Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore signed an executive order earlier this month that gives city government employees paid time off to tutor third-grade students in reading, the Baltimore Sun reports (tiered subscription).
Scores on the reading portion of the Maryland School Assessment decreased by about 2 percent last year for the city’s third graders, and about 35 percent didn’t meet the state’s standards in reading. Volunteers who sign up, pass a criminal background check, and go through some training will provide up to 26 hours of tutoring for students at Edgecombe Circle Elementary, Callaway Elementary, Friendship Academy at Cherry Hill, and Westport Academy.
The tutoring is part of the mayor’s “Third Grade Reads Initiative,” and she hopes reading proficiency for students who get the tutoring improves by about one grade level.
A great start, not anything new, and too small
Marylanders need to follow the mayor’s lead and allow employees, not just in government but in companies, to take two hours a week of paid time off to tutor students.
Businesses in Seattle did this—in 1992! We quote here from a report in The Seattle Times:
To help match potential tutors and mentors with young people who want their help and companionship, the bank and city yesterday organized the Seattle Challenge Expo at the Seattle Center House.
More than 40 social-service agencies – from the Seattle Public Schools to the Rotary Educational Assistance Program at King County Boys and Girls Clubs – set up tables under yellow Seattle Challenge banners to recruit volunteers.
“One person who cares can make an enormous difference in the life of a child,” [Seattle Mayor Norm] Rice said in a speech that kicked off the event.
