FAQ

How did the idea come about?

While completing an MBA at Babson College, I accepted a position as Director of Programs & Education at a non-profit. One of my projects was forming a partnership with Citizen Schools, an after school program for inner city middle schools, in Boston.  As a part of this project, I participated as a "Citizen Teacher". This was my first opportunity to experience both inner city middle schools and the complexities of having both English-speaking and English Language Learning (ELL) students in my apprenticeships. The idea came while brainstorming about potential entrepreneurial ventures in late 2006. A friend pointed out an Indian company that provided online tutoring to students in the US. When I thought about creating an online tutoring service for Latinos in the US, the idea “clicked” because of my experience as a Citizen teacher.

What have you done to date and what to expect to do in the future?

In 2007, I launched the organization and we ran our first pilot program with the Boys & Girls Club from October to December.  In January, Echoing Green chose us as a semi-finalist for their fellowship program. In the next five years I can see our organization growing in scope while also working to increase our impact. I envision us working with 5-10 partner organizations to implement a research-based, online teaching method for Math and Science, focused on the needs of Latino ELL students. In addition, we will develop services such as Basic Math for adults and GED Preparation. Further, we will leverage our expertise and offer training for partner organizations so they too can utilize the online tools as a way to expand the involvement of volunteers. To get the most up to date information, I'd recommend you checkout my blog.

A typical case would be Julia, a recently “mainstreamed” ELL Latina who arrives at an after school program in a large regional public school in Nevada. She is frustrated because she didn't really understand the teacher's explanation of the material in class and now has math homework with instructions in English. She doesn't know where to begin. The after-school program is very busy and does not have enough qualified, Spanish-speaking staff or volunteers to help all the students. Instead of skipping her homework, she is directed to the computer room where she sits down at the terminal and connects to a live, Spanish-speaking math tutor which the organization has contracted. The student logs-in and explains her situation in Spanish to the tutor through a Voice Over IP (VOIP) connection. The tutor begins by writing the problem on the digital whiteboard and then the student and the tutor work through the homework exercises together. See an example of the online whiteboard here.

As the session progresses, the student is not asked to sit passively as the tutor explains, but is engaged by the tutor with leading questions as they draw notes on the digital whiteboard. The student ends the session having made progress with her homework, but more importantly feels prepared and confident for her next day's class. The student and the tutor continue to connect several times a week during the school year as they work through homework and prepare for quizzes and achievement tests. Because of their ability to connect through a common language and culture, they eventually create a bond where the tutor has real insight into the strengths, weaknesses and learning style of the student. The following week, a new volunteer arrives to help tutor students at the center. In addition to the organization's own training, the volunteer is also trained in online tutoring by a staff member who recently completed the Tutor Amigos online tutor training course. Through this training the volunteer is able to expand her availability and add flexibility to her involvement while also providing the organization a way to deliver personalized tutoring more consistently to students and retain valuable volunteers.