"A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil's mind..." — Anne Sullivan

Dear Educator,

I called Scott, my "techie" nephew the other day, and he said, "Oh, Aunt Sharon. Using the telephone is sooo the last century."

Thanks to him, I am now equipped with a new program called Skype. By the time I learn to use it, it, too, will be outdated. "The world, she is a changin'."

It's time for a century check up on our school support programs, too. When I started SCORE, a counselor commented, "Usually tutorial programs do more harm than they do good." Sadly, she was right. We learned in SCORE how to ensure that our tutorials make a real difference in student achievement.

I find myself wondering if even the term "tutorial" is sooo the last century. A tutor "instructs."A coach "trains." A mentor "fosters the progress of...." Certainly the late Anne Sullivan was into more than "teaching" or "tutoring." Her prodigy, Helen Keller, wrote "The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me." Helen's success was Anne's joy.

SCORE's tutors, too, are both coaches and mentors. We train them to be. Read this month's article, Tutorials That Work, to learn SCORE's keys to success. Attend our upcoming Adoption Workshop to fine-tune your academic support programs to make sure they are relevant in the current century!

Some day, when another person has overcome insurmountable odds and is being lauded for success, may that person remember your work as "most important."

By the way, I do still answer my telephone...and my cell phone...and my e-mail...I'm struggling with text messages...and I even "Skype" every once in a while. Please call!

Sharon Marshall Lockett, Director
SCORE... For College and Career
sharon@score-ed.com

Tutorials That Work

Tutorials and academic support programs are springing up across the nation. They are in response to the rigorous educational reform efforts mandated by nation, state, district, school, and parent. We live in a changing world, and our efforts to support students in their learning endeavors must be fluid enough to welcome the change and sound enough to produce academic results.

Tutorials, unless well designed, can do more harm than good. Why?

• The concept of tutoring implies failure. We at SCORE have worked hard to change student thinking from, “I am stupid, I have to have help,” to “I am smart enough to get help before I get into trouble. Tutoring is, after all, preventative, not remedial. Everyone needs help sometimes. ”
• Body language and poor methodology on the part of tutors can reduce student self esteem. We have a tendency to hire tutors who know content, but they don’t always know about learning or teaching. They don't know how to make a student feel smart for asking a question rather than stupid for not knowing the answer.
• Students need constant reinforcement of their goals. Academic support programs need to include motivation and enticement for students to commit the time and energy necessary for higher level classes and getting good grades.

How Do We Design Tutorials That Meet The Needs Of This Century...And The Next?

1. Change Your Name.

• Study sessions
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Study Group
• Support Group
• Homework Club

2. Change Your Focus.

• Approach tutorials as "honors efforts," not "remedial classes."
• Tutor for content master, not just a passing grade.
• Befriend technology.
• Beware the "caste" system: "I'm smart; you're not."
• Tutoring is free, but everyone learns to "pay it forward."

3. Intensively Train Everyone Who Tutors. Train in:

• Goals of the tutorial, proper procedures, and paperwork requirements.
• General teaching guidelines (place the responsibility for work on the student, rather than on yourself; acknowledge that there is more than one way to do things; allow students the freedom to make and correct their own mistakes, etc.).
• Multi modality teaching and multiple intelligences.
• Learning theories.
• Proven methods of learning as they relate to the disciplines (SQ3R for reading comprehension; clustering for writing; substitution for problem solving, etc.).
• Motivation theory.
• Cooperative learning.
• High expectations and the role body language plays in sending and receiving messages.
• Study skills.
• Crisis and grief management.

4. Do More Than Tutor.

• Coach
• Mentor
• Use computer laboratories for both remediation and enrichment.
• Develop the art of cooperative learning, the single most important factor in determining minority student retention in colleges and universities.
• Based your tutorial on sound study strategies.
• Adapt approaches for content-specific learning.
• Include high academic achievers in tutorial efforts, not just remedial students.
• Care for the physical needs of students. For example, tutorials held immediately after school need to allow for a nutritious snack. Students who are involved in athletics or musical programs that require after school practice need tutorials in the evening, perhaps centered in the community.
• Involve parents as partners in tutorial endeavors.
• Find a way to communicate with teachers.

SCORE will be exhibiting at the Beyond School Hours Conference in Greensboro February 7–10. Drop by our booth, mention this e-mail, and we'll give you $25 in SCORE-Bucks!

Sharon will lead a workshop on Child Grief at the International Conference on Care and Kindness in Garden Grove March 15–17. Mention this newsletter, and we'll give you $25 in SCORE-Bucks!

SCORE periodically offers centralized workshops...or SCORE can come to you!  If you have more than 10 staff members to train, fill in the information on our contact form and we will send you a Training Options flyer, personalized to your site.

Register Now! SCORE 101: Adoption Workshop: February 21–23, 2007.

• Re-think the way you do business with a focus on “What Works” for reaching high-risk students.
• Discover SCORE’s proven strategies for creating systemic change.
• Develop a customized program to accelerate the achievement of high-risk youth.
• Receive curricular materials to assure successful implementation.
• Leave with an Action Plan tailored to your site.

