Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

TutorMe Partners with Columbia Public Schools, Providing Students with Tailored Instruction for Academic Advancement

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) — TutorMe, an online tutoring solution creating access and opportunity for all students, announces a partnership with  Columbia Public Schools in Columbia, MO, supporting students during the 2022–2023 school year with learning recovery and academic advancement.

Made possible through ESSER funding and a Request for Proposal (RFP) from the district, Columbia Public Schools sought tutoring services to provide supplemental academic support to students. Columbia Public Schools chose TutorMe through a selection process among more than 20 applicants.

“As a district, our goal is to provide our students with resources that will help them grow confident as learners and further their academic careers,” said De’Vion Moore, the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education of Columbia Public Schools. “We selected TutorMe with the intent of making personalized tutoring support sustainable and scalable.”…Read More

TutorMe Partners with Rural Wyoming School District, Providing Students with Diversified Academic Support

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) JULY 27, 2022 — TutorMe, an online tutoring solution creating access and opportunity for all students, announces a partnership with  Park County School District #16 in Meeteetse, WY, supporting students with high-dosage tutoring and supplemental academic support. Made possible through a  Wyoming Department of Education grant for after-school and extended day efforts, each K–12 student at Park County School District #16 will have 24/7 access to TutorMe’s high-quality tutors starting this fall—providing students with additional teaching perspectives and avenues for learning.

Park County School District #16 consists of just one school and serves around 90 K–12 students from Meeteetse and surrounding communities. Due to the small student population, teachers are often providing instruction for several grade levels each school day. The partnership with TutorMe ensures students receive the personalized, 1:1 support needed to succeed.

“We are excited to have one more tool available to our students and teachers,” said Shane Ogden, Superintendent of Park County School District #16. “Being a small rural school, our students receive their education from some of the finest educators, yet their options are limited in having lessons presented in varying methods. TutorMe will expose our students to seeing and hearing content in a different way which provides our students additional opportunities to learn and grow.”…Read More

FEV Tutor Announces Strategic Acquisition by Alpine Investors

WOBURN, MA & SAN FRANCISCO – JULY 20, 2022 – FEV Tutor (“FEV”), the K-12 market leading research and evidence-based online tutoring platform, today announced its partnership with Alpine Investors (“Alpine”), a people-driven private equity firm that is a Certified B Corporation committed to building enduring businesses. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Alpine’s partnership will help further FEV Tutor’s mission to develop high-quality, online learning solutions that drive change by positively impacting learning outcomes for students from all backgrounds. As part of the transaction, Jim Tormey of Alpine will be the new Chief Executive Officer at FEV Tutor, with Co-Founders Anirudh Baheti and Ryan Patenaude continuing in leadership roles.

For more than a decade, FEV Tutor has transformed the lives of K-12 disadvantaged and at-risk students through its high impact virtual tutoring model and expansive suite of district services. FEV partners with schools and districts to provide high-quality, structured 1:1 online tutoring solutions, delivered by an extensive 24/7 network of highly trained tutors. FEV provides high-touch client support, tailored program design, data analytics, and ongoing formative assessments for its K-12 customer base. FEV Tutor’s products meet the Level Two Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the national education law that helps ensure success for students and schools.…Read More

Jefferson County Public Schools Raises Math and Reading NWEA MAP Growth Scores with FEV Tutor

WOBURN, Mass. – June 23, 2022 – Students in Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) who participated in online tutoring sessions with FEV Tutor, the most comprehensive virtual tutoring solution in K-12, demonstrated accelerated rates of growth relative to national norms in both math and reading on the NWEA MAP Growth Assessments. Students who participated in higher dosages of FEV Tutor showed the greatest gains, surpassing national RIT growth norms as well as the growth of non-participants and students who completed less than the recommended dosage of tutoring.

In JCPS, an urban Kentucky school district that provides a high-quality education for 96,000 students, RIT Score Growth was analyzed from winter to spring during the 2021-22 school year. Students who participated in the recommended dosages of tutoring with FEV Tutor demonstrated 32% accelerated growth in both math and reading relative to national norms.

JCPS launched its partnership with FEV Tutor in December 2020 to connect students with tutoring help when they need it. To date, FEV Tutor has delivered more than 60,000 hours of live one-to-one instruction to 7,000 students in 116 schools in JCPS. The online tutoring sessions are available to students in grades 3-12 and focus on the core subjects of math, English, science, and social studies. Tutors are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, and students can schedule lessons or opt for 24/7 tutoring with on-demand sessions. The service can also be accessed on weekends.…Read More

FEV Tutor’s Personalized High-Impact Tutoring is Now Available to Over 5 Million Students

WOBURN, Mass. – March 16, 2022 – FEV Tutor, the most comprehensive virtual tutoring solution in K-12, today announced that its personalized high-impact tutoring program is now used by more than 400 districts with nearly 5 million students in aggregate. The company is projecting a 200% growth in the number of tutoring sessions delivered from 2021 to 2022. This milestone underscores the challenges school districts face and FEV Tutor’s commitment to providing research-based, high-impact online tutoring to students around the clock seven days a week, year after year.

