About Us
The Tutorpedia Foundation's mission is to provide high-quality, personalized tutoring and related education services to underserved students. The Foundation believes that the 1-1 tutoring model, institutionalized in schools, can be a means of closing the Achievement Gap, graduating more students from high school, and preparing more students for college and beyond. Tutoring is a powerful tool that ultimately promotes equity and social justice through more personalized education. The Tutorpedia Foundation carefully matches students (grades K-12) with their own academic tutor, who is well-versed in subject-specific content, best practices in pedagogy, test preparation, and overall development of study and organizational skills. Tutoring is student-centered and individualized, and addresses both academic content and standardized test preparation.
Central to the Foundation's work is the emphasis on a personalized, collaborative relationship between student and tutor. The Foundation takes a holistic approach to the positive development of each student with whom tutors work, but tutors' work is also carefully aligned with state content standards. Tutors conduct assessments of their students, combine assessments with grades and anecdotal evidence from teachers and parents/guardians to determine areas of specific need, and then set measurable goals in response to those needs. In addition to direct work on academic and test preparation, tutors work with students on cultivating skills and habits of mind that will generalize to all areas of a student's life, such as organizational strategies, critical thinking, problem solving, and time management.
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Tutorpedia Foundation FAQs
1. What is the Tutorpedia Foundation’s philosophy?
The Tutorpedia Foundation operates on a belief that personalized academic attention is the most effective means of achieving student success. The benefits of individual educational relationships provided by individual tutoring should be available to everyone. We know that a Class of One can be a powerful tool for promoting social justice and equity. We can help close the Achievement Gap, graduate more students from high school, and prepare more students for college by providing underserved students with high-quality, personalized educational services.
2. Why 1-1 tutoring?
One-on-one tutoring – a Class of One - is the most effective mode of delivering academic instruction. Hundreds of articles and essays both in academic and social sciences point to the immediate and long-lasting benefits of a mentor, not only in terms of academic growth, but also in terms of social, psychological, and professional growth. We can readily supply academic research to support our philosophy of and belief in individualized attention; here are two articles:
- The 2-Sigma Problem: The Search for Methods of Group Instruction As Effective as 1-on-1 Tutoring
- Educational Outcomes of Tutoring: A Meta-Analysis of Findings
3. Where do instructional materials come from?
Tutors use materials provided by the student’s teacher, and also may use various educational books, websites, and other sources to supplement materials provided by the teacher. The Tutorpedia Foundation has a library of educational resources that is made available freely to all tutors (and anyone interested).
4. How is the Foundation’s instruction aligned with state standards?
Our Tutors work with instructional materials provided by teachers and schools already in alignment with state standards. Tutors work closely with teachers and are familiar with the state standards as they appear on California Department of Education websites. This ensures that tutors’ work is aligned with state standards. Tutors work with students 1-1 to maximize benefits for students and get them as close to their grade level as possible in reading, writing, and math.
5. How is instruction coordinated with students’ school program, including IEPs and students with disabilities?
Lead Tutors work directly with the school administration to ensure that all the students' needs are being addressed in a way that complements and reinforces their school work. Tutors, as part of their initial assessment, will know if their student has an IEP, 504 plan, or other documented learning difference. Tutors and Lead Tutors are in continual contact with teachers and school administrators to work on goal setting, give updates and reports, and elicit feedback.
6. How does the program increase students’ achievement in English language arts, math, and/or science? How does instruction meet specific achievement goals of students?
Tutors work closely with students to ensure that they complete and understand their homework, as well as to help them prepare for chapter tests, quizzes, and state-mandated exams. Tutors work with students on improving their basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry skills. Tutors also work with students on their reading comprehension and writing skills. Students review their essays with tutors, paying close attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, and general writing style. Tutors will help students make flashcards, remediate reading comprehension skills, work on memory and oral language skills, and provide general reading and writing support. Tutors also focus on helping their students learn how to learn, developing techniques for study and organization that students will continue to benefit from long after they part ways with their tutor.
7. How do you know the program works?
The success of the Tutorpedia Foundation’s approach has been demonstrated in both independent and public school settings. Between 2007 and 2009, more than 96% of private school students and 90% of public school students receiving SES tutoring improved their overall academic grades in their classes by at least one letter grade when they were working with a Tutorpedia tutor. Tutorpedia’s instruction has correlated positively with one or more of the following specific areas of student performance: better homework completion, higher standardized test scores, increased motivation, more thorough understanding of subject-specific content, better classroom attendance, greater capacity for working with and manipulating numbers, and better use of the English Language in reading and writing. Our program is just as effective for students with learning disabilities and English learners. Between 2007 and 2009, every student with documented learning disabilities experienced an increase in their grades while they were working with a Tutorpedia Tutor. Of the 40 students that Tutorpedia tutored whose primary language was not English, 95% improved their grades as well. In a recent survey, 100% of Tutorpedia parents report that they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their tutor’s expertise, teaching ability, and dependability, and 90% are “very satisfied” with Tutorpedia’s overall services. Teachers have also noted significant gains in student achievement through working with Tutorpedia. It is the intention of the Tutorpedia Foundation to continue this work exclusively for underserved students.
8. What are staff qualifications?
The Tutorpedia Foundation is quite lucky in that it can be very selective about the tutors that it hires. All tutors are university graduates with tutoring and teaching experience. Our tutors have not only graduated from the top universities, but also have successfully worked with young people in an academic setting. Many tutors hold (or are working toward) advanced degrees, and several of Tutorpedia's tutors hold teaching credentials. Additionally, tutors have tremendous interpersonal skills, including the ability to meet the needs of students at all ages and levels of academic instruction and to communicate effectively with parents and teachers. All Tutorpedia Foundation employees and contractors are also committed to the vision and mission of Tutorpedia: to support students in their learning by building strong relationships with them and providing real, relevant, and rigorous educational opportunities.
9. How will the program be monitored and evaluated?
The program will be managed and monitored by the Directors of the Tutorpedia Foundation, with the support of Lead Tutors and school and district partners. Lead Tutors manage tutors' schedules, and continually monitor session notes provided by tutors, and the Directors read them monthly. The Directors will also meet monthly with Lead Tutors and school partners to ensure that the program is running smoothly, discuss student progress, and address any other needs that the school may have. The Directors are in continual contact with all members of the learning community in order to manage feedback, maintain communication, and create close personal relationships with schools, families, and tutors. The Foundation’s accountant, legal team, and Board of Directors will monitor the Foundation’s fiscal solvency and effectiveness.
10. Where does the money go?
The Tutorpedia Foundation is currently able to provide services to students at the rate of $35 per hour, per student. This includes administrative and operational costs. The majority (71%) of that $35 goes directly to paying for tutoring and the program costs that directly support tutoring. The remainder of the money goes towards managing and maintaining the program.