Our mission is to provide individualized, structured literacy instruction to Baltimore City elementary school students to build their skills, gain confidence, and awaken a love of reading.
The Brown Memorial Tutoring Program focuses on literacy because of the transformational effect reading has on children’s lives. We believe reading competency provides a child with life skills and opens their world to opportunities. We work in partnership with Baltimore City elementary schools on a shared goal of educational equity for all students.
At the Brown Memorial Tutoring Program, every child’s success is celebrated, no matter how small or large. We want our students to experience the increased confidence and sense of pride that comes with achievement.
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Each year, on average, 80 students, first through fifth grade, from Baltimore City Public Schools participate in the Brown Memorial Tutoring Program. The tutoring program works closely with school administrators and teachers to identify students who would benefit most from individualized reading instruction. Most of these children are struggling in school, are well below grade level in reading, and come from under-resourced communities.
We proudly partner with Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School, the Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School, and Dorothy I. Height Elementary School.
Our dedicated volunteer tutors come from a variety of backgrounds, professions, and experiences. At the beginning of the school year, tutors receive excellent training in reading instruction based on the Orton-Gillingham method, and workshops on elements of reading instruction are conducted throughout the year. Program staff are available at all sessions to guide and support the tutors, and there is an extensive library of books and teaching resources.
Every year we carefully assess each student’s progress by administering pretests at the start of the tutoring year and post assessments in May. Year after year our test results show our students achieved solid progress often advancing by two or more grade levels—a major achievement for students who are often two or three grade levels behind.
While our focus is literacy, the program provides other critical benefits to the children we serve—having a caring adult be a consistent part of their lives each week and exposing them to new ideas and possibilities.
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