Funding for the program comes from a range of supporters, including Brown Memorial. Eighty percent is raised through generous donations from individuals and foundations committed to advancing literacy and helping the children of Baltimore City succeed.
Consider volunteering to tutor. Tutors commit roughly 90 minutes a week during the public school year. Come visit us to experience the joy and magic that occurs daily.
For more information about becoming a volunteer tutor, making a donation or to learn about others ways to support the program, please contact Martha Socolar, Program Director, at (410) 523-1542, ext.17, or email her at martha.socolar@comcast.net.
The Brown Memorial Tutoring Program is a nonsectarian program overseen by a Commission (or Board).
Martha Socolar, Director
Amy Munds, Assistant Director
In the Brown Memorial Tutoring Program, a child’s successes, no matter how small or large, are celebrated, and all of the children are able to make progress and experience the increased confidence and sense of pride that comes with achievement.
Each year approximately 75 to 80 students from four Baltimore City Public Schools participate in the Brown Memorial Tutoring Program and receive 75 minutes of one-on-one instruction in reading. The program’s goal is to help students improve their reading and writing skills and to awaken in them a love of reading.
The children in the program are in grades 1-5 and most attend the program for two to three years. The tutoring program works closely with the schools’ principals and teachers to identify students who would benefit most from individualized reading instruction. Most of these children are struggling in school and are well below grade level in reading.
In the 2017-2018 school year, we proudly partnered with Mt. Royal Elementary/Middle School, the Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School, Dorothy I. Height Elementary School, and Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School.
Our dedicated volunteer tutors come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences; some have had experience in teaching, but some have not. 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. Last year’s assessments showed that more than 93 percent of our students achieved solid progress and 84 percent advanced at least one grade level in reading – 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.
Funding for the program comes from a range of supporters, including Brown Memorial. Eighty percent is raised through generous donations from individuals and foundations committed to advancing literacy and helping the children of Baltimore City succeed.
Consider volunteering to tutor. Tutors commit roughly 90 minutes a week during the public school year. Come visit us to experience the joy and magic that occurs daily.
For more information about becoming a volunteer tutor, making a donation or to learn about others ways to support the program, please contact Martha Socolar, Program Director, at (410) 523-1542, ext.17, or email her at martha.socolar@comcast.net.
The Brown Memorial Tutoring Program is a nonsectarian program overseen by a Commission (or Board).
Martha Socolar, Director
Amy Munds, Assistant Director