The Obama stimulus package provides funding for school districts through numerous programs, including IDEA (special services) and Title 1 reading and math. Half of this one-time funding — which totals somewhere in the billions — was distributed in March and the rest will reach school districts in October.
SPARK Peer Tutoring is one method of utilizing youth as resources in our schools, so it’s a sustainable program, even with one-time funding. Districts can use stimulus funding to purchase the manual and then train middle school or high school youth to tutor younger or same-age students.
Here’s an article about the stimulus funding breakdown, if you’d like more information.
Here’s a description of SPARK:
The S.P.A.R.K. Peer Tutoring Handbook and Training Manual® is a field-tested curriculum “kit” designed to help high school and middle school peer tutors and advisors.
The lessons, discussions and activities make up a four-hour training curriculum that benefits both new and well-established peer tutoring programs. After completing the training, peer tutors are better prepared to handle the situations that they will face as they serve their school in a tutoring role.
The kit is a three ring binder that includes 55 pages of text, 12 overheads, reproducible forms, study skills brochures and activity card sets in an appealing, complete, easy to use manual.
The S.P.A.R.K. Peer Tutoring Handbook® was created by the advisor of a successful high school peer tutoring program and its design helps advisors support a strong peer tutoring program with minimal effort.
For more information, please visit http://www.empowering-youth.com/spark.html .
The S.P.A.R.K. Peer Tutoring Handbook and Training Manual® also received a professional review in the Peer Facilitator Quarterly, the official publication of the National Peer Helper’s Association. To read this review click here.
An excellent and efficient use of your stimulus package funding!
Tags: ESEA, peer tutoring, SPARK, stimulus, Title 1, tutor training
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