To the editor:
With the support of the Brown County school corporation, the Brown County Literacy Coalition (BCLC) has entered into an informal partnership with the IU Department of P-16 Research and Development, the Indiana Kids program, the IU Center for Rural Engagement, and the IU Department of Service Learning to provide more tutors and tutoring options for Brown County’s children.
The first result of these conversations is the immediate implementation of one-on-one online tutoring, which is now available for children in Grades 6 to 12. College students at IU and IUPUI are available online from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday to tutor our children in the areas of math, English, social studies and science.
To access this program, students must complete an application online or on paper (available at their school or downstairs at the Brown County Public Library), and that application must be signed by the parent or guardian and mailed to or dropped off at the BCLC office downstairs at the library. Once a student receives their unique login information for the tutoring platform, they will be able to access tutoring at home, at school, downstairs at the public library, at BETA, at church, or their favorite hangout. In fact, anywhere there is Internet, students will be able to connect to a tutor with their Chromebook or phone.
This program is easy, fun, safe and effective. For students who have already signed up but are intimidated to connect on their own, BCLC will be providing support downstairs at the public library on Thursday afternoons during the hours of 3 to 5 p.m.
What about help for our elementary school kids? Last year, BCLC was able to provide 20 wonderful tutors to support critical reading intervention and mentoring for 24 children in Grades 1 to 4. But according to Sprunica, Helmsburg and Van Buren principals, 60-plus more children were identified by teachers as needing one-on-one reading support.
That means at a minimum, 80-plus Brown County children in Grades 1 to 4 are in need of ongoing reading improvement activities. We hope our ongoing conversations with IU will enable us to provide Department of Education college students as in-person tutors at the elementary schools and intermediate school. We have many IU faculty members and departments working to help us make this happen.
Applications and instructions for the Grade 6 to 12 online tutoring program can be picked up at the intermediate school, junior high and high school offices, or in the public library downstairs lobby.
Students also may enroll online by visiting go.iu.edu/1SVa.
Questions? Please contact the Brown County Literacy Coalition at 812-988-6960 or email [email protected].
Patricia Krahnke, Brown County Literacy Coalition
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