Tutorial program matches employees with small groups of students

School: West View Elementary, Sherry Hensley, Principal (865) 594-4471

Partner: Rohm & Haas Company, Ms. Andi Comfort, Contact for PIE, (865) 521-8252

What began with a grant from Rohm & Haas Company, has developed into a special partnership between the company and West View Elementary School. After presenting the school with funding for their new playground and other grounds improvements in 2002, Rohm & Haas company representatives explored the possibilities of getting more involved at the school. The outcome was a tutorial program that matched Rohm & Haas employees with students in need at the school.

Since the 2002-2003 school year, Rohm & Haas employees have spent their lunch breaks giving students special attention in areas where they need a little extra help. The sessions usually involve helping one to three students in subjects such as mathematics, science, English, and reading. The tutors are assigned to one classroom for the entire school year. Several of the tutors make their visits weekly, while other tutors share a class and go every other week. In either case, the students build a relationship with another caring adult that invests in their well-being on a regular basis. A total of fourteen employees made these investments during the 2004-2005 school year.

Rohm & Haas Company’s Andi Comfort recruits tutors through the use of e-mails and face-to-face contact. She has developed a few common questions/answers for her co-workers that explain the program in more detail. Through this tool, Rohm & Haas employees get a snapshot of the time demands and expectations from a commitment to the tutorial effort. Such issues as distance to the school, subjects covered, skills needed, time commitment, number of students involved, and reasons to commit, make a case for employees to get involved. Andi’s approach works, as every classroom has Rohm & Haas employees making a difference on a regular basis.

Paul Fortunato, Rohm & Haas Plant Manager, says the tutoring program has been great for company morale as employees contribute to their neighborhood school. It has rallied the troops to support the school in a variety of other ways. Last fall, the students at West View received school supplies thanks to the generosity of Rohm & Haas employees. The company and its employees also sent Christmas gifts to some of the needier students, and sponsored lunch for West View’s field day at the end of the school year.

Andi Comfort suggests that communication is a key ingredient to the successful implementation of a tutorial program. Teachers must share upcoming class schedules with their classroom tutors, and also communicate special instructions to tutors about the needs of students. Employees need to communicate their schedule issues in order to consistently have a presence in the classroom. Schedule conflicts can be dealt with through a careful examination of upcoming events. Schools and companies should also work to establish some mechanism for communicating any issues that might come up during the tutorial session. In addition, the school staff can train tutors in the areas of societal issues, behavioral expectations, and strategies for tutorial success.

The Knoxville Rohm & Haas plant is a great example of taking an idea from another employment site and making it their own. The Charlotte Rohm & Haas facility birthed the tutoring program at their plant, but the Knoxville employees have embraced their own version of tutoring that fits their work environment. This approach can work for any business willing to commit the time and energy required to build the program.

Any organization can look at the Rohm & Haas model and modify it to fit a school in their neighborhood. While fourteen employees spending time tutoring might stretch your resources, any number of employees can be plugged into a school to make a difference.  Contact the Partners In Education Office, 594-1909, if you have an interest in developing a tutoring program.