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Talking Tutoring

Featuring Marcia Invernizzi, Carole Prest, and Anne Hoover in a discussion about tutoring. These three experts discuss tutoring programs, tutor training, what the latest research tells us, and the different forms tutoring can take.

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Program description

There is a lot to learn, but there's only so much time in the day — and even less in the school day. It's no wonder that kids sometimes need a little something more after the bell rings. There are a variety of tutoring programs out there to give kids the extra help they need — but how do you know which one to choose? In this webcast, three experts will discuss the hallmarks of a good tutoring program, characteristics of good tutor training, what the latest research tells us, and the different forms tutoring can take.

Presenters

Marcia Invernizzi, Ph.D., is the Edmund H. Henderson Professor of Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and director of UVA's McGuffey Reading Center. She is also one of the creators of the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening tool (PALS) and the co-founder of the Book Buddies community tutoring program.

Carole Prest, M.B.A., is the Chief Strategy Officer for BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), a nationally recognized provider of after school and summer tutoring for inner city children living in poverty. Prior to joining BELL, she served as Executive Director of Commonwealth Foundation, one of the top 10 private foundations in Washington D.C., serving youth living in low-income communities.

Anne Hoover, M.A., is the Director of Kingsbury's Tutoring program. Anne has a post-graduate specialty in reading from Harvard University and a master's degree in learning disabilities from DePaul University. Prior to joining Kingsbury, she was an adjunct professor at Boston College in the graduate school of education and she developed the curriculum for the learning disabilities programs in the suburbs of Chicago and Boston.

Recommended resources

Articles and books by our presenters

Marcia Invernizzi

Words Their Way
Book Buddies: A Tutoring Framework for Struggling Readers (Second Edition)

Carole Prest

BELL Impact Study (2.33M PDF)*

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Discussion questions

How prepared are the kindergarteners in your school? Approximately what percentage start school without the foundational skills needed for success?
What model of tutoring has your school adopted? What are the pros and cons of your model?
Describe ways that you assess your children's response to instruction.
What qualities do you believe make a good tutor? What would you add to the list generated by the panelists?
Describe one improvement your school could make in its training of tutors.
What are the advantages of rigorous standards for tutors? What are the disadvantages?
Brainstorm some ways that schools could improve volunteer commitment to literacy tutoring.

The Reading Rockets Professional Development Webcast Series is a production of WETA. The Reading Rockets project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.

This program was produced by WETA/Reading Rockets, which is solely responsible for its content. The views expressed in the program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of WETA/Reading Rockets, our funders, or our partners.