Tutoring and homework centers
Library-media centers, YMCAs, faith-based organizations, and nearby public libraries or schools all provide potential sites for offering students homework help and early intervention tutoring. Before, during, and after-school tutoring centers help students complete take-home assignments, prepare for tests, or fix errors on returned assignments to improve learning. Effective homework and tutoring centers feature trained staff members who are capable of providing mathematics and English language arts learning support, as well as support for other subjects. Many homework centers recruit college or university student interns who volunteer as unpaid staff and earn academic credit. Other volunteers might include student peers, parents, or retirees. Bilingual volunteers are especially important in centers serving English learner students.
Supervisory staff members in effective tutoring and homework centers work closely with the teachers in the regular school program so they can use appropriate assessment data, assignments, or information on specific learning difficulties. Volunteers will be most successful when they can align tutoring and assistance to classroom expectations and individual student needs.
In the Spotlight
Alvarado Intermediate School (Outside Source), a Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage 2004 model, Rowland Unified School District. Despite budget cuts, Alvarado maintains an extensive after-school program that reinforces state standards, promotes social skills, and permits students to interact with teachers in a more informal setting. The unusually high attendance rates at all the after-school activities attest to Alvarado’s responsiveness to the need for a student-centered, age-relevant focus and co-curricular activities that respond to the students' social needs.
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Before, during, and after-school programs
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