Press Release 2/17/04

Project Citizen at Byrd Academy: Fifth Graders Tackle a Big Problem

For several months, fifth grade students at Byrd Community Academy in Chicago have been identifying problems facing their school and community. Coming up with a list of problems was not difficult. In short time, the fifth graders raised 89 serious problems they want to see addressed. When they reviewed their list, they realized that most of the problems fell under one main category: their school building is in poor condition and lacks many of the facilities needed for proper learning. The students have come up with an ambitious public policy solution to their problem: appeal to the both the City of Chicago, the Capital Improvement Program and Chicago Board of Education to provide them with a new school building.

These students are taking part in Project Citizen, a national program for 5^th-8^th graders sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation and the Center for Civic Education. Using steps of the program, students identify a problem in their community, generate and examine alternative solutions to the problem, create a policy that addresses it, and then implement an action plan to get that policy addressed, altered or passed. Because Project Citizen enables students to select the problem they often become highly engaged in the process and the outcome. “Project Citizen allows my students to focus on a meaningful problem that affects them personally,” says teacher Brian Schultz. “By using an interest-based approach to learning, the project empowers my students to take responsibility for their inquiry and motivates them to dig deep into the issues that have worth to them. They show ownership in the problem and in turn have buy-in to solving it."

When it comes to the problem of the Byrd Academy building, these students are determined and motivated. Their list of failings for their school building - located in Cabrini Green - is a long one. The problems identified include a lack of consistent heating, damaged windows, inadequate personal storage, bathrooms that offer no privacy and have leaking sinks, and discolored water in the drinking fountains. What makes these students believe that repairing the existing building is not applicable is that currently their school has no auditorium, gym or lunchroom. Students eat lunch and attend assemblies in hallways, and must leave the building to use a borrowed facility across the street for gym class. “It would be easier to learn if we could be comfortable and warm,” said one of the students. The class stresses that a new school building would provide fewer distractions to learning, more comfort, healthier areas for eating and would save time wasted traveling to gym in another building.

The students’ are in the midst of the next step in the project: getting the word out to city and school board officials who can respond to their request. They have created an action plan that includes researching, petitioning, surveying, writing, photographing, interviewing and writing letters to anyone they think might be willing and able to help their cause. They have sought Local School Council assistance and have the support of the administration and teachers who are also calling for a new school building, something it turns out had been promised to them years back. These students plan to spend the next several months working with the cooperation of their administration to make the urgency of their situation known, and encourage the Chicago Board of Education to build them a proper facility in which to learn.

For further inquiry contact:

Mr. Brian Schultz, 773-615-0100 or

Rev. Eric Sloss, 773-534-8430