Against that backdrop of unrelenting public criticism, media scrutiny and economic jeopardy, an essay contest might not seem like much of a counter-force. But for an educator who is feeling overworked, underappreciated and out of sorts, kind words of admiration and approval might be just what is needed.

On January 18^th, the grassroots education reform nonprofit StudentsFirst launched its “Six Word Essay Contest” on what it means to be a great teacher. The idea behind the contest was to present an opportunity to celebrate those teachers who had a significant impact on our lives, and “to remind our country of the value of a great teacher.” (And the winner will receive an iPad 2 and a $500 gift certificate to buy school supplies for the classroom of their choice.)

What’s especially fun and inspiring about these essays is that they are all only six words long. They’re quick to read and easy to share: a little lift of heartfelt, positive energy that many teachers and tutors would probably enjoy, as the end of another semester draws closer. Certainly they do an amazing job capturing the value and essence of great teaching, and the impact teachers can have on students.

StudentsFirst received over 28,000 of the six-word essays from over 25,000 of its members. After what must’ve been some frantic judging, on February 2 they announced the 30 finalists. Everyone is welcome to vote for his or her favorites. You can even check out what famous athletes, authors and entertainers say about the great teachers in their lives.

Here are a few of my favorites from among the 30 finalists:

Planting the seed of I can. — Sinora W., Illinois

Handing out keys to the world. – Ann Marie O., Michigan

She said I can be anything. – Yuji N., New Jersey

Watch them soar, then demand more. – Pancho S., Oregon

Point out the stars. Provide rockets. – Adam L., Illinois

Teaching is a vitally important profession that powers the core of our society. In fact, a recently published long-term study by economists at Harvard and Columbia shows the staggering economic and social impact of competent teachers. Looking at the lives of 2.5 million students over 20 years, the study found that students who had highly effective elementary and middle school teachers went on to have much better “outcomes in life” – higher earnings, nicer houses, fewer teen pregnancies, and so on – than students who had lower-performing teachers.

Obviously teachers and tutors need to be supported via public policy, not just honored with words. These little essays rise above the polarized policy debate to shine some light on what really matters: the value of our teachers and tutors.

Why do middle school students have a special need for high-quality summer learning? According to NSLA’s website, “Middle school is a time of great risk for children, especially those who are low-income. Summer learning loss contributes to dismal middle-school indicators, causing low-income students to lag as much as 2.5 years behind their higher-income peers by the end of fifth grade. Without summer learning experiences, the achievement gap in literacy between the youth who eventually drop out of high school and those who enter a four-year college widens to almost seven years by ninth grade, creating an unswimmable gulf.”

Smarter Summers is being delivered by four providers. All provide between 150 and 240 program hours (typically 6-hour days for five weeks), free meals for participants, and opportunities for physical activity as well as academics. The average daily attendance rate among participants ranged from 81.5% to an incredible 99.6%, with staff-to-participant ratios of 1:10 to 1:15. The areas served include Los Angeles, Sand Diego and Sacramento counties in California, Detroit, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Indianapolis and Washington, DC.

Among the highlights of the results so far:

• Students in Building Educated Leaders for Life programs gained an average of 7.5 months of grade-level equivalency in literacy skills and 7.2 months in math skills.

• 65% of Higher Achievement Program’s participants increased their math grades or maintained an A or B average, while 59% did so for reading.

• Summer Advantage USA students gained an average of 2.1 months of grade-level equivalency in literacy and math skills.

• 87.5% of THINK Together sites demonstrated student growth in math vocabulary – a 25% increase for seventh graders across all sites.

Parents also responded very positively to the Smarter Summer experience. Based on over 2,000 responses, two out of three parents stated that Smarter Summers was the only affordable summer learning option for their children. 93% of parents would recommend the program to other parents. 82% felt the program helped them focus on their job, job search and/or school work.

76% of survey respondents also felt more involved in their child’s education. Across the programs administered by Summer Advantage USA, for example, 61% of parents participated in two or more program events, and 91% had one or more contacts with a teacher to discuss their child’s performance.

The report summarizes Smarter Summers’ first-year results as follows: “Instead of falling off track during the critical transitions to middle school and high school, these young people are gaining academic ground and invaluable exposure to colleges, careers, and a network of supportive adults.”

At a time when school districts and communities face financial resource constraints, Smarter Summers is providing an excellent option to reduce summer learning loss and guide vulnerable children towards greater academic success.

Do you have experience with summer program and their benefits for middle school kids? Please comment and share what you’ve experienced.

