In Niagara Falls, about one in four people live in poverty, and 80% of the district’s students are economically disadvantaged, state data shows. Despite swarms of tourists to its namesake falls, the Rust Belt city has been scarred by an exodus of heavy industry and population that began in the 1960s.. Others, like Washington, D.C., have pursued “high-impact” tutoring.
The two had just slowly worked through a phonics worksheet that had the student circle words that began with the same letter as pictures. In one problem, “candy,” “open” and “after” followed a picture of an ant. “Open?” guessed the fidgeting student. In other lessons, the student struggled to identify rhyming words and consonant blends. Each problem revealed another concept not yet mastered.
“I want to be able to read chapter books, and I want to read big old dictionaries!” the boy said after a one-on-one tutoring session that had him working on what sounds letters make when together, like “sp,” and “sn.” “I have a younger daughter at home and it was just a mess. She’s screaming. It was just a whole thing,” she said by phone.SHOWING LEARNERS ‘THERE’S A CONCERN FOR YOU’
Despite the students’ progress, even some who see another big jump by the final assessments in May could finish behind typical third-graders. Evans has arranged for extra services for next year for three of his neediest students, including the boy he was tutoring after hours. But they will be far enough along to move on to fourth grade.