As part of an expanding partnership in support of local K-12 schools, Longwood is pledging to dispatch students receiving Federal Work Study support to serve as tutors, helping area schoolchildren recover from learning loss during the pandemic.
The University is part of an inaugural group of 26 institutions nationally who announced recently a call from the federal government and the private sector to help provide more hands-on tutoring, mentoring, and coaching and help close achievement gaps among schoolchildren in their home communities. Four Virginia institutions have signed on: Longwood, U.Va., Virginia Tech and VCU.
The national initiative is being led by a public-private partnership called the National Partnership for Student Success, that brings together the U.S. Department of Education, AmeriCorps, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University to help schools, nonprofits, and elected officials create, expand, and improve evidence-based programs that support the academic recovery, mental health, and overall well-being of students.
Supporting our partner school systems in Region 8 is among our highest priorities, and as we develop these high-impact tutoring programs using Federal Work Study funding, our students will also gain valuable experience working directly with students early in their college careers. It’s a win-win situation.
Dr. Angela McDonald, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services
“This is such a natural fit for us,” said Dr. Angela McDonald, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services. “Supporting our partner school systems in Region 8 is among our highest priorities, and as we develop these high-impact tutoring programs using Federal Work Study funding, our students will also gain valuable experience working directly with students early in their college careers. It’s a win-win situation.”
Federal Work Study students are employed while they are enrolled at Longwood, working on- and off-campus jobs. While details will be finalized with local partners, Longwood’s institutional goal is to double its number of students working in positions that fall under the “community service” rubric of the program, and more specifically to have a cadre of students working directly with area school children in high-impact tutoring roles.
“Our colleges and universities have always been a driving force in solving America’s greatest challenges; and, today, we’re calling on these critical institutions to stand up once again by using Federal Work Study and other dollars to help accelerate learning and recovery in our K-12 schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “I applaud the 26 colleges and universities that are leading the way as early adopters of this effort by answering the call and partnering with the National Partnership for Student Success in this work. By serving as tutors and mentors, college students can make a positive difference in the lives of children and youth, and ultimately, it is in the best interests of our colleges and universities to help accelerate academic recovery in our public elementary and secondary schools. I’m hopeful that this initiative will inspire more college students of diverse backgrounds and income levels to consider careers as educators.”
The new pledge adds to a slate of initiatives already at Longwood to support area schools under McDonald, now completing her first year as dean, including scholarships and financial support, support for Longwood graduates working in local schools, college exposure activities, summer camps, and other outreach efforts.
"We already work with Longwood on so many valuable initiatives, and look forward to developing high-impact tutoring, mentoring, and coaching for our students in the coming months."
Dr. Barbara Johnson, superintendent of Prince Edward County Public Schools
Each summer, hundreds of area school-aged children descend on Longwood’s campus for STEM camps and the annual two-week Talented And Gifted Camp. These camps connect children to college and support interest in growing fields that count on the development of young, talented students.
CEHHS faculty also offer “Lancer For A Day” outreach to Prince Edward County 4th graders where they teach mock courses with Longwood students to offer an experience of college. A cross-disciplinary team also partnered on a $1.6 million National Science Foundation NOYCE grant to create a pipeline for rural students who aspire to be science, technology, education, or mathematics teachers.
“Our university is in a unique position to help address the learning loss that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said McDonald. “We are beginning to see the effect that it had on learning and mental health, especially in areas like Region 8, which encompasses much of Southside Virginia. Our hope is that these high-impact interventions like tutoring and mentoring by our future teachers will play a part in students’ academic recovery.”
“School systems like ours around the country have experienced the enormous impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Barbara Johnson, superintendent of Prince Edward County Public Schools. “It’s gratifying to see that recognized and this partnership formed to help address it. We already work with Longwood on so many valuable initiatives, and look forward to developing high-impact tutoring, mentoring, and coaching for our students in the coming months.”
The select cohort of colleges and universities pledging their support to the initiative are:
- Arizona State University
- Howard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Montgomery College
- Grand Valley State University
- University of Michigan
- New York University
- 11 State University of New York campuses (Buffalo State, Binghampton University, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Cortland, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Onondaga Community College, Rockland, Tompkins Cortland Community College, Upstate, and University at Albany)
- Rhodes State College
- University of Memphis
- Texas A&M University system
- Longwood University
- University of Virginia
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Tech
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