The argument for STEM, not surprisingly, is that STEM learning focuses on helping students learn to think critically, solve complex problems, and participate in advancements in science and technology (with resulting economic benefits). STEM proponents assert that science and engineering jobs are growing much faster than other occupations, giving STEM school students a potential advantage when competing for high-tech jobs.

A lack of STEM learning, conversely, is seen as a major hurdle to getting one of these good job. The Coalition for Science After School quotes in a newsletter that “No one tells [students] or their parents that by failing to enroll in a rigorous, math-oriented college prep curriculum, they’re effectively making a life decision to forego the opportunity to pursue a career as a scientist or engineer.” This group advocates using afterschool time – presumably with the help of skilled tutors – to “get more students on the STEM path.”

2011 was named “The Year of Science in Afterschool” by the Afterschool Alliance, the National AfterSchool Association and the National Summer Learning Association. Similarly, “green” coursework focused on renewable and alternative energy is becoming more popular all the time across the country as a way to engage with students’ concerns about the environment.

This article in Education Week today was my inspiration for today’s post. It highlights an after-school program called Techbridge that fosters interest in STEM among girls. Overall the program has served thousands of girls in grades 5-12 since 2000. Among many projects, Techbridge has a “STEM curriculum in a box” that is being used by Girl Scout troops nationwide.

Who else is teaching STEM after school? The New York Academy of Sciences, for instance, has developed a STEM mentoring program that matches afterschool program providers around NYC and New Jersey with graduate student members of its Science Alliance. Academy staff and “curriculum partners” collaborate to train grad students and then place them in afterschool programs as instructors and mentors. The goal is both to support science education and to help young researchers learn to communicate more effectively about the science they’re doing.

In her Education Week blog “Beyond School” (which I really like), Nora Fleming notes that the most successful after-school STEM programs are those that increase students’ interest – and enrollment in classes relating to – careers in STEM subjects. She cites a report from the Afterschool Alliance, released back in September 2011, entitled “Stem Learning in Afterschool: An Analysis of Impact and Outcomes. This report evaluated programs around the country, with an eye toward improving STEM curricula in after-school programs – especially since many such programs give access to STEM learning to underserved populations like minorities and women.

The highest-quality programs “have the potential to shift attitudes about STEM-related careers, increase test scores and knowledge of STEM subjects, and improve the likelihood of high school graduation and college readiness,” summarizes Fleming.

Are you a tutor or other educator at the forefront of the move to strengthen STEM curricula? Please let us know how your work is being received by students and the wider community.

Featured image courtesy of Idaho National Laboratory.

Our family is fortunate: my partner’s teenage daughter (she’s a freshman) goes to one of the top public high schools in our state, in terms of both academics and services. She’ll get solid support on college admissions from a well-trained counselor who has perhaps 150 -200 students to deal with.

But many students struggle with the college application and admissions process, and may turn to their teachers and tutors for advice. This is no surprise given the statistics on college admissions counseling the NACAC has recently released:

1. On average, the counselor to student ratio in US public schools (including K-12 schools) is 460 to 1. For secondary schools taken alone, the ratio including part-time staff is 272 to 1. That’s a huge caseload! Many guidance counselors simply don’t have time to advise each college-bound student on his or her applications, given their many other duties. Most also don’t have much, if any, training in the college admissions or financial aid processes.
2. Only 26% of US public schools have a counselor (full- or part-time) who works exclusively on college counseling. In contrast, 73% of private schools have a dedicated college counselor.
3. The average public high school counselor spends 23% of his or her time on college counseling – versus 55% for the average private school counselor. According to a 2005 study by the NACAC, the average public high school student got 38 minutes of college advising per year from his or her guidance counselor.
4. In a recent survey from Public Agenda, funded by the Gates Foundation, 67% of students surveyed gave their high school counselor a fair or poor rating for help in deciding which college to attend. 54% rated their counselors poor on help with the application process.
5. The percentage of high school graduates going directly to college varies widely by state – but it continues to rise even as the total number of high school graduates has peaked and is leveling off. In 2010, 68.1% of high school graduates enrolled directly in a college or university. In 2008 (love this graph), 77.4% of Mississippi grads went to college, versus 45.7% in Alaska. The national average that year was 63.3%.
6. The number of applications being submitted to colleges is insane! One out of four college-bound grads submitted seven or more college applications. Perhaps this is an indication of how difficult it has become to navigate the college admissions landscape.

