826 National chapters provide students with high-quality, engaging, and hands-on literary arts programs that empower them to develop their creative and expository writing skills. From personal narratives to poetry, our students engage in interdisciplinary learning, using writing and creativity to enrich and expand upon their studies in school.

Students become published authors as they see their writing progress from a draft to a recorded song, performed screenplay, or professionally-bound book. 826 National’s chapters publish hundreds of pieces of student writing, celebrating their hard work and showcasing the result. In the process, students are placed in decision-making roles, developing critical thinking skills as they collaborate with instructors and peers.

Each of our writing and tutoring centers welcomes students through a storefront with an imaginative theme, such as spies or pirates. These inviting spaces help create a “third place” (Oldenburg, 1989) an exciting, fun, and safe learning-environment, separate from home and school, that removes any perceived stigma associated with going to a tutoring center.

Our chapters are vital and vibrant parts of their communities. The force behind 826 National is our vast, dedicated, and hard-working corps of volunteers and community members. Volunteers enable us to offer individualized attention to our students, broaden our reach, and help ensure the quality of our efforts and the students’ experience.

Our goal is to be a resource to teachers through field trips to our writing centers, in-school programs, and specialized workshops. Bringing our programs to the classroom directly supports teachers as they inspire their students to write.

COMMITMENT TO LITERACY

IMAGINATIVE STOREFRONTS

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

TEACHER & CLASSROOM SUPPORT

VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

826THE

MODEL

SAN FRANCISCONEW YORK

LOS ANGELESANN ARBOR/DETROIT

CHICAGOBOSTON

WASHINGTON DC

826 VALENCIA 826NYC 826LA 826CHI 826MICHIGAN 826 BOSTON 826DCThe Pirate Supply Store

The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.

The Echo Park & Mar Vista Time Travel Marts

The Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co.

The Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair

The Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute

The Museum of Unnatural History

The network

Students served 2013 - 14 Students served 2013 - 14 Students served 2013 - 14 Students served 2013 - 14 Students served 2013 - 14 Students served 2013 - 14 Students served 2013 - 144,873 2,518 8,614 3,381 3,065 3,018 3,381

826 National is an award-winning network of nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing under-resourced students, ages 6 to 18, with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. All of our programs are free of charge and serve students in and out of school. Our mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

917

6,042 9901,924

SERVEDTEACHERS

ACTIVEVOLUNTEERS

STUDENTPUBLICATIONS

730 218 378TUTORING SESSIONSAFTER-SCHOOL

FOR 324FIELD TRIPS IN-SCHOOL

PROJECTS INWRITINGWORKSHOPS

SCHOOLS 88 SCHOOLS

85% of students who responded to the post-program survey felt that participating in the 826 After-School Tutoring program helped them become better writers.

826BY THE NUMBERSOUR NATIONWIDE IMPACT from 2013 - 2014

32,041SERVEDSTUDENTS

• 92% of students reported that after a year of 826’s after-school tutoring, they felt confident in their ability to complete their homework assignments.

• 89% of parents of after-school tutoring students said their child’s writing skills improved with help from 826.

• 99% of teachers who participated in 826 National’s field trips said the experience was a valuable and unique learning opportunity.

• 86% of students participating in an 826 National in-school project reported that volunteers helped them increase their confidence about writing.

• 97% of teachers we collaborated with said their students were engaged and challenged during in-school projects and that 826 is a good resource for teachers.

45% of volunteers observed that students were more persistent in completing their work.

EVALUATION OF THE 826 AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING PROGRAMIn October 2013, 826 National contracted Arbor Consulting Partners to conduct a national study on the impact of its After-School Tutoring program on participating students. Among the key findings:

29% of volunteers observed gains in students’ ability to set and meet goals.

• 826 After-School Tutoring is a model program in which a culture of creativity infuses both homework help and creative writing opportunities.

• Students in the 826 After-School Tutoring program become part of a community of learners and writers, supported by committed volunteers and staff who are devoted to helping them succeed.

• With the support of volunteers and staff—and within an environment permeated by a culture of creativity—students develop “habits of mind” that support the achievement of positive academic outcomes.

2013 - 2014 data includes information reported by 826 Seattle. As of November 2014, 826 Seattle is no longer a part of the 826 National network.

KEY STRENGTHS OF THE 826 AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING PROGRAM AS IDENTIFIED BY ARBOR CONSULTING PARTNERS

826 centers offer a variety of inventive programs that provide under-resourced students with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills . . . In the [project-based] process, youth create a product they often are very proud of—and they develop an expanded sense of self. In the case of 826, program directors work hard to enable participants to view themselves as published authors. Ryan Lewis, [former] director of research and evaluation, said, ‘In the beginning when you hand a student a book and you say, ‘We’re going to make something like this,’ there’s a lot of dismissal. Then 10 weeks down the line, when they’re actually holding the book, all the disbelief flips into excitement and pride over that work.’ The organization emphasizes the young people’s new role as writers by having them create author biographies and giving the now-published young scribes a table full of their books to sign for their fans.”

