For nearly a century, The School of Education has been an advocate for at-risk students. Last year, School faculty and students donated their expertise to assist Catholic schools in Staten Island and Manhattan. The designated schools partnered with St. John’s to develop more effective programming and teaching methods in order to better address the learning styles and education needs of their students. The Archdiocese of New York approached The School of Education regarding this collaboration because of the School’s impressive results in improving educational quality and enrollment at St. Brigid’s Catholic School in Manhattan. The School’s outstanding efforts to improve education for at-risk students also was recognized by the New York State Department of Education, which awarded St. John’s a prestigious 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant. The $2.8 million, five-year grant will fund two new after-school programs at Queens’ middle schools that have large immigrant and economically disadvantaged populations. These programs will be modeled after the University’s highly regarded After-School All-Stars of New York Program, a collaboration between St. John’s and the New York chapter of After-School All Stars (ASASNY), a nation-wide organization that provides after-school programs and summer camps for at-risk youth. Their objective is to provide children and teens with engaging learning opportunities through one-on-one attention from adults, a positive model peer group and interesting activities that build self-esteem. The Queens middle school programs will provide services for 500 students and 200 parents in afterschool activities, as well as summer camp at he St. John’s Queens campus. Inclusion of services for the children’s parents, which will focus on program development and workshops, is a unique aspect of this effort.