Three key components have contributed to the success of OASIS Tutoring:
- A specific focus on building reading and language skills of 5 to 10 year old children
- A specifically developed curriculum and training program for the tutors, and
- An ongoing support plan for the tutors and schools
OASIS partners with local school districts to implement the program and recruit volunteers. OASIS provides the curriculum and training materials. Each school district designates a district coordinator to implement the program and identifies children in kindergarten through fourth grade with underdeveloped language skills. OASIS trains the district participants and works with them to train and support the tutors.
Tutor Training
OASIS tutors participate in an in-depth training program where they learn activities, techniques and strategies to help children learn to read. These methods are designed to complement and support most reading programs in use in schools today and are in alignment with the goals of the No Child Left Behind legislation.
Activities develop the whole range of communication skills—listening, talking, reading and writing—that are necessary to develop language, expand background knowledge and build reading skill.
Training includes instruction in student motivation and communication and ways tutors can draw on their own knowledge and experience to enrich the lives of their students. The volunteers commit to meet with their students one hour a week throughout the school year. Creating a capsule of success at each meeting, tutors have an opportunity to build the children’s self-esteem, confidence and reading skill. The tutors receive ongoing training through monthly meetings where they can share experiences, solve problems, gather new ideas, and build relationships with each other.
Response to the Program
The Intergenerational Tutoring program has proven to be a rewarding experience for both the students and tutors, and educators have responded enthusiastically.
For the students, the experience helps build their self-esteem, enthusiasm for reading, and overall academic performance, according to their teachers. The individual attention they receive is extremely valuable in making these strides.
The tutors find the mutually warm and caring relationships they develop with the children to be personally rewarding. They value the opportunity to contribute their time and experience to meet a critical need in their community. One tutor has echoed the experiences of many:
“What a thrilling experience to hear them actually read—not perfectly, but with
much more ease and confidence. And they are so pleased with themselves!”
Another tutor emphasized how meaningful the experience has been:
“My student went up six levels in reading. He was excited, but I can’t describe
how great I felt!”
The program also assists schools by helping them meet student needs at a time when pressures are increasing and many are finding it financially necessary to cut funding for special staff and programs. Responses from teachers and principals are consistently positive, noting the energy, dedication and ability the tutors demonstrate in working with students.
The program currently operates in 21 cities and 108 school districts across the U.S. and has won numerous national, state and local awards.