One of the most devastating impacts to come out of the pandemic is the loss of learning experienced by students in elementary, middle and high school, which exacerbated long-standing educational inequities. A recent report by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy highlighted that the larger declines in English language arts and math test scores since the pandemic were among female students, students of color and low-income students.
Additionally, this same report found that one-on-one tutoring by trained volunteers or paraeducators is one of several academic tools that can help offset the decline in academic test scores and “help students recover academically after the pandemic,” as noted by the Seattle Times.
The Seattle Public Library has offered free after-school tutoring for students in grades K-12 through a program called Homework Help for over 30 years, but the in-person program had to go on hiatus during the pandemic. In that time, the Library started offering online one-on-one tutoring through Tutor.com, which provides academic support seven days a week in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
While online tutoring was a helpful bridge for students who needed it, the Library realized that in-person academic support remained a critical need for many families. When the Library began planning for the return of in-person Homework Help, it placed an even greater focus on equity.
When the Library’s Youth & Family Learning Services team relaunched the Homework Help program in fall 2022, Library staff used data from a variety of sources to identify Library locations for the program. We prioritized serving students who were furthest from educational justice and who had been most affected by the pandemic’s impacts on overall health and learning.
Keeping equity at the forefront, the Library has located all Homework Help sites in high-opportunity neighborhoods and close to Title I schools. We worked with staff, parents, caregivers and community partners to identify the best days and hours for the sessions and with Seattle Public Schools to promote Homework Help to families. Homework Help is currently offered one to three times a week at nine locations across Seattle.
What does a Homework Help session look like? Volunteers help students individually and in small groups. Students can work on homework, play a learning game with their tutor, select books from a book cart for free reading or do academic worksheets. High school students can get help with academic subjects and other priorities, such as college essays.
Homework Help is designed to eliminate as many barriers to access as possible. Because it is a drop-in program, students don’t need to plan ahead. They can just show up and get help. Students do not need to have a library card to attend. Additionally, we understand the critical role nutrition plays in learning, so snacks are now provided at every Homework Help session courtesy of the Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Hunger Intervention Program.
Surveys by the Library, coupled with attendance rates, indicate a vast majority of students served by the program are youth of color, with 90% reporting their parents speak a language other than English at home. The data also revealed that 70% of Homework Help students report having a better understanding of their homework assignments as a result of Homework Help, and 60% report better grades.
Multiply this impact by the 1,100 students who have utilized Homework Help more than 4,400 times in 2023, and you have a sense of the difference that this free, in-person tutoring program can make in the lives of the kids and families it serves.
Numbers are only part of the story: Homework Help aims to not just boost students’ academic progress but help youth feel empowered to learn, explore and develop skills that prepare them for college, careers and life.
A mother of two students who have attended Homework Help sessions at the Rainier Beach and Columbia City branches summed it up by saying, “Homework Help provides my two sons a great space to learn and be curious. It also helps that all of the Homework Help volunteers are caring. While my boys are learning, I get time to build my job skills. As a busy mom of two, I appreciate this time so much.”
Or as an 11th grade student simply said, “I enjoy my time here, and it helped me get stuff done. The environment is always nice.”
A ‘full-circle’ moment
The Library’s 180 adult volunteer tutors are critical to the success of Homework Help. Volunteer tutors receive training in academic tutoring skills as well as concepts such as social-emotional learning and growth mindset. Finding tutors who are members of the communities they support is key, especially ones who have linguistic and/or cultural competencies that meet culturally specific needs. In some cases, tutors are former Homework Help students who are excited to participate in the program as mentors.
As a student at Nathan Hale High School, volunteer tutor Eldad attended the Lake City branch’s Homework Help program. She became a student assistant at the Library and eventually took a Library Associate position. When she left the Library to take another position with the city of Seattle, she immediately signed up as a Homework Help volunteer.
As a first-generation immigrant, Eldad was motivated to volunteer because she knows how important it is for students to have tutors who share a similar background and life experience. “I believe that representation is so important for this community,” she said.
Eldad describes coming back as a tutor as a “full-circle moment,” and she said that every session is different. Sometimes, she’s asked to read “Elephant & Piggy” to a younger student, but other times, a high schooler will ask her to help with a subject she isn’t familiar with, such as psychology.
While tutors might not always have all the answers, Eldad emphasized that “sometimes students just need someone to sit with them” while they figure it out.
Elisa Murray is a communications strategist for the Seattle Public Library.
Find out more about Homework Help at spl.org/HomeworkHelp. The Library also provides access to online tutoring; find out more at spl.org/VirtualTutoring.
Read more of the March 27–April 2, 2024 issue.