Successes

Make a Difference Foundation champions tutoring that also serves as job training for tutoring.  Our tutoring programs even trainstudents who have fallen behind to tutor other students in reading and writing.  Our programs make the following happen:

  • Students expand their own reading and writing abilities by tutoring.
  • Students learn responsibility and get job experience.
  • Students develop citizenship as they mentor younger students.
  • This experience empowers students who empower other students.
  • This job training has the power to transform today’s at-risk students into tomorrow’s college graduates. 

History of Our Programs.  We began our program by training college students to tutor high school students.  In our program at South Mountain High School, college students tutored students who had failed the AIMS reading test three to five times.  The pass rate of these students on the next AIMS test was 73%.

The Wright to Dream Literacy Camp.  For the last three years, entering freshmen at Cesar Chavez High School were tutored in reading and writing at our “Wright to Dream Literacy Camp” the week before school started by ASU football players, basketball players, and other college students.  On a survey, 87% of the students said they improved their reading and writing.  A computer analysis of their pre and post writing tests showed an increase of 1.9 grade levels.

After School Tutoring.  Last year, we moved into the next phase of having high school students tutor high school students who were English Language Learner at Cesar Chavez High School.  The percentage of ELL students passing the AIMS reading test went from 27% to 42%.  The percentage increase of 27% to 42% is an increase of 56%.  Yes, high school students can be effective tutors for other high school students.

Current Programs.  Cesar Chavez High School is continuing the student-to-student tutoring program for English Language Learners.  Also, the Phoenix Union High School District is piloting our programs at Metro Tech and Camelback High School. To see newspaper articles and television stories, visit our web site at www.coachingliteracy.com.

Funding: Because state and federal programs have no provision for funding high school students tutoring other high school students, we rely on your donations.  See “Donations” for information about how you can get your entire donation back on your Arizona taxes.  Help to fulfill our vision of “job training that transforms today’s at risk students into tomorrow’s college graduates.”