Building Bridges Closes Gaps

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Building Bridges Closes Gaps
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Tutoring At-Risk Students

• A Model Incorporating Service Learning and
  Individualized Intervention

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The Problems

• Some children are not able to demonstrate their
  true abilities on EOG tests.
• Teachers seldom have the time and resources to
  effectively work with tutors.
• Training of college student tutors is typically
  insufficient.
• College students do not connect theory (class
  concepts) to practice (tutoring sessions).

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Partners for Success
A Duke-Durham Schools Collaborative Initiative
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Goals of the Program

• Work with low-achieving 4th 5th graders to
  raise EOG scores in reading and math.
• Transform childrens attitudes about learning,
  school, and life.
• Create a reproducible research-based model.
• Provide a transformative service learning
  experience for college students.
• Close the gap between college and community.

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Organizational Chart
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Who do we work with?

• 4 Schools
• Over 20 Teachers
• Over 150 Duke Students
• Over 100 Elementary Students

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Snapshot of the Children1998-2000
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Features of the Model

• Genuine partnership between college and community
  
• Lessons created by educators expressly for tutors
  to use, based on EOGs and SCOS
• Tutor reflection and weekly feedback from peers,
  facilitators, and faculty
• Extensive, ongoing, and multi-dimensional
  training of tutors

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Amys Reflection Journal

• Read this page from Amys journal.
• With a partner, identify three issues you see
  this tutor wrestling with.
• Together, pick one of these issues that you think
  this tutor might need help with.

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Focus on Self

• Teaching tutors how to motivate tutees and
  transform tutees attitudes about school and life

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Create an environment in which the tutee can
succeed.

• Consider the task difficulty (tutee's ability
  should match the challenge presented).
• Set goals that are attainable.
• Establish high expectations.
• Allow tutee to take risks (show that mistakes are
  part of the learning process).

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Focus on tutee's effort, not on her or his
ability.

• Attribute successes to increased effort
• Attribute failures to lack of effort as opposed
  to lack of ability.

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Focus on your interpersonal relationship with
your tutee.

• Show care, understanding, sympathy, and interest
  in tutee.
• Be willing to dedicate resources (be on time,
  come to all sessions, provide emotional support,
  be energetic).

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Focus on Achievement

• Teaching tutors to teach tutees

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As a tutor you need to

• Recognize that your childs mind is not an empty
  vessel to be filled, but an active meaning maker.
• Help your child link new knowledge to prior
  knowledge.

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As a tutor you need to

• Model thinking strategies and help your child
  learn how to learn. Show, dont tell.
• Engage in collaborative discourse ask your child
  to put thoughts in his/her own words.
• Attend to emotional/affective factors that act as
  cognitive filters and impact learning.

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Data Results from School A First Year1998-1999

• Descriptive Statistics
• EOG Performance
• EOG Results Vs. School Expected Growth
• Anecdotal Evidence of Success

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Descriptive Statistics1998-1999
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Performance on EOG1998-1999
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Results Vs. Expected School Growth Control
Groups
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Anecdotal Evidence of Success

• I found that each child has the desire to
  learn. (Fall 1999 tutor)
• He sees that learning can be relevant to life as
  we talk about the applications of multiplication
  tables and area and perimeter calculations.
  (Spring 2000 tutor)
• The most compelling evidence for her growth as a
  student would be the more active role she is
  taking in her education -- she now realizes there
  is some choice involved and that she is the one
  in control. (Spring 2000 tutor)

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What are our tutors saying about the experience?

• Before the class, I was thinking of groups of
  children. Now I know the most important thing is
  focusing on one child.
• I have learned just as much from my tutee as she
  has from me.

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What makes PFS distinctive?

• Tailor-made collection of prepared lessons, tied
  to SCOS
• Ongoing training, including
• EOG and SCOS training
• Training that addresses issues of achievement and
  of self
• Reflection (individual and group)
• On-site, weekly feedback
• Strong association between course content and
  tutoring experience
• Emphasis on individualization of instruction

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Conclusions

• It is possible to design a program that is
  win-win
• We can close the achievement gap by closing the
  gaps between
• colleges and communities
• theory and practice
• thought and action
• Together, we can close the achievement gap

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Questions Discussion
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We would like to thank

• John Burness, Teresa Daye, Michael Palmer, and
  the staff of Dukes Office of Community Affairs
• David Holdzkom of the Durham Public Schools
• Principals and staff of our four partner schools
• Professor Jan Riggsbee and the staff of the Duke
  Program in Education
• The Duke Endowment