Karma Tutors Impact Fund

THIS YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO ACT ON OUR STATED MISSION AND TUTOR STUDENTS. THROUGH OUR SERVICES, STUDENTS WHO OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD ACCESS TO ONE-ON-ONE ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOUND SUCCESS IN THEIR STUDIES IN THE FIELDS OF MATHEMATICS, HISTORY, ENGLISH, AND SCIENCE. WE ALSO STARTED CONNECTING STUDENTS AT RISK FOR LEARNING DISABILITIES WITH SPECIALISTS WHO WERE ABLE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THEIR PARENTS USING STANDARDIZED PRE-DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS. THROUGHOUT OUR FIRST YEAR OF PROVIDING THESE SERVICES, WE WERE ABLE TO HELP STUDENTS PASS CLASSES THEY MAY NOT HAVE PASSED, ACCESS LEARNING SPECIALISTS TO HELP THEIR PARENTS ADVOCATE FOR THEIR NEEDS, AND EVEN GRADUATE: ONE STUDENT HAD TO MAKE UP AN ENTIRE COURSE AFTER MISSING SIGNIFICANT SCHOOL TIME DUE TO SERIOUS ILLNESS. OUR PROGRAM IS STILL SMALL, BUT THE IMPACT ON STUDENT OUTCOMES IS ALREADY DEMONSTRABLY GREAT. IT TOOK A WHILE TO BUILD MOMENTUM, BUT ONCE WE PERFORMED ENOUGH OUTREACH, WE SUSTAINED INTENSIVE, PERSONALIZED SUPPORT FOR FOUR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS FROM NATIVE-SPANISH-SPEAKING FAMILIES (OUR TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC) AND ONE SPECIAL-NEEDS STUDENT FROM A NATIVE-ENGLISH-SPEAKING FAMILY WHO WAS IDENTIFIED BY SCHOOL FACULTY AND OTHER FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AS AT-RISK AND HIGHLY IN NEED OF OUR SERVICES. WE USED ABOUT HALF OF THE FUNDS ALLOCATED FROM GRANTS FOR THIS KIND OF WORK, LEAVING US WITH THE REMAINING HALF TO SUSTAIN THIS WORK THROUGH THE FALL SEMESTER.