In response to the great and growing need for admissions counseling, a number of independent college counselors offer a wide range of services via the Internet. These include “boutique” admissions consulting practices, like Bolger Strategic, for those targeting highly prestigious programs. College Admissions Partners has a “less aggressive” approach to helping students “improve their chances of admission to their first choice college.” Independent college admissions counselors work not only with US teens and their families, but also with clients from all over the world.

What’s the bottom line for tutors on this topic? Be aware that many kids aren’t getting much counseling. If possible, develop connections that enable you to make referrals to private/independent counselors if requested. Remember that kids are stressed by the applications process and be supportive. Here’s a helpful post that advises students on how to get the most out the admissions support they get from their high school guidance counselor.

Do you find yourself talking about college admissions with your students? How do you handle it? Please comment and share your impressions.

Featured image courtesy of Tawheed Manzoor.

Congress is in the midst of revamping NCLB, but progress has been slow despite universal agreement that it should be updated. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced in September 2011 that states could apply for waivers on third-party tutoring, provided they agree to various reforms advocated by the Obama administration.

Already thirty-seven states plus the District of Columbia have said that they intend to apply for a waiver between now and mid-February 2012. If granted, the waivers would free districts in these states from setting aside hundreds of millions of dollars each year for after-school tutoring targeting the lowest-performing students. This sweeping change would effectively end SES, which has already been eliminated from the Senate’s version of the updated NCLB legislation.

With a waiver, schools could funds previously earmarked for SES to support other programs designed to increase academic achievement among low-income children. This could free up more funding for other kinds of afterschool programs besides tutoring, and create new opportunities within the private education sector.

The nonprofit Afterschool Alliance is one source of guidance on how districts can effectively redistribute SES funding. Other industry associations, such as the Education Industry Association (the trade organization for private tutoring companies) and Tutor Our Children, continue to lobby to preserve SES.

What do its detractors say is wrong with SES? According to recent analysis by CBS News,  many point to low participation rates. Financially strapped districts may set aside 20% or more of their federal education money, which then goes unspent if few students sign up for tutoring – even as other budget items are slashed and teachers laid off. In districts where participation is high, there’s often not enough SES money to provide sufficient tutoring, limiting its effectiveness.

Another major issue is that there seems to be no clear, measurable indication of effectiveness commensurate with the money spent. At the same time, there is little linkage between provider effectiveness and payment because no federal money is available to monitor the tutoring companies.

Meanwhile, those defending the program assert that it gives underprivileged children access to vital educational resources that “level the playing field” with wealthier students. Many also feel that giving parents the ability to choose a tutor provides an important option for supporting their child’s education.

States that applied for waivers by the first-round deadline of November 14, 2011 could halt their participation in the SES program beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. What might these districts use their federal funds for besides after-school tutoring? In-school tutoring and summer school programs are often cited as alternatives that could be in better alignment with districts’ curriculum.

What might these potential changes to SES mean for the tutoring industry? SES providers are likely to be negatively impacted. However, overall demand for tutoring should remain very strong in line with competitive college admissions and other factors.

Does your tutoring company have a stake in the changing SES landscape? Please comment on how you feel SES waivers might impact the quality of education for low-income students.

Featured image courtesy of the US Department of Education.

One of the oldest and most powerful teaching techniques is simply to guide the learner by asking directed questions. This basic tutoring approach is sometimes referred to as the Socratic Method or the “inquiry method.”

The idea behind this approach is that providing answers upfront puts the learner in a passive role of receiving information. Whereas an interrogative approach inherently fosters a self-directed thought process, through which learners can arrive at their own conclusions and build knowledge, versus simply receiving information.

Of course, many times students – especially adults in my experience — would prefer that you simply give them the information. And certainly that’s appropriate at times. The benefit of the inquiry method is that it helps learners “train their brains” to develop the capacity and confidence to reason out solutions and make neural and cognitive connections that will help keep them moving forward.

The ability to connect what we know to what we are trying to figure out is especially helpful with math and writing problems, such as on standardized tests. Beyond the realm of solving specific problems, the inquiry method helps learners engage with, and develop genuine interest in, the bigger picture that surrounds the specifics. I really like this professional tutor’s explanation of how and why the inquiry method works.

