Cluster Tutoring keeps growing in numbers and in its positive effects on learning. Whether it’s adding a summer program, enhancing student math skills through tutor training, or seeing all of our seniors be accepted to college and career development programs, Cluster staff and volunteers always find new ways to engage students in finding their own paths to success.
Here are just a few of the accomplishments described in Cluster’s Annual Report, put together by Cluster Development Director Cathy Lazuka:
- Cluster held its second Summer Reading Program for 25 students. Four teachers, four program aides, and a program coordinator met twice a week to work on phonics, writing skills, and story structure.
- Our math program, “Just the Facts,” gives tutors of students in grades 1-5 new tips on teaching math skills. The program was developed by a long-time tutor, Cathy Kelso, and concentrates on the Chicago Public Schools’ Common Core math curriculum.
- Research shows that having 3rd-grade students reading at or above grade level is a good indicator of future academic success. Last year, 83 percent of Cluster students had made a year or more’s worth of reading progress, and there was a 53 percent improvement in vocabulary.
- The Project Next Step program for those in high school helps students with college essays, assists parents and students with the Common Application and scholarships, and identifies schools that are a good fit for their interests and budgets.
You can read the entire Annual Report here.