Cluster Tutoring Program
Founded in 1989, the Cluster Tutoring Program provides free one-on-one tutoring to more than 60 school-age youth, grades one through 12, from the Austin community in Chicago. All of the tutors are volunteers who mostly live in Oak Park and other western suburbs. Students are matched with a tutor and they work together for the duration of the school year. Many of the student-tutor pairs continue to work together for many years. Students and tutors meet either on Tuesday evenings at the Pine Avenue United Church in Austin or on Thursdays at the First United Church of Oak Park.
Program Spotlight
Urban Students Empowered (US Empowered) identifies and trains highly effective teachers to lead underperforming students in low-income high schools to successfully enroll in and graduate from four-year colleges. We envision a day when every student in low-income America has the opportunity to graduate from a four-year college or university, unencumbered by educational inequity. The three-year US Empowered program has two primary goals for students (Fellows): acceptance into and graduation from a four-year college. To fulfill these goals, we implement a five-part model comprised of teacher recruitment, student selection, courses, conferences, and online support. Ultimately, our model equips alumni with a system of best-practices and collaborative networks of support so that they become college graduates, generational leaders, and change-makers in their communities.
Website: www.usempowered.org
28% (641,975) of Illinois’ K-12 children are responsible for taking care of themselves after school.