In January, 2012, a first group of retired volunteer teachers and “teacher trainees” began tutoring 1st and 2nd grade students at Detroit’s Schulze Elementary, on the city’s northwest side. At the discretion of the school’s reading coordinator and the class teachers, those children with the greatest reading difficulty were selected to receive tutoring 2-3 times per week over a 45 minute period. At the conclusion of the three month pilot, not only did each of the participating students make noticeable progress towards achieving grade level, but almost as importantly, the students were eager to learn and demonstrate improvement at each session—a critical step forward in curtailing drop-out rates.

Based on the success of the pilot, Schulze’s administration invited Retooling Detroit to participate in theirsummer school program to help their students bridge the reading divide and minimize summer learning loss. For the 2012-2013 school year, the program has been expanded to facilitate a greater number of tutoring sessions throughout the school day—so that the Retooling volunteers can extend their reach.

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Testimonials

 

 

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” -Henry B Adams

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” -Mahatma Gandhi

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela

“If you do not do what you cannot do, it is not a problem. But, if you do not do, what you can do, this is tragedy.” -Sadhguru J. Vasudev

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.” -Maya Angelou

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” -Kahlil Gibran