Interested in starting a tutoring or mentoring program? The Office of Schools and Regions offers tips in a 36-page booklet, “Tutoring Mentoring Initiatives, A Directory of Programs and Resources.”
Published in 1996, the booklet lists over 100 programs operating in the Chicago public schools. The listings are by school and by organization and provide brief program descriptions.
The booklet speaks to both tutor providers and schools. For example, it suggests providers get started by arranging meetings with the principal and local school council of targeted schools, establishing common goals and determining which needs are not being met in the community.
It also offers tutors and mentors a checklist, including suggestions for how to break the ice with students. One idea: ask about their favorite TV show or what they like to eat.
For schools, the booklet suggests ways to form partnerships with community organizations and strategies for getting people involved with their schools. For example, it suggests schools find out what’s available for their students from public departments of health, welfare and social services as well as from youth service agencies.
The booklet also lists interfaith partnership models, tutoring service providers and phone numbers to order national publications on children and education.
For more information, call Yvonne Jones, Office of Schools and Regions, (773) 535-3710.