Discover Citizens

Citizens was founded in 2013 through a concert of deep community roots and the support of a national network. Citizens has been on a seven-year journey marked with key successes.

Our Mission
To provide an excellent public education focused on developing and demonstrating understanding while building connections within a diverse community.

Understanding

Learning best occurs when students construct their own understandings, under the guidance of a teacher who offers varying levels of support, which are reflective of students’ current abilities and needs. Our theory of learning is comprised of three building blocks: constructivism, gradual release of responsibility, and data-driven instruction.

Connection

CWC’s academic model supports and depends upon connections with self, one’s community, and the world. Our model supports this development through social emotional learning (SEL), which we believe to be as integral to an excellent education as traditional academic subjects and, moreover, is necessary for the world that we live in.

Diversity

We believe that the diversity of our communities, and of the world at large, is a great strength. Through targeted outreach and recruitment, our schools are intentionally designed to reflect their surrounding communities and the larger society in terms of race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. By learning, interacting, and growing in a diverse setting, our students are preparing to thrive in the pluralistic society they will soon join.

Diverse in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, and languages spoken, our faculty boasts:

Over 50% holding Master’s degrees

Over 50% having worked, lived, or studied extensively outside the United States

Classroom teachers with an average of 6+ years of classroom experience

Our Values

As a school community, we are guided by our core values of Excellence, Diversity, Authenticity, Community and Change, and our operating norms that reflect a commitment to personal and professional growth, including operating as learners, with curiosity, integrity and humility.

Excellence

We strive to do our best.

Diversity

We respect our differences.

Authenticity

We dare to be ourselves.

Community

We engage in our community.

Change

We roll with change.

The core values are celebrated among our community throughout the school day. Students give shout outs to one another in their classroom community circles, and teachers celebrate successes of all kinds by recognizing students through shout outs during announcements every Friday morning and at our monthly Friday Morning Sing community assembly.