Students in low-income communities are not receiving opportunities to excel academically. Lack of funding, overcrowded classrooms, and high teacher turnover rates contributes to the gap because students are not receiving enough one-on-one attention. COVID-19 has exacerbated the already huge gap between economic classes. For example, hundreds of thousands of low-income students in Detroit do not have access to WIFI or computers, so they fell behind in online school.
According to a recent article from Politico, in the poorest neighborhoods of Chicago, fewer 9th and 10th grade students with access to tutors failed, and majority improved almost a full letter grade. If more communities prioritized free tutoring programs, schools could work to close the socioeconomic achievement gap by leveling the educational playing field and providing access to quality education and personalized learning for children in need.
By tutoring low income students online and in person, I hope to work towards closing this gap and above all build strong relationships with the students and help them enjoy learning.
-Mary Lee ’23