AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING
AND ENRICHMENT

Provided at 12 partner school sites throughout the academic school year, the after-school tutoring program includes two hours of tutoring daily for groups of 18 students at each site. Eighteen to 100 students are served at each school. At each school site, school-day teachers nominate children in grades 1-5 who are struggling with reading, and parents must sign a commitment agreement in order to have their child participate. Activities and instruction for each child are guided by comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis of reading and learning challenges as determined by formal assessments at the beginning of the tutoring program. A learning skills specialist, a teacher, and three reading assistants staff each tutoring session for a student-to-staff ratio of five to one. Staff members participate in an initial four-hour training and receive ongoing coaching. The after-school program is overseen by Summer Scholars’ Director of After-School Programs, Jami Powell.

The tutoring sessions are designed to complement and augment daily classroom instruction. Each session includes a snack and three instructional components: 1) computer-based instruction utilizing research-proven literacy software that tracks and supports each student’s individual progress in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, and keyboarding skills; 2) the reading center, which includes teacher-led, small group instruction to enhance reading fluency and address specific obstacles as identified through diagnostic assessment; and 3) highly-structured learning skills activities from the research-based Structures of Intellect curriculum including physical and workbook activities designed to build cognitive strength for increased classroom effectiveness. After-school enrichment activities like gardening, hands-on science projects, sports and games promote steady program participation and stimulate improvements in self-confidence, classroom behavior and social skills.