December 11, 2014 Kansas City, Missouri City Council Members 414 E 12 th Street Kanas City, Missouri 64106 Dear City Council Member, This city and its government have always been committed to growing and strengthening its foundations through investing in the lives of its citizens. Tutorious of Kansas City is a nonprofit specifically committed to this kind of investment in the high school students of the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Therefore, we are respectfully requesting a grant of $60,320 over the next year of January 2015-January 2016. In order to continue our work with the students who need and deserve training in order to succeed in higher education, we need your help. As the proposal details, Tutorious has made great strides in serving more and more students across the Kansas City area. We aim to provide ACT preparatory classes to all students who want and need it. We believe that no student should be left behind in their college preparation simply because of financial struggles. Every student, regardless of any individual circumstance, deserves a chance to succeed in education. Tutorious would like to see our work increase further over the next year by serving more students, developing curriculum that is proven to be effective and innovative, and by partnering with schools and organizations around the area in order to create a strong network of people committed to the students of Kansas City. As a city council, some of your main strategic priorities are fostering healthy communities, maintaining a strong public infrastructure, and economic development. Tutorious work is contributing to all of these important objectives. Our students are getting the instruction needed to take steps into building a future for themselves. The future of our students will be the future of this city, and this state. Their ability to use their talent, intelligence, and dreams to create will dramatically influence our communities as they grow to be the leaders of them. Their success will bolster the Kansas City community through more of our students believing they can make a difference; they can and will succeed in making important things happen in their world. Thank you for all of the work you have done for our community thus far. Tutorious of Kansas City would be honored to work closely with a group of people who are as driven as we are to see positive change come to Kansas City. Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions. Regards, Taylor Carr Tutorious of Kansas City admin@tutorious.org
Background/Needs Statement In the realm of equality of education, there are many who are examining the reality of students receiving less opportunity than others. Whether that be through lack of school resources, technological resources, supplemental instruction, or various other categories of educational needs, it is clear there is not always an equal playing ground for all students. Tutorious of Kansas City has come to the conclusion that ACT preparatory classes are not offered in a manner that allows any and all students to take part in building a future for themselves. The Kansas City Metropolitan area is in need of an ACT preparatory financial shift. Classes are not financially or logistically accessible for many students. The general course offered by Kaplan is financially impossible for many students in our area. The average course is about thirty dollars an hour, coming to a total of over $1000 per course. For many students in the low to middle income bracket, the magnitude of the price of these courses automatically disqualifies them from enrollment in an ACT preparatory class. Students also may not be able to secure transportation to the location of these classes. Due to these obstacles, many students are being left out of the instruction and preparatory materials they need in order to succeed on the ACT. This then contributes to many of these same students being unable to apply and receive scholarship money to attend a college or university. This reality can affect the rest of a student s life through limited career availability, lack of intellectual confidence, and unequal treatment in the higher education system in general. Tutorious of Kansas City s desire is to change this reality for our community. We are designing and implementing courses that are accessible to all students in a number of ways. Our courses cost about sixty percent less than the average Kaplan course. Our average cost is about eleven dollars an hour, averaging to about $400 per course. We attempt to offer academic scholarships for students who may not be able to pay, and are committed to working with parents and teachers to offer our courses to every student who desires to learn and work towards a higher ACT score. We also partner with schools in order to offer free ACT classes in areas where there is a high concentration of lower income students. Each of these students, regardless of demographic, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserves a chance to readily and effectively prepare themselves for an exam which could potentially have a heavy impact on their future. Tutorious of Kansas City is in need of financial support for the development and polishing of our ACT preparatory curriculum and finalization of multiple contracts with schools around the Kansas City Metropolitan area. The obstacle currently preventing growth in both of these areas is a financial barrier. We enroll enough students to continue our work in the Kansas City area; however, it is not enough to pursue the level of growth we would like. It is a cyclical problem, due to the nature