Imagine a store where an old-time pirate might shop and where pirate-themed products and humorous signs abound. Inspiration flourishes in 826 Valencia’s fanciful Pirate Supply Store in San Francisco’s Mission District. The store is one of [seven] sites in the 826 network of creative writing and tutoring centers throughout the United States.

With pro bono design support, a project budget, and a healthy dose of imagination, the front part of the facility has been transformed into an intriguing, wondrous environment. Youth participating in writing workshops or drop-in tutoring move

ON OUR THEMED CREATIVE WRITING CENTERS:

The Wallace Foundation is dedicated to improving education and enrichment for children. In 2013, The Wallace Foundation released the report Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Programs from Urban Youth and Other Experts. 826 National was selected as one of eight case-study organizations that exemplify the ability to reach tweens and create successful after-school programming.

SOMETHING TO SAY The Wallace Foundation on 826 National

EXCERPTS FROM

through this wonderland to the private, rear portion of the building devoted to 826 Valencia’s programs, where the pirate theme continues in an intentionally warm ambience. The space is inviting, whimsical, and full of student projects such as published anthologies. It is a place where young people like to spend time.

The Pirate Supply Store began as an effort to comply with zoning regulations requiring a retail storefront. However, 826 came to realize that quirky spaces help attract youth and volunteers and set the stage for creativity, so the organization made imagination-sparking storefronts a signature of

“

its program sites . . . As a bonus, the stores generate profits that support programming.”

“

ON OUR PROJECT-BASED LEARNING MODEL:

Each year, 826 partners local classrooms with professional writers and editors through the Young Authors’ Book Project. Students spend three to four months crafting essays, short stories, or poems around a particular theme, and collaborate with volunteer tutors throughout the publishing process. Once the project is complete, students celebrate with a release party—reading their work in front of a rapt audience. The final book is a stunning reflection of months of hard work, engagement, and dedication on the part of students, teachers, and tutors.

OUR LATEST YOUNG AUTHORS’ BOOK PROJECT PUBLICATIONS

STUDENT PUBLICATIONS

YOUNG AUTHORS’ BOOK PROJECT

826 Boston 826CHI826DC 826LA

826michigan 826NYC

826 Valencia

One of the most powerful elements of 826 programming is the publication of student writing produced each year by our chapters and the National office. In 2013-14, the chapters in the 826 National network produced 990 unique student publications, making our population of 32,041 students published authors.

A signature publishing program from 826 National

I’m a Flame You Can’t Put Out Even a Lion Can Get Lost in the JungleEveryone is Moving, No One in Place Beyond the Gates and Fences Enjoy! Recipes for Building Community Chicken Makes the Ice Cream Taste BetterUncharted Places: An Atlas of Being Here

Writing Centers Seek to Unlock Youths’ CreativityLiana Heitin, Education Week, June 10, 2014

Audrey Petty, Chicago Tribune, Aug. 15, 2014Even a Lion Can Get Lost in the Jungle, a vivid collection of short essays, is issued from the wide world of a Chicago neighborhood. The young writers who participated in this 826CHI publication project at Harvard Academy of Excellence document the community of Englewood as it once was, as it is becoming, as it might become.

Topher Kandik, who teaches the 9th and 10th grade creative-writing class at the SEED School, said having the book published was a powerful part of the process. “The goal is to make [students] feel like they belong—that it’s not outside the [realm of] possibility that they could be a writer.”

826DC Teaches Young Readers and Writers ‘The World Is as Amazing as You Imagine It to Be’Emma Brown, The Washington Post, Nov. 10, 2013“Every night at 9 p.m., there’s a caveman who comes here,” whispers wide-eyed Wesley Nunez, who is 9-years-old and an unabashed fan of this Columbia Heights nonprofit organization, dedicated to inspiring kids to become better readers, writers and students.

11 Ways to Use Your Skills to Do GoodKate Rockwood, O Magazine, Dec. 2013

826CHI Students Capture Life in Englewood “Antonio became T.O., and

then Bankroll. All of his names changed as he grew into the streets . . . Bankroll didn’t know where to turn. Even a lion can get lost in the jungle, and soon Bankroll found himself stuck in the madness.”

there, they’re, and their. Tutors with 826 National chapters assist students with their writing, giving them new ways to express themselves and succeed in school.

