Seattle Public Schools

Our volunteer recruitment focuses on closing opportunity gaps at schools who serve the highest percentages of low-income students (70-90%). Volunteer need here is immense - as is the opportunity for your service to make the greatest impact.

What causes achievement gaps in Seattle schools?

Achievement gaps have many compounding causes. One consistent trend is that schools that serve high percentages of students living in poverty (so-called "Title I" schools), tend to have larger achievement gaps. Academic goals are meant to be challenging for most kids - they are so much harder to reach for children who:

• live in poverty,
• are homeless or lack stable housing,
• live in foster homes,
• experience food insecurity regularly,
• lack of access to after-school academic supports.

Volunteers play an important role in creating excellent educational experiences and outcomes. Through volunteer service, you can change the trajectory of a student or a whole classroom and raise the achievement of all students:

- support students working to achieve academic goals through tutoring or mentoring,

- give educators more time for instruction and individualized student support by helping with classroom organization or clerical work,

- get involved in school-based services like food, clothing and backpack donations to help students focus on their academics.