I often lead trips and walks for kids and adults who are new to birdwatching. In that context I enjoy taking the role of a “mentor” asking questions versus “the expert” dispensing facts. For example, when we’re observing herons and egrets in the local salt marsh, I love to ask, “Why do you think Snowy Egrets have yellow feet?” Kids get right into this but it usually drives adults crazy! But as they guess and ponder, with the help of a few additional questions everyone quickly realizes the amazing answer: the birds use their feet as fishing lures. We can even observe them doing this! What does that say about avian intelligence, or about evolution? The difference between an answer and a question is the difference between “uh-huh” and the natural world opening up…

Now here’s a question: is the inquiry method and the Socratic Method really the same thing? Or are there many different styles of inquiry oriented tutoring that end up being called the “Socratic Method” by default? Max Maxwell offers an historically grounded, in-depth explication of what defines the Socratic Method as Socrates, Plato and their lineage of students applied it. Wikipedia also offers a broad and engaging discourse on the topic. This author refers to the generic approach of the “inquiry method” as “Socratic questioning.”

And then there’s the “dreaded Socratic Method” as an instructional style in law school classrooms. Also called the “case method” or “Socratic instruction,” it entails direct questioning and limited lecturing. The idea is that students must prepare in advance not to regurgitate the facts of a case, but to reason beyond the presenting issues to the broader implications. Again, the goal is to build critical reasoning skills and the confidence to apply them under pressure – whether in a courtroom or on a standardized test.

In researching this topic I also appreciated the viewpoint of this Air Force officer, who applies a highly goal-oriented Socratic approach to improve performance and leadership skills among military personnel. While this context may not constitute tutoring per se, the article offers experiential insights of value to educators who want to take their own inquiry methods to a higher level.

For many tutors, it probably isn’t essential or optimal to adhere to a strict application of an “inquiry method.” Rather, the mode of asking questions in response to questions might ideally be viewed as a way to keep learning light and fun, and learners engaged and open. Where you want to take it in your tutoring practice is up to you.

Are you using a Socratic approach in your tutoring practice? How did you learn it and how do you advise others to build these useful interrogative skills? Please comment and share your experiences and advice.

Featured image courtesy of Brújulo.

SAT vs ACT: Choosing the Right Test [NEW EBOOK]

Download this free 20-Page Ebook for Tutors Now!

Our free 20-page ebook is a step-by-step guide on how to select the right test for your student. Learn everything you need to know about using the PLAN and PSAT to improve student scores, how to leverage learning analytics to select one test over the other, and other tips on how to take the guesswork out of selecting the ACT vs the SAT.

First impressions might be quick to form, but they’re slow – if not impossible – to change. Thus, the time we spend connecting with someone when we first meet him or her is important. This is especially true for tutors because your tutees’ first impressions can positively or negatively influence their subsequent learning performance.

The goal is to make your first meeting with a tutee a positive experience! You want to establish a genuine, open rapport. You can find basic “make a great first impression” tips (be on time, be courteous, etc.) in dozens of places online. Here are some tutoring-specific tips on first impressions gleaned from these simple-but-effective online tutor training materials offered by the Learning Assistance Center of City College of San Francisco.

Tip 1: Listen effectively

Start by greeting your tutee and giving them your undivided attention. One of the most important ways to create a good rapport with learners is to listen patiently to what they have to say, ask open questions, and be open and nonjudgmental about what they’re saying. Listen with your body by facing the speaker squarely, smiling and nodding your head.

Nonverbal messages are oftentimes the most potent form of communication. If you’re unsure about how your communication style and skills might be affecting your interactions with others, try taking an interpersonal communication skills test. This one with 34 questions from Queendom.com (the Land of Tests is recommended.

Good listening is a vital skill for tutors – yet many tutors probably spend too much time talking, rather than facilitating learning by discussion. Here is some great guidance on effective listening.

Tip 2: Make sure you know why the learner wants your help

You need to know why someone wants your help so that you can better plan subsequent tutoring sessions. Some students know exactly why they need or want tutoring, while others are only aware of general trouble spots. Others can only say that they’re confused. Others may have had failures in the subject area in the past and are fearful or under-confident, and in need of emotional as well as academic support. Still others may have been directed to tutoring for a required subject, but have no real interest in it.

A good place to start is just to ask where the learner is having problems or wants to improve performance. Alternatively, you can start by reviewing the course outline and related materials like texts or assignments. Ask questions that support the learner to say what he or she understands or finds confusing about the material.

Tip 3: Ask the right questions

Good question-asking techniques are vital to successful tutoring. Even your choice of words is important. Try asking positive, open questions like: “What do you understand?” versus “What don’t you understand?” – the latter is much tougher to answer!

Another key to questioning is to wait respectfully for an answer. Don’t be too quick to answer your own questions. Instead, let your tutee reflect if they need to – even if the conversational silence seems awkward.

