Remarkable People

826 National is a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization with locations in eight cities across the country. Our goal is to assist students ages six to eighteen with their writing skills, and to help teachers get their classes excited about writing. Our work is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

After the founding of 826 Valencia, the flagship center in San Francisco, educators around the U.S. joined in to pursue the same goals in their local communities. Now 826 Valencia also serves as the headquarters of 826 National, an umbrella organization that coordinates the adaptation of 826’s tutoring and mentorship model in other cities. Already, 826 has sister centers in New York, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, DC. Through volunteer support, each of the eight 826 chapters provides drop-in tutoring, class field trips, writing workshops, and in-schools programs—all free of charge. 826 chapters are especially committed to supporting teachers, publishing student work, and offering services for  English language learners.

Because we believe the proof is in the pudding, 826 programs almost always end with a finished product, such as a newspaper, a book, or a film. This teaching model, known as project-based learning, encourages students to collaborate and to make creative decisions, and gives them ownership over the learning process. Working toward a goal, our students are inspired to revise until their work is perfect. They leave with new skills and a newfound passion for writing. And then they come back. Each 826 chapter is a warm, welcoming place where students can get things done. Maybe they’ll produce a chapbook. Maybe they’ll make a movie, or polish a college-application essay. We offer all of our services for free serving families who could not otherwise afford the level of personalized instruction their children receive from 826.

Our corps includes thousands of enthusiastic volunteers who make this all happen. Our volunteer tutors include law professors, college students, authors, retirees, and advertising copywriters. They come from all fields, but have one thing in common: they love to help students learn. The demand for 826’s services is tremendous. At many of our centers, our field trips are fully booked almost a year in advance, and the majority of our evening and weekend workshops have waiting lists. And new teacher requests for in-school tutor support continue to pour in.

We offer:

Tutoring
826 sites are packed five days a week with students who come in for free one-on-one tutoring after school. We serve students of all skill levels and interests, most of whom live within walking distance of our writing centers or near public transportation. During the summer, many of our tutoring programs cater exclusively to English language-learners with a specially designed, project-based curriculum that focuses on basic vocabulary, phonics, reading, and writing skills.

Student Publishing
We know that the quality of student work is greatly enhanced when it’s shared with an authentic audience, so we are committed to publishing student work. In addition to publishing our 826 Quarterly, student newspapers, smaller chapbooks, and ‘zines, each year we partner with an individual teacher and students from a low-income school to create an unique and professionally-made book. Last summer each of our chapters published a beautiful book showcasing the hard work of their students, including 826michigan's How to Rise or, I Put My Heart Into the Close and 826 Seattle's What it Takes: Stories of Bravery.

Field Trips
Up to four times a week, 826 welcomes an entire class for a morning of high-energy learning. Students may experience a roundtable discussion and writing seminar with a local author, or enjoy an active workshop focused on poetry or journalism. The most popular field trip is one we invented called Storytelling & Bookmaking, in which students write, illustrate, and bind their own books within a two-hour period.  The field trip is so popular that our schedule is filled almost a year in advance.

In-Schools
It is not feasible for all classes to come to us, so we dispatch teams of volunteers into local schools. At a teacher’s behest, we will send the requested number of tutors into any classroom around the city, to provide one-on-one assistance to students as they tackle various projects — school newspapers, research papers, oral histories, basic writing assignments, and college entrance essays. At Everett Middle School and James LIck Middle School in San Francisco, we even have our own Writers’ Rooms where every student in the school is served by 826 volunteers At 826NYC students can get extra help with homework at their writers' room located in the Brooklyn Public Library.

Workshops
826 offers free workshops that provide in-depth writing instruction in a variety of areas that schools often cannot include in their curriculum, such as writing college entrance essay writing, cartooning, bookmaking, SAT preparation, writing a play, or starting a ’zine. All workshops are project-based and are taught by experienced, accomplished professionals. Connecting inner-city students with these creative and generous mentors allows students to dream and achieve on a grand scale.

Scholarships
At our founding site, 826 Valencia, we award three $10,000 scholarships each spring for students entering college the upcoming fall.

Who We Are

Once Upon a Schho an online initiative developed in response to author and philanthropist Dave Eggers' 2008 TED Prize wish to inspire and collect the stories of private citizens engaged in their local public schools. 

"There's something different and incredibly powerful and engaging directly with real teachers and real kids."

- Dave Eggers

Dave is an author who wanted to support local public schools by providing after school tutoring. 

He created 826 Valencia, a writing center that pairs students with volunteers. 

By sharing his idea, Dave inspired others to engage with their local public schools. 

Get inspired!

Make it happen!

Tell the Story!

Get started!

1. Come up with an idea

• What can you teach someone?
• What's something new you could expose these kids to?
• What do teachers in your area need help with?

2. Explore others peoples stories on the site for inspiration

3. Find a teacher in your area that needs what you have to offer

4. Connect with the teacher and plan your project

5. Do the Project!

Be sure to take:

• Notes
• Pictures
• Video
• Anything that could make your story come to life

6. Post it to www.onceuponaschool.org

Your story will inspire countless others 

Schools need you

Teachers need you

Students and parents need you

"Some kids don't know how good they are, how smart and how much they have to say. You can tell them. You can shine that light on them one human interaction at a time."

- Dave Eggers