SCORE has helped us to focus the many facets of our educational program to provide a more concerted effort toward higher student achievement.  Classroom teachers are enthusiastic!
I am glad I found another way to touch the life of a child and help them develop into a great individual.  All children can and will learn–no exceptions!
I can’t wait to go back to school and get started.  I’m leaving the workshop with a “do-able” plan and look forward to the upcoming technical assistance.

Use SCORE to plan your reform with your site restructuring team. We can come to you!

Tell us what you need at http://www.score-ed.com/contact.htm

Register Now! Study Skills: March 13–14, 2007.

You will gain skills and resources to:

• Increase student retention
• Improve reading speed and comprehension
• Identify learning preferences
• Enhance student interest level
• Help students listen and ask effective questions
• Teach effective memory techniques
• Improve test scores

I left thinking I had a wonderful few days.  I got home and realized it had been a life-changing experience!
It’s very exciting to think about the students using these ideas not only for better grades, but for life experiences.
SCORE is a tool I can and will use.  Thank you.
SCORE is great.  I already see a difference in my students.
Well done in a productive balance.

Train your entire faculty! We can come to you.

Tell us what you need at http://www.score-ed.com/contact.htm

Crisis, Grief, and Loss...and How to Help Your Students Through It: April 17, 2007.

Grief is a fact of our students' lives (not to mention our own!).

When they are grieving, the way they learn changes. That means we need to reach them differently.

Attend this SCORE workshop to learn:

• How to read the subtle signs of a student in crisis
  (you already recognize their "not-so-subtle" messages!)
• What to do about it, both in and out of the classroom
  (you may gain validation and ammunition!)
• Where to go to find help
  (help for them is also help for you...your job will be so much easier!)
• How to change your teaching content and methodology to accommodate crises
  (and we teachers are always looking for a new strategy!)

Do you have a student in mind? They're invited! Listen to what students say:

I learned that grief will not go away, and when you go through depression do something.
I learned to be responsible and make good decisions.
This week I know not to take my anger out on someone else and not to argue so much.
I think you should go over this every year because it can help other people like it helped me.
I think that if it wasn’t for me, my friend would’ve joined his mother on the other side.
(Student participant one year after training)

We can come to you!

Tell us what you need at http://www.score-ed.com/contact.htm.

How to Organize and Run an
Effective Tutorial Program

DVD

"Usually tutorial programs do more harm than good."

Shocked by this statement, the designers of SCORE created a tutorial program that really works. This DVD will tell you how to design a tutorial that results in improved academic performance, even for your most difficult to reach student populations.

This DVD will answer the questions, Why do tutorials often do more harm than good? Who should tutor? What should be included in the training of tutors? and What are keys to making a tutorial program effective? It is a must for those planning a student tutorial or academic support program on their campus. It will be helpful for those who are running a program but not pleased with the results.

Focus: School staff planning a tutorial program K-12

Order Online Now, and save 10%!

SCORE Celebrates 25 Years of Improving Student Achievement!

SCORE is a comprehensive systemic change program, validated for effectiveness by the United States Department of Education. SCORE provides in services, technical assistance, and field-tested materials, all proven to result in increased student achievement. To request specific information related to your site, visit: http://www.score-ed.com/contact.htm

• SCORE is not a "packaged program;" rather, school teams design a custom implementation that meets the SCORE success criteria and allows local ownership.
• SCORE is successful in helping language minority and Title I students achieve university eligibility by the time they graduate from high school.
• SCORE empowers students through a variety of strategies, enabling them to adapt learning to their strengths and their teacher's presentation style.
• SCORE's Study Skills curriculum is unequalled, and should be made available to all students. SCORE's primary focus is grades 6–10, but it has been adapted to meet the needs of both older and younger students.
• SCORE's Guidance Curriculum, available only through the SCORE 101 workshop, empowers schools to meet accreditation criteria and empowers students to take personal responsibility for their learning.

What do Others Say?

While school reform is a hot topic of conversation, many educators have not implemented practical programs that can help students live up to their full potential. I strongly recommend SCORE for your school. This is too good a program not to give it to everyone!

Maeva K. Hutter
Title 1 Coordinator
Willard Intermediate School

I can't say enough about how SCORE has positively impacted our Indian Education program. The SCORE program builds pride back into our students by helping them see good points, bring out their strengths, and talk about what they do well while they achieve success in school. Students have recently commented that they wish all their classes were taught like the SCORE class, "school wouldn't be boring." This is the most comprehensive model of student assistance that I have ever used. Yokoke, thank you to the SCORE staff for all of the support that we receive in helping our American Indian students realize their dreams.

Michael Folsom. M. S.
Counselor, Indian Education
Huntington Beach Union High School District

The SCORE staff, eager to support you in your quest to improve academic performance, is always as near as your mouse click, fax, or phone number:

Educational Innovations/SCORE
30100 Town Center Drive
Suite O, PMB 379
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
http://www.score-ed.com

949-363-6764 Voice/Fax

sharon@score-ed.com