Schools of Hope - Sennett
Schools of Hope at Sennett Middle School aims to decrease the academic achievement gap between white students and students of color. To this end, struggling students are placed with volunteer tutors from the surrounding community. Tutors provide their students with academic help, as well as a positive adult role model & mentor.
Description:
Sennett Middle School is one of the more unique schools in Madison and in the United States. This year Sennett is home to more than 600 students, with 50% identifying as Caucasian, 21% Latino/a, 21% African American, 7% Asian, and 1% Native American. The school's house system is one of the only ones in the United States. The school is organized though a system of houses, each of which has its own population of 6th-8th grade students. An entering 6th grader will spend his or her entire middle school career in the same house with the same teachers and classmates. This means that students can develop a closer relationship to the school, ultimately building on a strong sense of academic community. In addition, teachers are more knowledgeable about their students' personal and academic lives and are better equipped to help their students.
Tutoring at Sennett is an extension of the house set-up. The ultimate goal of tutoring is to form a bond between students and their tutors, giving the students a positive role model and a connection to the community. Tutors are assigned to work one-on-one with a student in a specific subject during the day. The program caters to its volunteers' needs first, so both the time during the week and subject are chosen by the volunteer.
The after school homework club is another opportunity for students to get academic support. The club is run on a drop-in basis, and is divided between the six houses. Students are encouraged to bring homework or class work on which they may need extra help. This is a time when the students have access to a large amount of resources including teachers, staff, and tutors who have chosen to volunteer during the program.
Tutors normally volunteer about 2-3 hours per week, between 8AM and 2:40PM during the school year; however, they may come for longer if they choose. Upon expressing interest in volunteering, all potential tutors are required to fill out a brief form listing contact information, tutoring preferences and times available. In addition, a background check must be filled out and cleared by the Dane County Dept. of Human Resources. After both forms are filled out and completed, the tutor and volunteer coordinator will determine the schedule that best fits the tutor.
Tutors are an invaluable part of Sennett's daily curriculum. They provide students with academic help and instruction. Even more importantly, tutors act as positive role models and mentors. They work to form strong relationships with their students, giving them adult support and a tie to the greater Madison community.
History:
Schools of Hope began in 1995 as a result of a civic journalism project by the Wisconsin State Journal. The project found that students of color were far more likely to score lower on tests, drop out of school and not go on to college than their white counterparts. With the support of the United Way, the Urban League of Greater Madison began the program to give students of color the resources to stay in school and reach their academic goals.
Contact person: Lauren Deakman, Volunteer Coordinator, 608-204-4028, (email)
Office fax number: 608-204-0495
Address:
Web Site: None specified
Directions:
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From Downtown: Take Williamson St. east. Take a right on Atwood Ave. Atwood becomes Monona Dr. Turn left on Pflaum Rd. by the Walgreens & take your first left into the school parking lot.
From the beltline: Take Monona Dr. exit.. . . (more) |
Miscellaneous Information
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| Last updated on October 15, 2009 |