Annesti W., student at 826CHI, grade 8

Review of 826michigan’s Where Is It Coming From?Maria Russo, New York Times, Dec. 17, 2014Many of the stories display the wonderfully frank approach to physical life so often squashed by squeamish adult censorship. “Trip to Atlanta,” by Riley Jackson, tells about a long drive down South, culminating in the declaration, once she was there with her relatives, that the author “was feeling so proud that my dad drove all the way from Detroit to Atlanta without going to the bathroom.”

Help kids and teens get beyond the grammar grind of

826 NationalRECENT PRESS

Hidden Tutoring Centers Provide 'Unnatural' EducationSally Holland, CNN, Dec. 7, 2010

How Dave Eggers Is Making Learning FunKasey Wehrum, Inc. Magazine, May 2011

The idea, says [826 National Co-Founder Nínive Calegari], is to create an environment in which students can get the individual attention . . . while providing them with fun projects that can spark an interest in creative writing. “We see 826 as an opportunity to support teachers by bringing in the community to help them,” she says. “Even with the best teachers, there’s a huge gap between how much attention they would like to give their students and how much attention they are actually able to.”

At first glance, it’s a hoax: a storefront for a Museum of Unnatural History, complete with a bizarre animal skeleton visible through the front window and unicorn tears for sale. It’s perfect for luring in curious children. But when volunteers get kids past the upside-down coyote hanging from the ceiling and the owl with an elephant trunk, they shape young minds with after-school tutoring, writing workshops and books written by kids.

Youth Literacy Organizations Win Library of Congress AwardsAmy Wickner, Education Week, Sept. 24, 2013

826 National . . . has won the American Literacy Prize, a $50,000 award. 826, with networks and physical offices in major cities like Boston, San Francisco, and New York, offers in- and after-school tutoring programs, field trips, one-time creative writing workshops, and publishing opportunities for young people in schools with high populations of at-risk students.

826 NationalPRESS HIGHLIGHTS

Dear Sir Obama: Presidential AdviceJory John, The New York Times, Jan. 16, 2009

Every day after school about 65 children come to our center to get help with their homework. The place is always vibrant, but on Nov. 5, 2008, the 20 tutors in the room essentially played zone defense to keep things in order. For the students, the election of Barack Obama had overturned their world.

Dear President Obama,

If I were president, I would tell people to not talk too much. It wastes time. I’d also say to war: no more, no more, no more! — Catherine G., student at 826CHI, grade 1

“If you want people to engage in activity, you find a way for them to have fun with it. 826 is a genius at that.” —Kathleen Yancy, English Professor at Florida State University

“It’s hard to pick one [favorite moment] because most are just ordinary moments where the kids are being awesome and creative. So, maybe the afternoon I taught Jamel how to divide fractions, which he was convinced he could not possibly do. Or that time that Bianca and Ehmily didn’t have homework so they spent two hours making me awesome hats out of colored paper.” —Naomi Taub, volunteer at 826CHI

WHAT OTHERS SAYTestimonials

“I love to see the confidence that my daughter has now about her homework, and how happy she is to have more time to spend with family.” —Luís Gironza, parent at 826NYC

“How does it feel to be a published author? It honestly feels unreal. I feel as if now nothing can stop me from achieving my goals.” —Michelle D., student at 826LA, grade 10

“826 has proved, over and over, that a sense of humor and the ability to laugh while writing will produce astonishing results.” —Judd Apatow, film producer, screenwriter, and director

“Students’ writing improved in the area most challenging to cultivate—voice.” —Nora Tsoutsis, partner teacher at 826 Boston

In February 2015, Jossey-Bass published STEM to Story: Enthralling and Effective Lesson Plans for Grades 5-8. The book is a result of a partnership between 826 National and Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds—an initiative dedicated to connecting young people to the wonders of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). STEM to Story aligns with both Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Designed in conjunction with 826 National staff, volunteers, and professionals in each field, the book provides teachers, out-of-school providers, and parents with lesson plans, workshops, and hands-on projects. STEM to Story inspires learning through fun, engaging, and meaningful lessons that fuse hands-on discovery in STEM with creative writing. The book is for sale on Amazon and in bookstores nationwide.

“A fabulous resource for teaching students one of the most important lessons: that science is fun, creative, and tremendously important for everyone.”— Rebecca Skloot, science writer and author of The New York Times Best seller, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

STEM to STORY826 National’s Latest Educational Resource

“One of the great tragedies of traditional science education is that students often fail to realize that science is a deeply creative process. How wonderful to see in STEM to Story the science curriculum organically entwined with creative writing, bringing both imagination and the art of expression directly into the science classroom.”— Brian Greene, Professor of Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University; World Science Festival Co-Founder