Our plan
The goal was to bring organized chess programs into a variety of Title 1 public schools in all five boroughs of New York City as a learning tool. Chess-in-the-Schools is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to improving academic performance and building self-esteem among inner-city public school children. Chess-in-the-Schools alums will be analytic thinkers, be motivated learners, be critical problem solvers, think before they move, take pride in their accomplishments and be graceful winners AND losers.
What we did
At the heart of all Chess-in-the-Schools programming is the chess instruction. The School Program teaches chess to students in elementary and middle schools as part of their academic school day. This program has been in existence for 20 years during which Chess-in-the-Schools has taught more than 400,000 students to play chess. This year, the 2007-2008 school year, Chess-in-the-Schools will teach 20,000 students in 76 title 1 schools through the School Program. Schools with the School Program by Borough: Bronx - 19; Brooklyn - 27; Manhattan - 23; Queens - 6; Staten Island - 1; Total - 76. Each third grade classroom and sixth grade classroom in participating schools is assigned a Chess-in-the-Schools trained instructor. The instructor teaches an hour long chess lesson once a week in five classrooms during the school day in the fall semester, and in five different classrooms in the spring semester. Each instructor teaches 250 to 300 students in each school during the year. Lessons are scheduled on the same day and time each week, and classroom teachers often remark that attendance is highest on “chess day.” Without charging the students or schools, Chess-in-the-Schools provides the instructors and all the materials needed to learn and play chess, including a chess set and a Chess-in-the-Schools workbook for each child to keep.
Our results
In 1991 and 1996, Stuart M. Margulies, Ph.D., a noted educational psychologist, conducted two studies examining the effects of chess on children’s reading scores. The studies demonstrated that students who participated in the chess program showed improved scores on standardized tests. The gains were even greater among children with low or average initial scores. Children who were in the non-chess playing control group showed no gains. Another study in 1999 measured the impact of chess on the emotional intelligence of fifth graders. The results of the study were striking. The overall success rate in handling real life situations with emotional intelligence was 91.4% for the children who participated in the Chess-in-the-Schools program. In contrast, those who were not involved with the chess program had an average overall success rate of only 64.4%. Students who learn chess through the Chess-in-the-Schools curriculum are: 1. using their chess skills to achieve academic success, 2. more likely to attend school on a regular basis, 3. more likely to solve conflicts using peaceful means, and 4. creating lasting friendships during chess tournaments and after-school clubs.
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