Tutoring (TAG+)
Tutoring is offered for free to Boston Public School kids and takes place during school hours and/or after school at UMass Boston, Boston Latin School, and at Burke High. Tutors are teachers from Boston Public Schools or trained college students and TAG alumni, who also provide mentoring to students. Students receive a minimum of 2.5 hours of free tutoring or enrichment classes a week. Students' grades and attendance are tracked, communication with teachers and guidance counselors is maintained, and narrative reports are sent to parents reporting on participation and improvement. Tutoring includes a snack and an agenda book. For more information, please contact our office.
Boston Latin School (BLS): TAG+ Tutoring has been in existence at BLS since 1985. Students attend tutoring sessions during at least three study hall periods in their six-day rotation schedule. This means the majority of the students attend tutoring at least three times a week. The average student obtains approximately 55 hours of tutoring over the course of 25 weeks. Improvements have been seen in the overall GPAs of 75 percent of our students, with the majority of the remainder maintaining their GPA levels.
UMass Boston: TAG+ Tutoring has been in existence at UMass Boston since 2005. The program has remained small, tutoring 25 students due to space limitations on campus during the hours of 3:30-6:30 p.m. Students are given 15 minutes to enjoy after-school snacks and settle in at the start of each session. Two hours are dedicated to tutoring or academic work, and the last hour is for recreational and mentoring activities, which include sports and computers. Tutoring is offered four days a week (Monday-Thursday), with an average of 12 students per day. On average, students have received more than 150 hours of tutoring over the course of 25 weeks. This has resulted in improved grades in specific subject areas of tutoring, particularly science, English, and math. The students who attend this program are mainly from English High School; students from all over the district are invited to participate. Students typically have very poor school attendance, limited English proficiency, and have negative outlooks on school. The staff TAG tutors and volunteer high school tutors have been successful at connecting with the students, helping develop a positive attitude, and improving academic and personal development by keeping them off the streets and involved in positive academic activities.