Keep in mind also that “leading questions” that leave lots of space for a range of responses are often more effective than yes/no questions. Leading questions are often more appropriate when asking a student to demonstrate understanding, for instance.

Similarly, “what-if” questions are great for expanding possibilities for learning. The Socratic Method – teaching through inquiry – is among the most powerful teaching techniques. What better way to learn than to figure things out for yourself?

Tip 4: Show you care

We all know that caring makes a great first impression. How does a student know you care about them? You greet them by name and pronounce their name correctly. You’re able to laugh with them. You commend their accomplishments. And if they test you with misbehavior, you don’t ignore it.

Featured photo courtesy of glennoi.

Though they’re taught more and more at the high school and college levels, it’s often left up to individual students to pick up study skills on their own – especially in grade school or middle school. Fortunately there are many places online where students of all ages can learn about study skills.

As a tutor, supporting your students to learn better study skills might be one of the best ways to improve their academic performance. Here are some tips to get you started:

Tip 1: Different study skill sets are important depending on the age of the learner.

For grade school and middle school students, study skills become increasingly important as classes and homework become more demanding. Kids have a better chance at excelling in high school and college if they learn study skills by middle school. Organizational and time management skills are especially vital. Greatschools.org offers a comprehensive summary of what skills to emphasize with tutees in this age group.

For high school and college age students, HowToStudy.org is among the better sites out there. It’s free and it covers everything from motivation and goal setting to time management to note-taking to dealing with test anxiety.

For kids with learning difficulties, explicit instruction in study strategies is even more important. Greatschools.org offers a summary of specific issues that’s well worth reading, as is this piece on ldonline.org. And here’s a brief but helpful piece for learners with ADHD.

Tip 2: You can use homework or other subject material as a foundation for study skills enhancement.

In many ways, the primary purpose of homework is to improve students’ work habits. Starting with they homework they have to do anyhow, you can help them get organized with binders or folders, start using a planner, break large tasks down into subtasks, deal with procrastination and much more. There are good overview of key issues on teachersandfamilies.com and kidshealth.org among many websites.

Tip 3: Test taking skills can make a big difference in test performance.

What students do before, during — and maybe eve after — an important exam can have a big impact on their academic success. There are all kinds of worthwhile tips online regarding every aspect of taking any type of test. For example, I enjoyed these tips on how to do better on essay test questions. Here’s one of many sources of guidance on how to do better solving math word problems. And I was especially impressed with studytips.org, which offers specific advice on taking dozens of standardized tests, from the ACT to the SAT to the MCAT. The site offers help (including help in the form of products for sale) on test taking, writing, math, science and a host of general areas as well.

Tip 4: Become familiar with visual organization skills.

Visual organization techniques, including so-called “mind maps,” (also sometimes called spidergrams or spidergraphs) are graphical methods of note-taking. The visual symbols in mind map type diagrams help students to distinguish, organize, relate and classify words, ideas and tasks.

While much more frequently used by college age students and people in the workforce, learners of any age can benefit from applying visual organization skills to studying, assignments (especially writing), problem solving and decision-making. There’s even a book called Mind Maps for Kids by mind map guru Tony Buzan. Here’s one page that explains to educators how to help kids with mind mapping and why you’d want to. This blog post further explains the value of mind mapping as a study skill for kids. And here’s a cool piece on how to use mind maps to take notes.

Tip 5: If all else fails, one can pay for an online study skills program.

There are a number of programs out there, with different approaches for students, parents and educators. Success4Students.com provides tools “in a creative and interesting format” to help equip students to maximize their study time. Videos start at $59. StudySkills.com likewise offers learning tools for improving study skills, most for $75 and up.

Featured image courtesy of madstreetz.

In addition to these traditional, ad hoc approaches, new online training methods have evolved that enable private tutors to learn new skills anytime, anywhere they can access the Internet.

While new technologies support a range of delivery styles and modes of interaction with teachers/evaluators, many online tutor training programs remain basic in structure and are available at low or no cost. This is especially helpful to the growing army of peer tutors and volunteer tutors worldwide.

Is online tutor training or an online tutor certification program right for you? According to professional development organizations like the National Tutoring Association (in the US) and the International Tutoring Association: yes – whether you’re experienced or just getting started.

Here are four reasons why you might consider taking an online tutor training course:

Reason One: It’s part of being a professional.

