A Leadership Cohort Organization

Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS) is an innovative critical literacy program. SAYS services support the improvement of schools through teacher professional development, classroom instruction, and after-school programming. At the core of our model is a commitment to equity—SAYS utilizes evidence-based best practices to narrow the achievement gap.

SAYS engages in three domains of work, all centered around the empowerment of students, teachers, and families. First, SAYS trains poet-mentor educators from the neighborhood to work alongside teachers and after-school providers, building a critical bridge between the community and the school site. Second, SAYS provides direct instruction to students (helping youth write and share their stories). Third, SAYS conducts large-scale professional development both in and out of the classroom through our residency programs and training of SAYS “Write Now” teacher leaders.