Under the leadership of SOE professor Greg Fritzberg, University Tutors for Seattle Schools (UTSS) is now into its second year, tapping the energy and intelligence of undergraduate and graduate university students to help Seattle public school students succeed.
UTSS had previously provided academic support on a smaller scale, as they partnered with 12 public schools. They’ve been funded in part through a 2012–13 levy. Because many schools appreciated the value that tutors added to their students’ learning, they requested tutors return for the 2013–14 school year.
University Tutors currently employs 60–65 undergraduate and graduate tutors from Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University, and the University of Washington, with the majority of tutors from SPU. Tutors are expected to provide approximately 20,000 hours of student assistance this school year, fulfilling $419,000 in 2013–14 grant-funded contracts.
Tutors work in classrooms and other study environments during regular school hours, providing assistance to small groups or individual students and collaborating with teachers and other support providers. Tutors also help students before and after school, on Saturdays, and in school-approved academic programs during mid-winter and spring vacations. Because schools vary in their community and culture, tutors adapt and assist in ways that best fit the needs of their school.
UTSS tutors enter into Seattle schools with hopes of providing academic and social/emotional support to students in need. They aim to be role models to their students who may not have college-bound adults in their lives. Tutors address the achievement gap through building academic and social capital. But tutors also seek to learn from their students and the schools they serve, often finding that their experiences with students have a positive effect on their own lives.
University Tutors is looking forward to another successful and enriching year for both tutors and students in Seattle schools. For more information about UTSS, visit UTforSS.org, or contact Greg Fritzberg (gregf@spu.edu or gregf@UTforSS.org) or Rebecca Carlson (Rebecca@UTforSS.org).