The importance of a tutoring program in high school cannot be emphasized enough. How a student performs in his or her high school years can have a significant effect on their post-secondary life. High grades and test scores can mean scholarships and admission into prestigious universities. Passing grades for those who are not academically inclined can mean the difference between finishing with a high school diploma and more job opportunities, and not completing high school at all. A peer, school tutoring system can be very beneficial to all students but there are a few steps that should be taken to ensure success.
The first thing to do is make sure that there is actually interest in implementing a peer tutoring program. Without the support from the students both giving and receiving the tutoring, there is no real hope of success. Peers who can become tutors, such as math and English tutors for example, is a great concept but it requires active participation from everyone involved in order for it to work. The best thing to do is research. Conduct surveys, run a couple of trial sessions with interested candidates, and involve the teachers and administrators from the beginning to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
The way peer tutoring programs usually work is through the pairing of students. Usually those in the top of the class, such as those getting A’s in certain subjects, will be assigned to work with students at the other end of the academic spectrum, such as those failing or struggling to maintain even C averages. Some schools have had great success by allowing the students to choose each other, and in some cases letting students advertise themselves as providing a tutoring service. Each school will need its own approach, and this can be determined again through proper research.
Payment is not always found in peer school tutoring programs, but it can provide positive results. Payment can be in the form of money, given to the student by the school, not the student being tutored; or it can be in the form of other types of rewards. This could be anything from cafeteria food to points that build up to be used in field trips. Without payment, these programs will only go so far. Maximum success will result from a financial investment made by the school.
The ultimate end of a well-run peer tutoring program is a group of students who have the satisfaction of helping others and being paid for their academic abilities, and a group of students who haven’t fallen through the cracks and are able to reach their own scholastic goals. This of course can be measured in the increase of grades and test scores by those receiving the tutoring, and by the feedback provided by both groups of students. Peer tutoring has a great chance of succeeding but the students involved will need the support of the adults in charge at the school.
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