University of Arkansas alumna starts tutoring program

Isabel Anderson recognized the need a tutoring program during her first semester of teaching.
Isabel Anderson recognized the need a tutoring program during her first semester of teaching. | Contributed photo

Isabel Anderson, 2015 Fellow of the Arkansas Teacher Corps program at the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, recently launched an after-school tutoring program.

Anderson noticed the need for such a program a few weeks into her first semester teaching fourth grade at Little Rock Preparatory Academy. She believed these students would benefit immensely from one-on-one tutoring.

"Students simply had different needs," she said. "Some needed help with reading, some with math or science – and the period I have set aside for working on these things individually left me feeling overwhelmed. There just wasn't enough teacher to go around."

Anderson took a proactive approach through research and finding that most private schools required community service from their students prior to graduating. So Anderson called every private school she could, trying to get students to come volunteer to tutor her kids.

She eventually connected with Lisa Conyers, the community service coordinator for Episcopal Collegiate. High school students from the school were soon showing up at her classroom every afternoon to tutor.

Anderson hopes the program will continue to grow.

"It's been such an effective program; we're so thankful," she said.