of our financial resources and allocation of funds. Our paying students make up for about sixty to seventy percent of our financial resources. The other thirty to forty percent comes from individual donors, grants, and some in kind donations. In order to accomplish our goals in these two areas, Tutorious would need for the paying student section of revenue to increase. In order for this to occur, Tutorious would need a full time staff person committed to establishing supplementary contracts with schools to increase the number of paying students in ACT classes, and so on an so forth. Therefore, Tutorious Kansas City is asking for a grant of $60,320 in order to be able to serve many more students in our domain through supplemental contracts with schools in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and to serve our current students more effectively and efficiently through curriculum development. This grant would allow our staff to commit specific office hours during the week to ensure our curriculum is being modified and measured for effectiveness; they therefore would
be able to use data and curriculum to showcase what we do to schools around the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. This would ensure more contracts with schools, and furthermore, more students gaining access to affordable ACT preparatory classes. The need for curriculum development and ascertainment of additional school contracts contributes to many other areas of Tutorious where we would like to see growth. We would like to see an increase in the number of schools Tutorious is contracting with in the Kansas City area. This would bolster a positive perception of our organization in the community. It would also increase the awareness of our organization and what we are attempting to accomplish through our work. Tutorious would also like to create and modify an ability to track effectiveness past just the number of increase in points in their ACT scores. This could be through tracking our students and the number of college entrances and graduates, or the number and amount of scholarships our students receive. We would also like to increase the ability to one day expand Tutorious into other sectors of the city or to other cities in Missouri and Kansas. Tutorious will not be able to accomplish many of its goals for growth without the continued innovation and creative infusion into our curriculum development and the expansion of contractual agreements with schools across our area. Agency Description: Tutorious of Kansas City is committed to offering affordable ACT preparatory classes to all high school students across the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Our belief is that any student who desires to prepare themself for the ACT, and therefore college entrance and the opportunity for scholarships, should be able to access it. Many other companies do not make their services accessible or affordable. Our goal is to provide both of those. Our team consists of tutors, teachers, community partners, volunteers, board members, donors, and students. All of us, working together, strive to achieve our mission to Democratize Tutoring. (From Tutorious.org) We currently have eight tutors and utilize a peer model in our tutoring style. Because our tutors are close in age with our students, we are able to develop a camaraderie against the ACT in order to defeat it together as a team. Tutorious Kansas City offers two kinds of ACT preparatory classes. The first financial option is for our students who can afford to pay for classes. Even though these students are paying for classes, they are still paying about sixty percent less than a Kaplan course. For special circumstances, we also provide unofficial scholarships for those who may be in need of them. The second financial option is for our lower income students. These classes take place within schools and are completely free to the students. We partner with several high schools in our area in order for these classes to occur. Currently we are partnered with Hogan Prep Academy, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, St. James Academy, De La Salle High School. We are also partnered with an organization called Missouri College of Advising Corps. These partnerships reinforce and grow our effectiveness within the community. Our mission is to offer ACT preparatory classes to every student, regardless of their socioeconomic background. We are committed to our lower income students as well as targeting middle class families who still may not be able to afford the exorbitant prices of other ACT preparatory companies. This is what sets us apart. We are committed to staying innovative, putting the student first, and are committed to becoming the premier provider of tutoring and test prep services. Our mission is to democratize tutoring by
