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Omaha Public Schools Expanding Tutoring Options for Students

Second grader Grace Speights joins a small group at Rose Hill Elementary several times weekly to review math lessons.

“It’s okay if I make a mistake,” said Speights, who participates in one of Omaha Public Schools before-school tutoring programs.

Micah Speights says tutoring has helped build his daughter’s confidence in her math skills. “She comes home excited to tell me what she has learned,” he said. “My child is doing better in math; that’s all I can ask for.”

Rose Hill Elementary staff helped connect Grace and other students to tutoring opportunities for reading and math.

“Our attendance has been great,” said Christine Koltas, Rose Hill Elementary teacher and tutoring liaison. “We’ll be adding more students in January, which we are very excited to do.”

Omaha Public Schools announced expanded academic support and tutoring services in November. The three-part strategy includes school-based tutoring, community-based tutoring for students enrolled in before and after-school programs and online on-demand services.

“The intent of this strategy is to offer options,” said Susanne Cramer, Omaha Public Schools executive director of school improvement. “By having these different options operating simultaneously, we hope to create access through this investment for all our students.”

School-based staff connect tutoring lessons to the skills, standards and concepts students learn in class.

“We’re not necessarily going back and teaching every missed skill, but we're thinking strategically about what concepts students need right now to access the curriculum,” Cramer added.

Omaha Public Schools Foundation Kids Club and Collective for Youth will lead the community-based tutoring services. Our district will provide training, support and materials for these programs.

Online on-demand tutoring is scheduled to launch in January 2023. This option will be available to students in grades 3-12 with full coverage in English and Spanish. Students also have the opportunity for near-instant support across all core content areas during the day, with access to tutors in more than 50 languages. The online tool will be available seven days a week until 10 p.m. each night.

“We feel very fortunate to be able to offer students this extra assistance,” said Koltas. “I am very excited to look at our data as the year progresses and see how our tutoring students have grown.”

Families interested in learning more can contact their student’s school for more information.