Training is an integral part of professional development in many fields. Therefore, as a professional, every active tutor should stay current with the latest tutoring methods and approaches. Tutors can also readily familiarize themselves online with basic techniques that help lay the foundation for effective tutoring, like “active listening” and the Socratic method. By educating yourself on best practices you elevate your own professional standard and support the tutoring industry as a whole at the same time.

Reason Two: You want to differentiate yourself from your competition.

A certification or similar credential can help with marketing your business, and with selling yourself and your services to prospective clients. Certifications add credibility and underscore a tutor’s professional reputation. Credentials also validate your skills, and help form a good “first impression” that can make all the difference, both in getting new clients and in establishing a rapport with your learners.

Reason Three: You want to improve your confidence and skill level.

Effective training and skill-building produces a more confident and effective tutor. And a more effective tutor improves student outcomes and garners approval from parents! Certification can also motivate a tutor to improve his or her business and be more successful.

But perhaps most importantly, training and certification helps prevent problems that can occur in tutoring situations, like helping too much or inadvertently enabling plagarism.

Where can you get online tutor training? Here are a few examples of programs around the world:

• Crossroads of Learning offers “Tutoring Foundations,” a comprehensive online tutor training program developed in collaboration with the National Tutoring Association and Fielding Graduate University. The program is convenient and practical for tutors at all experience levels in the US and elsewhere. The course has three modules, each of which currently costs US$159 and encompasses 15-20 learner hours. A “comprehensive program” with all three modules is US$349.
• The International Tutoring Association, an affiliate of TutorNation.com that calls itself “North America’s premiere international professional tutoring association…” offers a certification program for its members. The affordable and self-paced program is free, notwithstanding a US$30 annual membership fee.
• American River College has developed an “online tutor training project” that other colleges and learning centers have adapted for their own use.  City College of San Francisco and University of Tennessee Chattanooga are two institutions that have adapted this course and made it accessible for tutors to read through on their own at no cost. This doesn’t lead to a credential, but it sure looks like great guidance.

More than 35,000 conversations have been archived so far, many in the context of various “initiatives.” For example, StoryCorps is recording one story for every life lost on September 11, 2001, to “honor the lost voices of 9/11.”

On September 19, StoryCorps launched its National Teachers Initiative at the White House. The Initiative celebrates the contributions of America’s public school teachers. “By recording, sharing, and preserving their stories, we hope to  call public attention to the invaluable contributions teachers have made to this nation, honor those who have embraced the profession as their calling, encourage teaching as a career choice, and unify the country behind its teachers – helping us all recognize that there is no more important or noble work than that of educating our nation’s children,” the StoryCorps website explains.

The Initiative will place special emphasis on the work of teachers striving to increase the number of students who graduate prepared for college and careers. With major funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the effort is part of American Graduate, a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America address the dropout crisis.

Both my parents were public school teachers, and my sister was a substitute teacher for many years. I can appreciate that teaching is emotionally, intellectually and physically demanding – even more so now than when my parents were working. There’s scant pay or prestige in the profession these days, and the rewards are often intangible.

Renee Thorton, a teacher in New York, NY put it this way: “Even though you plant a seed and you don’t see it flourish or bloom, it’s there, and it grows.”

That’s why it’s great to hear StoryCorps founder Dave Isay say, “I think there is no higher calling than being a public school teacher in this country. Teachers are feeling under attack and underappreciated. We want to do our part over the next year to turn that around.”

StoryCorps itself also has an educational component. For a start, teachers and tutors have used StoryCorps stories and interview methods in their classrooms since the project’s inception in 2003. These powerful stories can be used to teach history, while the interview methods teach the value of simply listening. A school in Illinois has likewise adopted the StoryCorps model, complete with musical backgrounds, as a way to teach English.

There’s also StoryCorpsU, an interactive, standards-based college readiness program that teaches students the power of their voice and enforces the message that every voice counts and every story matters equally. The program uses StoryCorps content and interviewing techniques to enhance students’ skills around speaking, listening, writing and critical thinking – while also supporting greater self-awareness and social awareness.

During the 2011-2012 school year, StoryCorpsU is being implemented in twenty classrooms through partnerships in New York City, St. Louis and Washington, DC. The plan is to expand the reach of the program to more schools across the country over time.

One of the teachers who spoke at the White House at the initiative’s launch last week said he’d quit studying medicine to become a teacher when he realized that was his calling. “Whatever job they’re going to have in their future lives – they couldn’t have it without me,” he said.

That’s the value of teaching and tutoring.

Please comment and share your thoughts.

Featured image courtesy of StoryCorps.