Volunteer tutors are trained and matched with elementary school children in need of additional help with reading and math. These volunteers are supported by AmeriCorps members who are serving in the schools as tutor coordinators. Tutor coordinators are responsible for the recruitment, screening, placement, orientation, training, support, supervision, evaluation and recognition of a diverse pool of community volunteers that includes parents and family members, university students, businesses, faith communities, local neighborhood residents, and older adults. The Project's tutor coordinators work closely with school staff to deliver high-quality academic support.
There are several components to the Schools of Hope Project:
- Trained one-on-one volunteer tutors for selected elementary students
- Support for MMSD's summer K-Ready students through placement of AmeriCorps members in classrooms
- Collaboration with after-school programs
- Learning Kits containing books and activities for students to keep at home, including bilingual books and activities
- Literacy Bags filled with sets of books and activities for volunteers to use with students
- Family literacy resources
Mission Statement
The Schools of Hope Project began in 1995 as a civic journalism project by the Wisconsin State Journal and WISC-TV that studied ways that active community engagement could address critical needs. Educational issues quickly emerged as a community priority. A Leadership Team comprised of community leaders was convened by United Way of Dane County. They reported the achievement gap between students of color and their white peers as a growing concern. Upon further study they identified tutoring as a method of addressing this challenge, and in 1998 the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) awarded a grant to provide AmeriCorps*VISTA members to serve as tutor coordinators in Madison elementary schools.
When the CNCS grant ended in 2004, United Way of Dane County allocated funding to continue Schools of Hope, and also received a CNCS AmeriCorps*VISTA grant to support early learning activities for preschool children called the Preschools of Hope Project. In 2007 the Project was awarded an AmeriCorps*State grant through CNCS which merged the Schools of Hope and the Preschools of Hope projects to provide a seamless approach to providing literacy and math support for students in preschool through fifth grade.
Since the Schools of Hope Project began in 1998, it expanded to include the Sun Prairie Area School District in 2005, Verona Area School District in 2006, and Middleton in 2010. It currently serves all MMSD elementary schools, and selected elementary schools in Middleton and Sun Prairie.
The Details
- Address 810 W. Badger RoadMadison, WI 53713
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Contact
- Mariah Flynn
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Phone
- 608.441.7895
- Website
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Interest Area
- Children & Youth, Education & Literacy
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