As schools closed their buildings in response to the coronavirus pandemic, former Tenn. Gov Bill Haslam saw two big challenges emerging: K-12 students faced the threat of huge learning loss, and many college students with cancelled internships suddenly no summer plans.
His solution: Recruit at least 1,000 college students to offer in-person tutoring to as many as 5,000 students who will enter kindergarten through 6th grade this fall, helping them catch up on content they may have missed due to lost time in the classroom.
The Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation unveiled the newly named Tennessee Tutoring Corps Tuesday, detailing plans to team up with Boys and Girls Clubs and other youth-serving organizations in a pilot program they plan to evaluate as a possible model for other states.
鈥淲e know from our time in office that summer slide is a real thing,鈥� Gov. Haslam, a Republican, told Education Week. 鈥淜ids of all types鈥攂ut particularly low-income kids鈥攍ose much of what they learned the prior year. It鈥檚 not unrealistic to think that with a summer that鈥檚 twice as long you could lose maybe as much as a whole year of learning gains. We thought that was important to address that.鈥�
The effort comes as states and districts around the country begin to plan how they will reopen schools in the fall, and how they will assess and meet students鈥� varying learning needs when they do. Tennessee leaders have recommended for the remainder of the academic year, and approaches to online learning vary by district.
To qualify as tutors, current college students must pass a background check, and the organization will prioritize Tennessee residents with at least a 3.0 GPA who have completed their freshman year. The volunteers will earn a $1,000 stipend from the foundation in exchange for part-time tutoring from June to August.
鈥淚 think a lot of college students, particularly now, are looking not just for paid work but for meaningful paid work,鈥� Haslam said. 鈥淲e hope one of the side benefits of this is that those college students walk away being more interested in education.鈥�
The organization worked with Nashville-based Instruction Partners to develop tutoring materials based on state learning standards in order to supplement lessons from the last quarter of the school year, when students may have had inconsistent internet access, time, and opportunity to learn new material.
Once the state sets guidelines for the reopening of youth-serving organizations, Tennessee Tutoring Corps volunteers will meet one-on-one with younger students around the state, following appropriate social distancing guidelines. Online tutoring would be less accessible for students without adequate internet access at home.
鈥淲e want it to be person-to-person tutoring, but it may be six feet apart,鈥� said Chrissy Haslam, who promoted efforts to address early literacy and summer learning loss in her role as first lady.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 going to solve the whole problem by any stretch of the imagination,鈥� she said, adding that she hopes it鈥檚 a good start.
Tennessee teachers and parents have made great efforts to continue education after an abrupt switch to remote learning, Chrissy Haslam said, working to quickly connect students to the internet and distribute paper packets of lesson materials in rural areas.
But researchers have warned about the potential for lost academic gains in states around the country, renaming the 鈥渟ummer slide鈥� the 鈥淐OVID slide.鈥� One study projected 3rd through 8th grade between a half a year to a year鈥檚 worth of academic growth in math. 69传媒 have also struggled with gaps in student internet access, concerns about parental job loss and family hunger, and significant numbers of students who鈥檝e fallen out of contact with their teachers during the upheaval.
The coronavirus, and the accompanying economic crisis, have disrupted all areas of government and family life, but the Haslams chose to focus on education.
鈥淭he ramifications are almost endless,鈥� Bill Haslam said. 鈥淭he health ones are obvious, mental health issues are raising their head, the list could go on and on. We have always felt that public education is the best hope we have to address so many of our issues in this country. We know that income inequality is a real thing. We know that in times like these, problems that existed before get magnified.鈥�
As governor, Haslam promoted expanded college access through programs that promote degree completion and provide tuition-free community college to nearly every high schooler in the state.
As he took office in 2011, the state was still grappling with the fallout of the Great Recession, but his predecessor, Democrat Phil Bredesen, helped retain education funding. States today will have to make even more of those difficult choices as they deal with declining revenue, Haslam said.
The foundation plans to test participating students鈥� academic progress and evaluate the program鈥檚 effectiveness.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our hope that, if it does show good success, it is something we will try to continue in Tennessee,鈥� Haslam said. 鈥淲e also hope other states copy it.鈥�
Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam answers questions during an interview in Nashville, Tenn, in 2018. --AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, file