About the Program
TENNESSEE TUTORING CORPS
To help stave off a dramatic “COVID slide” of learning loss, Tennessee Tutoring Corps is a unique opportunity for qualified college students to support summer learning opportunities in math and reading for Tennessee children preparing to enter kindergarten through 6th grade.
The Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation, in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth-serving organizations across the state of Tennessee, launched Tennessee Tutoring Corps with the goal of recruiting at least 1,000 qualified college tutors who are eager to give back to their community and help prevent summer learning loss among the most vulnerable students.
Recognizing that many college students are also experiencing financial strain or loss of employment and internship opportunities due to the pandemic, tutors will be compensated with a stipend of up to $1,000 for their work through the duration of the summer program.
Why Tutoring Matters
SUMMER TUTORING HELPS PREVENT LEARNING LOSS
“Summer slide” is a learning loss problem that affects thousands of students nationwide every year and is especially harmful to students in high-poverty communities. According to the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), summer learning loss has a cumulative effect that can leave some students as far as two to three years behind their peers by the fifth grade.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students are missing school for longer than usual, leading experts to worry that the 2020 “summer slide” will be more like a “COVID avalanche.” Recent research from The Collaborative for Student Growth at the nonprofit NWEA suggests the pandemic could result in students returning to school in the fall retaining only 70 percent of typical learning gains in reading and less than 50 percent of usual learning gains in math. In some grades, students could be nearly a full year behind.
Fortunately, summer tutoring programs have been proven to help prevent dramatic summer learning losses. NSLA research and case studies confirm high-quality summer learning programs can improve math and reading skills while also helping children continue to develop critical social and emotional skills. Tennessee Tutoring Corps aims to help prevent long-term learning loss among the state’s most vulnerable young students while also connecting college students with summer employment opportunities and meaningful work experience.