“Last week alone, we delivered nearly 70,000 tutoring sessions,” said Ryan Patenaude, Sr. Vice President and Co-Founder of FEV Tutor.  “We are honored that our partner districts have entrusted us to help their students through our experienced tutors and our individualized instruction practices.”

FEV Tutor is a US Department of Education, Level Two ESSA research and evidence-based intervention. Its live 1:1 online tutoring program employs instructors with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and two years of teaching experience. It delivers personalized academic intervention where it’s needed most and is designed to naturally extend the instruction delivered by a specific school or district.…Read More

Oklahoma City Public Schools Announces TutorMe Partnership

OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — TutorMe, the online tutoring solution of the future, and Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) today announced an agreement to provide more than 35,000 K-12 students with free access to TutorMe’s online 24/7 tutoring service for the 2021-2022 school year.

With more than 15,000 tutors available anytime to help with more than 300 subjects, TutorMe provides immediate expertise whenever and wherever students need it. Whether it’s homework help or a study session, students pair up with their private tutor for a personalized 1-on-1 lesson in the advanced lesson space.

“Implementing TutorMe gives our students access to a vetted education professional tutor anytime they need help, in any subject, at their fingertips,” said Neal Kellogg, director of educational technology services. “Students will easily be able to access this resource through our online learning management tool. This resource will be a game changer for OKCPS students, especially when students are working independently or in an asynchronous learning environment. OKCPS is proud to offer this high level of academic support to our students at no cost to our families and we encourage our students and families to take full advantage of what TutorMe has to offer.”…Read More

TutorMe Donates $100,000 in Tutoring Services to Racine Unified School District

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 23, 2021) — TutorMe, the online tutoring solution of the future, announced today that after a nationwide call for applicants, the team selected Racine Unified School District (RUSD) in Wisconsin to receive $100,000 worth of tutoring services. This donation provides the students of Racine Unified free 24/7 access to live tutors in more than 300 subjects to support learning recovery from school closures and remote learning due to the pandemic as well as address existing learning gaps.

According to Janell Decker, the deputy chief academic officer, some RUSD students are entering high school behind in reading and math, especially after the past year and a half, with so much disruption to the educational environment. RUSD is looking for additional resources and supports to ensure all students are on track. Instead of taking up state-mandated instructional time for added interventions, Decker said, “TutorMe can easily be incorporated into various times during and outside the school day, so this will help us tremendously!”

TutorMe’s network of more than 15,000 tutors will help address learning losses due to school closures and other disruptions during the past academic year. Participating schools in RUSD have received implementation support to get their staff and students comfortable with the TutorMe platform, which students will access via Chromebooks provided by the district.…Read More

5 ways to prepare and teach online classes

Online tutoring is becoming more accepted for people every day. With the coronavirus pandemic still affecting the world, there’s never been a better time to work remotely.

Advancements in technology are opening doors to new ways of learning and removing geographical boundaries for everybody. Many traditional teachers are finding success in learning how to teach online. The ability to work from anywhere in the world while managing your own time, rate and workload is hugely appealing. Meanwhile, the number of students looking to learn online is skyrocketing.

That’s not to say that becoming an online tutor doesn’t come with its own challenges. Such a shift in the style of work can be overwhelming. But, fear not! Starting to teach online is easier each day. This guide will show you how to teach online classes and help you find your footing in your new career.…Read More

IXL Learning Agrees to Acquire Wyzant Tutoring Marketplace

IXL Learning, the K-12 personalized learning platform used by 11 million students, today announced it has agreed to acquire Wyzant, the nation’s largest marketplace for online tutoring. The addition of the Chicago-based company will expand IXL’s capacity to address the needs of all students with personalized, one-on-one mentoring. 

Founded in 2005, Wyzant offers an expansive digital network of more than 65,000 tutors from a broad spectrum of academic and professional fields. Wyzant seamlessly connects students to the perfect tutor for online or in-person lessons geared toward their unique needs. Wyzant tutors serve learners of all ages and backgrounds, offering in-depth guidance on topics including English, language arts, physics, calculus, coding, LSAT test prep, music and more. 

“Wyzant expertly brings together students and world-class instructors. We’re excited to welcome Wyzant’s talented team to IXL and build a strong partnership rooted in a love of learning,” said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL.  …Read More

Virtual Tutoring Service

Swing Education, a staffing application that matches schools with substitute teachers, brings its highly-qualified and experienced substitutes directly to students across America with the launch of Swing Tutors, an online tutoring service for students in grades K-12. Launching during Teacher Appreciation Week, Swing Tutors matches classroom substitute teachers with students based on their grade level and subject area needs to provide additional real-time, one-on-one support in a secure online learning environment.

“With school closures, we wanted to find a way to both support our substitute teachers and provide a valuable and much-needed service for parents and students,” said Mike Teng, CEO of Swing Education. “Swing Tutors taps into our substitute teachers’ expertise while delivering a flexible way for students to receive individualized support in the areas they need help with the most.”

All Swing Tutors are veteran educators with real classroom experience, each having taught in physical classrooms within the last 12 months. All tutors hold bachelor’s degrees, with roughly 40 percent having a master’s degree or higher. The tutoring service is available to any K-12 student in the U.S., regardless of school, and delivered using an interactive video-based platform in which the tutors can engage students in conversation as well as review course materials.…Read More