Flex Tutors Partners with University of Pennsylvania to Aid Student Recovery
Partnership with Penn Graduate School of Education will help principals to support students’ post-Pandemic academic achievement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joshua Chernikoff
July 6, 2021 (202) 505-3278
Washington, D.C. – Flex Tutors, a national leader in online quality academic tutoring, announced it is partnering with The Penn Literacy Network, based in the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, to offer principals throughout the U.S. qualified peer tutoring for students as added support and enrichment after COVID-19 and distance learning.
“The need for this intervention is great,” said Flex Tutors CEO Joshua Chernikoff. “We’ve been hearing from parents who are asking for academic support for their kids, not just before and after school hours, but on weekends, too. This partnership will facilitate a way for principals to offer accelerated learning in a way that takes the burden of time and supervision off them.”
The tutors will be high school students who have been certified through The Penn Literacy Network’s Tutor Apprenticeship Certificate Program. This intensive training program instructs and supports the high school students to tutor younger K-8 students in reading, writing and math.
“The Tutor Apprenticeship Certificate Program is designed to improve ELA and Math core concepts for both the TAs and their students, and to build students’ confidence, self-esteem and academic achievement in response to academic recovery, so this is the perfect time to launch this partnership,” said PLN Executive Director Dr. Bonnie Botel-Sheppard.
Principals will be able to use their forthcoming ESSER federal funding to pay for the tutor training and certificate program. Flex Tutors has implementation teams ready to work with principals to establish and monitor online tutor instruction on the platforms already integrated into the school curriculum. Students who become certified tutors through the PLN program receive a community service credit.
Chernikoff also touted the benefits of cross-age tutoring, where an older student mentors and instructs a younger peer.
“There are several studies that cite the benefits of cross-age tutoring. We believe in the transformative power of this tutoring style as a post-pandemic recovery tool, because students often find peer tutors more relatable and more motivating. When a peer tutor becomes a role model, the student’s academic success often continues beyond the tutoring experience. When these tutors are adequately trained, the academic improvement is much more significant as well.”
Although the tutoring is online, the plan is to keep the high school tutors working within their local areas to best serve their own communities and address district learning objectives. Flex Tutors professionals will be online to monitor every session.
“This is a unique way that Flex Tutors can help principals address their students’ learning outcomes with minimal additional work,” said Chernikoff. “We’re thrilled to be a part of this post-Pandemic recovery.”
About Flex Tutors
Established in 2007, Flex Tutors has helped students grow their academic confidence and learn new skills through a unique matching system that pairs students with background-checked, qualified tutors who know their subjects and are passionate about learning. Flex Tutors programs have been the go-to choice for hundreds of PTAs and families throughout the U.S. for over a decade.