The Problems

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Closing the Gap
through Service Learning Partnerships
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Duke UniversityProgram in Education

• Melanie Rumsey
• Jessica Vick
• David Malone

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The Problems

• Many capable children do not succeed 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 overview

• PFS was created in 1998
• collaboration between Duke University and Durham
  schools to provide an organized tutoring program
  that would best meet the needs of DPS students
• Needs-assessment by principals and teachers
  determined focus of the tutoring program
• tutors would best help by working with
  low-achieving students in the areas of EOG tests
  and state mandated achievement goals

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Goals of the Program

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

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Program Maintenance

• Service Learning Coordinator
• Train tutors
• Visit tutoring sites to observe tutoring sessions
  and provide constructive feedback to tutors
• Site-Based Service Learning Assistants
• Respond to reflection journal
• Professors
• Connect service learning with tutoring experience
• Provide ongoing training to tutors

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The Service Learning Experience

• Undergraduates enrolled in specific education
  courses tutor low-performing 4th and 5th grade
  students.
• College students tutor 2 times a week for 1 hour
  for a total of 18 sessions
• Undergraduates participate in ongoing reflection,
  training and discussion.
• Undergraduates connect academic course work to
  practical experience.

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PFS Participants1998-2002

• 4 Durham elementary schools
• 40 DPS teachers
• 443 Duke students
• 267 elementary students

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Total Number of Students Tutoredby race
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Total Number of Students Tutoredby gender
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Teaching Tutors to Teach Tutees

• As a tutor you need to
• Focus on Achievement
• Focus on the Individual
• Focus on the Environment
• Focus on Effort

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Focus on Achievement

• Help your child link new knowledge to prior
  knowledge.
• 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.

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Focus on the Individual

• Attend to emotional/affective factors that act as
  cognitive filters and impact learning.
• 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 the Environment

• 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 Effort

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

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EOG Test Results2000-2001 school year

• 89 of students receiving math tutoring passed
  Math EOG prior to tutoring, 56 of same students
  passed Math EOG
• 99 either maintained or increased EOG
  achievement level in Math
• 48 of students receiving reading tutoring passed
  Reading EOG prior to tutoring, 41 of same
  students passed Reading EOG
• 89 either maintained or increased EOG
  achievement level in Reading

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Qualitative Results

• The most common response from children they
  gained more confidence
• Tutors listed gains from the tutoring experience
  other than academic skills
• social skills
• personal growth
• self-esteem
• knowledge of how to deal with social issues
• an understanding that learning can relate to life

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What makes PFS distinctive?

• Tailor-made collection of prepared lessons tied
  to SCOS
• Ongoing training
• EOG and SCOS training
• Training that addresses issues of achievement and
  of self
• Reflection from 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

• Tutees grow in important ways from tutoring
  experiences that arent necessarily measured by
  test results
• Tutors become more aware of their communities and
  education-related issues from school-based
  service learning experiences
• We can close the achievement gap by closing the
  gaps between
• colleges and communities
• theory and practice
• thought and action

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Questions for Discussion
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Question How do you feel about having a tutor?

• I really think she is the funest tutor I have
  had. She is very nice. She is like a sister to
  me.
• I love it because my tutor always helps me out
  when I have trouble and I always learn something
  I didnt know before.
• I learn something and when I get mixed-up she
  helps me.
• I like having a tutor because the things I do
  with my tutor I dont get to do with my teacher.

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Question How do you relate to at-risk 4th and
5th graders?

• I relate to them in the same manner that I relate
  to other individuals, as individuals. I think of
  him more as Lateef than as an at-risk 5th grader.
  
• I find myself somewhat cut off from at-risk
  students. I try and try but in the end, making a
  true impact seems tough. I feel that she sees me
  as being this different entity altogether
• The at-risk part is especially difficult to
  relate to. That is one of the most challenging
  things about tutoring. When a childs mom is on
  drugs or father has already passed on it is
  difficult to connect and help the child with
  that. Maybe the most difficult part is to
  convince your child you understand and establish
  trust.

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Question What have you learned from your tutee?

• I have learned the importance of believing in a
  child and honestly feeling that everyone has
  something to offer.
• I have learned that it is not the childrens
  fault for not learning, it is the schools. My
  tutee is a very intelligent girl and has just not
  had the proper attention.
• I have begun to realize that a child can really
  thrive on a little bit of extra attention and
  support. He has shown me that motivating
  children to learn is not an easy task, but with
  persistence and dedication to the challenge,
  there is always a way to motivate a child.

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Question How would you improve minority and
at-risk achievement in public schools?

• Perhaps I would create more PFS programs that use
  students who are devoted and determined to help
  any child.
• I think personal attention and positive role
  models are very important. Moreover, we must
  work closely with families/parents to coordinate
  and combine our education effort.
• More bilingual teachers are needed, particularly
  those who also speak Spanish.

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Question Have your feelings about school changed
since you started working with your tutor? Why?

• Yes because she helped me study for tests. At
  first I didnt like school but since my tutor has
  come I like school.
• Yes because I start to get better grades and I
  always am one step ahead of my teacher.
• Yes because if I need to know something my tutor
  is right there but the teacher is not always
  because its too many of us and she just cant
  come to me always.
• School is fun now and I like coming to school.

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Question How are you and your tutor alike? How
are you different?

• We like the color blue. She writes in cursiv and
  I do not I have one brother and one sister an she
  does not. But I really like my tutor.
• We have a family. We got shoes. She is older
  than me.
• Me and my tutor are both black and we both go to
  school. We are different because she has more
  hair and she is tall.
• My family might be from a different country but
  they can speak English, that why they came to
  work and live in America, my tutor can speak only
  one language, my family could speak two.

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Question How have your views about education
changed since tutoring began?

• I do not think I really understood the state of
  education today before I started tutoring. So
  many children slip through the cracks
• I now see the lack of personal connection and
  support in the public education system. I wish
  education focused more on understanding than on
  brow-beating facts into kids.
• Education is a difficult field because every
  student learns differently and comes into the
  classroom with different experiences and
  attitudes. As an educator you may not understand
  the student but you must work to overcome that
  and find methods that work for each child.

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PFS is made possible through

• Office of Community Affairs
• David Stein and Sam Miglarese
• Durham Public Schools
• Joe Haenn
• Principals and teachers at
• E.K. Powe
• Forest View
• George Watts
• Lakewood