The organization is very controlling and values their image and branding over their corps members and the work they do. In addition, City Year is very interested in not just the positive notion of diversity but also showing off physical diversity in a forceable way. For example, during yearly events that promote City Year, corps members are chosen/invited to go based on their race and gender.
Working in the schools is very challenging as well. City Year is very data-driven. Corps members are either assigned/get to choose their a group of 15-17 students to put on their focus list. These students are chosen based on the prediction that they have the most potential for growth - therefore the students that are extremely below grade level proficiency will not be able to be a focus list student...
I think that data-driven work is great only when it provides unbiased inferences. However, City Year only appears to want positive data. Of course if a corps member works with a student in a tutoring/mentoring session throughout the year, their grades will improve! So of course the data will 99% most likely be positive. What a great model for showing off genuine information to potential sponsors and supports of City Year. (sarcasm~)
My question is what happens to former focus list students the next academic year, if they don't have City Year. Most likely, grades will go down...too bad no data is found on that.
Another negative side to City Year is the fact that it is open to anyone with a high school degree (ages 17-24). I don't mean to be too judgmental but City Year has some crazy corps members that they accept. I always heard this fact around the office: "You are special because you are 1 out of 6 that made it to the corps!") What a bunch of malarky. I think (1) you shouldn't be able to work with City Year straight out of high school and (2) there should be a GPA cut off. Not only are there crazy corps members, some (I KNOW), do not know how to be positive role models to their students/understand what they are tutoring their students in.
City Year is also very inefficient. But you can read all the other comments below or you can become a corps member yourself and then take down the establishment from the inside!!!!
