Tutor Centers Reveal Importance of Community in Education

Student engagement -- a buzzword heard in almost every facet of education today, a term few would argue against. The discord however, surrounds the solutions created to foster student engagement. Shifting curriculum, school choice, and smaller class size are some of the national solutions that have been proposed. At the more local level, a recent initiative, 826 National, has been established to take this buzzword from the conversation and into action. .

826 National has created eight tutoring centers in different urban areas. Recognizing the stigmas associated with students who use these tutor centers in low income areas, 826 National has used unique retail storefronts to act as a curtain for the centers. Such storefronts as the Pirate Supply Store, Bigfoot Research Institute, Museum of Unnatural History, and a superhero equipment store house the tutor centers.  The centers emphasize creative writing, offering students writing workshops, one on one homework help, and bookmaking and storytelling field trips. In a more recent attempt to incorporate STEM learning, students perform science experiments or learn different science concepts to use as inspiration for a new story.

While the long term effects are contested, 826 National’s short term success is represented simply in its expansion. What started as a small tutoring center in San Francisco has grown to an organization that serves well over 30,000 under-resourced students across the country. However, in today’s data driven society, test scores also speak to the organization’s success. Students who have attended the tutoring centers programs showed improvement standardized tests scores -- 13% in story composition skills and 8% in contextual convention. Additionally, these students are more likely to report feeling enjoyment from writing and take pride in their work. However, 826 National is not the first organization to do what it does, give one on one attention and engage students who would otherwise not.

What sets apart the tutoring centers created by 826 National from organizations that also provide tutoring and one on one services to students is the emphasis on local assets and needs. An understanding of the importance of local support allows for flexibility in the programming.  For example, a center in New York City developed a film workshop in response to the large population of filmmakers willing to volunteer in the area. In Washington, DC, a vibrant poetry scene led to a Saturday poetry reading program. This emphasis on community assets follows directly in suit with the model for community schools. Fully understanding just what a community does in fact have and capitalizing on those resources allows for a more positive system than one that only highlights the shortcomings of a community. This system of thinking, however, does understand that a community has needs. For instance, An 826 Michigan community that was lacking in public transportation invested resources in a van that would drive students to the tutor center.

Through this asset based approach to community learning, students begin to see their community as one that does have something to offer, yet many of the resources that their communities possess do not fit into the conventional mold of a school. This positive and localized emphasis on not only needs but also assets of a community is one that sits as the forefront of community schools. It is this type of conversation and system of thinking however, that must be considered in educational policy reform. Policies enacted should assist communities in enabling their students to thrive and not just survive.

By Brooke Troutman, Intern for the Coalition for Community Schools