When starting a peer tutoring program, it's often best to keep things as simple as possible as you'll see in today's feature of the program at Hartford Union High School, Wisconsin, supervised by Dave Lynch, School Counselor & National Honor Society Advisor.
Currently in its 5th year, the peer tutoring program provides academic support for students who need additional help in understanding course content and / or preparing for assessments. While a virtual option exists (and was used during the 2020-21 school year), tutoring occurs in-person. When virtual tutoring occurs, students use Google Meet and their school-issued Chromebooks. The tutoring program serves students at all grade levels and focuses on required subjects: English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. In addition, some tutors assist with world languages (French and Spanish).
Tutors are members of the National Honor Society and their participation in the program may satisfy their community service requirement. Tutees can self-refer as well as be recommended by teachers, parents / guardians, or school counselors. The one-on-one nature of tutoring and the frequency in which they meet allows the tutor to assess the impact of the tutee's experience.
Tutor and tutee meet weekly during Oriole Time (common study / work time) to discuss course content, prepare for assessments, or work on assignments. In addition, some tutors are assigned to specific teachers and spend Oriole Time working with the teacher to serve the needs of multiple students looking for help.
Every peer tutoring program comes with its own set of challenges. At Hartford Union High, the busy calendars of students can lead to scheduling issues, and at times, the demand for tutoring can be greater than the number of tutors available. Nonetheless, this program has proven useful to its participating students.
Want to nominate a peer tutoring program to be featured on the Peer Tutoring Resource Center? Submit a proposal here. Do you have sample resources to donate from your peer tutoring program? Upload them for review.
