A Day in the Life of a One World Academy Student
One World Education is the largest writing program in DC. They serve 5,000 middle school, high school, and adult students annually through their in-school and afterschool programs. Their afterschool program, the One World Academy, enables high potential but underperforming students to research a social justice issue, write an argumentative essay, and prepare a presentation for the citywide student showcase, the One World Challenge, at the end of the semester.
Meet Mahir, a 6th-grade student who’s part of the One World Academy. His day starts like any other with classes and tests, but it’s what happens after school that truly sets him apart. At 4pm, Mahir walks into the One World Academy, greeted by peers, pizza, program managers, and teacher-leaders. The room buzzes with energy as students settle in and get ready to dive into an evening of fun learning.
Today’s session is focused on finishing the final essay draft. Students choose their social justice research topic at the beginning of the semester, and spend eight weeks refining, writing, and editing their work. Mahir chose to write about air pollution in Bangladesh. When asked about why he chose his topic, Mahir said, “I was watching CNN one morning and heard that Bangladesh has the worst air pollution in the world. We need to do something about it.”
Students work with experienced teachers in small groups to receive individualized attention and constructive feedback. With his teacher-leader’s support, Mahir edits his essay and is ready to submit his final draft. The rest of the program will center around preparing an oral presentation for their research project to show at the One World Challenge. This Challenge is hosted biannually in December and April.
The One World Difference
One World’s mission is to transform students into confident communicators, critical thinkers, and persuasive writers. When their founder and CEO, Eric Goldstein, started teaching in DC public schools, he realized that his students struggled to express their ideas in their writing. He developed the One World curriculum to center students’ voices and equip them with the tools needed to communicate effectively.
Since 2007, One World has served over 50,000 students through their in-school and afterschool programs in Washington, DC. Their in-school program trains teachers in partner schools to implement the One World curriculum in their English classes. 90 percent of partner schools report making significant gains in student writing after one semester of their program.
Interested in supporting One World? They encourage volunteers to serve as feedback coaches and presentation judges during the end of the Fall and Spring Academies. Contact One World to get involved with volunteering, donate so they can expand and provide their services to more DC public school students, and learn more about how they empower student writers to find their voice and communicate effectively, transforming students into writers with voice, knowledge, and purpose.