Volunteers – An Untapped Resource

September 15, 2014

Volunteers can be a powerful source of academic support for struggling students – on a widespread scale.  Here are some programs doing it well, and the work is still ahead of us.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/an-untapped-force-in-the-fight-for-literacy/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad&_r=0

“Slavin believes that community volunteers should be a part of a tiered system of tutoring that employs volunteers, paraprofessionals and, for kids who need the most help, certified teachers. “But … You’d need an army of volunteers to work with the number of kids struggling in schools.”

That army exists, said Lombardo. “This is the slumbering giant of human capital. Eighteen million Americans volunteer in the public schools. And that number would be even bigger if volunteers knew they didn’t have to be sharpening pencils — they can be partners in instruction.”