December 22, 2015
TUTORING TIMES 2015 Year End Summary
We’ve Been Busy
Highlights: Pro Bono with Taproot SalesForce Uprgrades New Website MPS Evaluation Workshop
Series New Partnerships Summer Reads VISTA Student Progress Report
Since January of 2015, TwinCities Tutoring has launched a new website, opened new services at three locations, formed key new partnerships and connected with numerous likeminded NGOs across the Twin Cities, finished work on 9 essential pro bono projects, completed our first Summer Reads VISTA program for K-3rd graders, and continuously refined our data collection and reporting capacity in SalesForce, all while maintaining a full tutoring schedule.
Pro Bono Projects with Taproot + Over the past six months, TwinCities Tutoring has completed 7 pro bono projects with Taproot + and 2 with The Community Corps; from business plans and board governance policies to Google AdWords campaigns, a state of the art Donations page, from an accounting app and ongoing SalesForce customization projects to marketing and social media, volunteers and pro bono consultants have added extraordinary value to our organization and expanded our capacity to serve.
“TwinCities Tutoring [et alia], are just a few examples of the many organizations with pro bono muscles that are really toned. When they need to get
Google AdWords Campaigns, Kelli C.
something done, they
Custom Donation Page, Anittah P.
think about pro bono
Board Governance and Policies, Carol W.
service as a way to
Business Plan, Kate K.
Business Strategies & Marketing Campaigns, Dhrooti V.
Accounting and Financial Analysis, Dan E. and Ann X.
Social Media, Email Marketing and Messaging, Lucy X., Kayla J.
From Whittier and Phillips, to Near North, Northeast and Cedar Riverside, TwinCities Tutoring brings free supplemental education to dozens of families each week, strengthening communities across Minneapolis.
make it happen.” -Taproot Foundation
Thank You Tutors! From all our Students and Families
December 22, 2015
TUTORING TIMES Web Presence and Messaging
New Website by Lyra Yin
Site Features:
Lyra designed the theme, look and layout of our new site; selected the color scheme; wrote all the CSS for forms, buttons and sidebars; constructed and reconstructed the site’s architecture and organization. In short, Lyra built the entire set to spec with myriad customization requests along the way. No challenge was too tough. No technical hurdle too tall. We are truly fortunate to have had Lyra’s tremendous skill and expertise. You can find more of her work at: Lyra Yin Portfolio
(www.tctutors.org)
Wordpress Hosted pro bono by
Bluehost, made possible by Grassroots SalesForce Lead Plugins Custom Donations Page Updated Programs Page New Volunteers and
Tutors Pages
Google AdWords Grant Thanks to Google Ad Grants we can advertise volunteer jobs for free and direct prospective tutors, tech experts and others to our new volunteer pages. Alen MJ set up the initial campaigns, and Kelli C. showed us how to organize and refine them.
Social Media by Lucy Xing Lucy set up our social media accounts, manage our pages, and has been Tweeting about our mission and updating our Facebook page for the better part of 2015, using designs by Lyra.
Templates & Printables Kayla S. designed much of our printed material; Kayla J. designed additional templates and taught us marketing and messaging strategies.
SalesForce Integrations
DOCMATION
Since 2014 when Tata Consultancy Services first recommended SalesForce, this highly versatile platform has been the driving force behind all our data collection and management projects. From tutor and other volunteer sign ups, attendance and session notes to analyzing test results and student engagement to managing fundraising and outreach campaigns, to financial analysis and reporting, SalesForce makes every administrative challenge we face a little easier.
Tutoring Sessions & Attendance App Personal Tutoring Invoicing system
Sage Live Accounting and Reports
eLink Background Check/ Personnel Services
NPower and the Community Corps matched us first with the brilliant team at Docmation and then a number of other SalesForce consultants who completed customization projects both large and small.
December 22, 2015
TUTORING TIMES Data and Informatics
Aggregate Database Since August of 2015, TwinCities Tutoring has segmented data collection for Minneapolis Public Schools students and will continue to contribute data to a new aggregate database project developed by the St. Paul Public Schools Foundation (SPPS) and the Youth Coordinating Board (YCB). The database will help partners better evaluate the impact of after school education, linking programming approaches and hours to outcomes. We continue to refine our reporting capacity in SalesForce. Special thanks to Sujatha R. and Neeraja S. for all their hard work and expertise.
MPS Evaluation Workshops Throughout the 2015-16 schoolyear, TwinCities Tutoring will participate in the MPS Community Partners Evaluation Workshop series to help us design evaluation materials and procedures that fit our approach to supplemental education, and can be implemented effectively within our current structure.
An Ethos of Continuous Improvement:
Mission-Driven Work Strategic Alignment Continuous Self-Appraisal Evaluation Methods Data Collection Logic Model & Theory of
Adaptive Learning and Analytics For math tutoring, we began using Khan Academy full time in August, and DreamBox in October; both platforms employ sophisticated tools for analyzing students’ skills, measuring progress, and adjusting difficulty levels to match individual learning needs.
Using the latest in Adaptive Learning Technology to Change at-home Study Habits, Promote Independent Learning and Build Students’ Self-Reliance
December 22, 2015
TUTORING TIMES Students, Families, Partnerships and Services
Tests and More Tests Everything we do revolves around test preparation of one kind or another. ACT and SAT prep funds much of our programming; MAP results and low grades bring the majority of families to us; free homework help throughout the school year ensures quality academic performance; MCA prep dominates spring tutoring; a battery of early literacy tests measures reading skills and determines whether students are on track to by the third grade. From proficiency to performance, our goal is ever greater achievement for every student we serve.
Extending Service:
New Partnerships This past semester, we worked intensively with families at Lutheran Social Services and a subsidized housing unit in Eliot Park, then in November we established partnerships with the Minneapolis Park & Rec center at Bottineau and the Riverside Plaza Tenants Association, tutoring twice each week in the Chase tower community room where we plan to offer open houses in partnership with the Hennepin County Library pop up library program this winter.
Lutheran Social Services Bottineau Rec Center—
MPLS Park & Recreation Board Riverside Plaza Hennepin County Library Eliot Park Karmel Village
Summer Reads VISTA Program Our first partnership with the MN Literacy Council was a great success with kids and families. Those students who attended regularly saw tremendous gains in all measures of reading progress from fluency and speed to sight word retention to reading engagement. Congratulations to all our kids!
End of Summer Thank You dinner for our Summer Reads VISTAs, Hailey and Max. Together we helped dozens of K-3rd graders develop their reading skills instead of experiencing the usual “summer slide.”
