Eric Schwarz

Eric Schwarz

Eric Schwarz is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Citizen Schools and the author of The Opportunity Equation: How Citizen Teachers Are Combating the Achievement Gap in America’s Schools. Citizen Schools is a leading education nonprofit that partners with middle schools to expand the learning day for low-income children across the country. Citizen Schools was awarded Fast Company magazine’s Social Capitalist Award in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008 and the Skoll Foundation’s Skoll Award in Social Entrepreneurship in 2005. The organization currently serves an estimated 5,500 students and engages 5,000 volunteers across seven states and 11 school districts. Schwarz has been tapped to speak about education reform and Expanded Learning Time at numerous conferences across the country. He has served as a member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Task Force on 21st Century Skills, the Center for American Progress working group on Expanded Learning Time, the transition team of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and the Social Entrepreneur Advisory Board for the New Profit, Inc. Gathering of Leaders. In addition to The Opportunity Equation, Schwarz is the author of “Realizing the American Dream: Historical Scorecard, Current Challenges, Future Opportunities,” a widely cited essay examining social change efforts and the role of social entrepreneurs, and co-editor of The Case for Twenty-First Century Learning. Schwarz wrote a chapter, “Calling All Citizens,” in the recently published best-selling book, Waiting for Superman: How We Can Save America’s Failing Public Schools. Previously, Schwarz served as a Public Service Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, as Executive Director of City Year Boston, and as a Vice President at City Year. He also served as national student director for Gary Hart’s 1984 Presidential campaign and as a journalist and columnist at The Oakland Tribune and The Patriot Ledger, where he won two national awards and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Schwarz earned his B.A. at the University of Vermont and his Masters in Education at Harvard University. He lives in Brookline with his wife, Maureen Coffey, and their two children.