funds to assist the nonprofits with recruiting and managing 250,000 additional volunteers. The partnership already launched a website where interested volunteers can sign up to participate and school districts can fill out forms to receive help,” wrote Libby Stanford, Education Week. [Article, 7/8/2022]

“During his 2022 State of the Union address, Biden called on Americans to volunteer as tutors and mentors to help address the impact of missed instruction during the pandemic. To facilitate that, the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday launched the National Partnership for Student Success — a program that seeks to recruit 250,000 adult volunteers over the next three years to serve as tutors and mentors in schools,” wrote Ali Tadayon, EdSource. [Article, 7/5/2022]

“AmeriCorps, the Education Department and other groups are launching a new drive to recruit 250,000 tutors and mentors for schoolchildren over the next three years, the administration announced today. They’re aiming to help students recoup some of the pandemic-era learning loss that has afflicted classrooms. And the White House is urging schools to use pandemic relief money for after-school, summer and tutoring help,” wrote Eli Okun, Politico. [Article, 7/5/2022]

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency invests in grants for local nonprofit, community, tribal, and state organizations; places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.