providing all students with access to high quality, individualized tutoring services. We believe every student- regardless of financial situation- deserves access to a quality, individualized education. (from Tutorious.org) Our expertise mainly comes from the knowledge and experience of our tutors and teachers. They are committed to providing innovative and individualized tutoring for each of our students. They understand the best approach to ACT prep is not to force study habits upon our students, but rather partner with them in overcoming the beast the ACT can present itself as. We are committed to self- empowerment of our students. Because we utilize the peer model, our expertise also stems from closeness to the task at hand. None of our staff is so far removed from the experience of the ACT they cannot personally relate to the struggles and triumphs leading up to the exam. Our staff remembers the implications the scores had for each of us, and are ready and willing to be a coach and a mentor to each of our students as they walk through the process of preparing for their futures. Proposed Intervention: Tutrious Kansas City is committed to creating change through a different approach than most ACT companies. Our frame of mind is that students are not unaware of their need to do well on the ACT. They already understand the implications of what a poor score could mean for them. Therefore it is not our job to try and force unfruitful and monotonous test prep onto them. Rather, it is our goal to constantly be developing our curriculum into something originative and individualized for our students. This kind of intervention works because it is designed for the student to feel apart of the learning process, rather than simply another number amidst hundreds of other ACT prep students. Our students scores are rising by an average of about two and half points, which is actually about a fourth of a point more than the average Kaplan course. We believe this is because they have been individually qualified and commissioned by our tutors that they have what it takes to defeat this evil ACT. We start out with the premise that they ACT is not a walk in the park, nor is it something anyone really wants to put their time and commitment into. Just beginning with these kinds of statements allows our students to feel as if we are on their side. Through curriculum development, we can continue to ensure these types of interactions are occurring and that they are sustainably effective. Through the contractual agreements with highs schools, we are able to provide lower income students with the ACT prep they need to increase their probability of college entrance and scholarship opportunities. It is through these future oriented tasks being completed these students will be able to move forward into higher socioeconomic bracket. Ultimately we are attempting to put a chink in the armor of the cycle of poverty and education inequality. We could accomplish these goals through many different avenues. One of these could be the hiring of a full time staff member to be committed to the expansion of our partnership with schools and organizations throughout the community. This would be effective because it would alleviate stress on our part time staff members attempting to accomplish this goal. It would also spread awareness of our organization creating possible fundraising and donation opportunities. This staff person would work towards increasing enrollment for paying students in ACT classes, increasing our revenue and funds, and thus creating more capability to offer scholarships to some of our students in need of them. This person would also be partnering with schools who would be willing to pay our
organization a fee to implement ACT preparatory classes in their schools for no charge to their students. Another way to accomplish these goals would be through a part time staff person for curriculum development. If this staff person s only job description was to creatively yet systematically review and evaluate our current curriculum, it would allow for much more focused curriculum development. A few expected outcomes from these goals would be an increase in enrollment in ACT classes provided by Tutorious. This would be because of furthered contracts with additional schools and the established effectiveness of our programs. Another expected outcome would be the growing awareness of our organization within the community. If we are intentionally partnering with other schools and organizations, more and more educators and partners of educators will become conscious of the unique approach Tutorious has to offer. This could also increase our ability to fundraise and secure donations to further our work. Ultimately, of course, our desire it to see an increase in the ACT scores of our students, increasing their confidence in their ability to succeed and their overall college preparedness. Goals/Objectives If Tutorious of Kansas City was able to move forward with our proposed plan of intervention, we would like to evaluate our progress following the final ACT test date of the 2014-2015 school year. The final exam offered in the Kansas City metropolitan area will be given on June 15, 2015. Following the return of the test scores, Tutorious would evaluate our effectiveness on many levels pertaining to its proposed intervention plan. It is then we would examine how efficiently and numerically we met our goals. Goal 1: To increase the number of students enrolled in Tutorious of Kansas City ACT preparatory classes. Outcome objective 1.1: To have enrolled a total of 300 students in Tutorious ACT preparatory classes by January 2016. Process Objective1.1.1: To utilize new partnership staff to add an additional three ACT preparatory classes to the schedule by February 2015. Goal 2: To increase the number of partnerships Tutorious is fostering with schools and organizations in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Outcome Objective 2.1: To be partnered with six high schools and two organizations committed to providing the same kind of educational equality as Tutorious by June 2015. Process Obejctive 2.1.1: To hire a partnership development full time staff member by January 10, 2015, and utilize this staff person to host and facilitate two partnership meetings per month until June 2015. Goal 3: To witness an increase in the scores of our studenst enrolled in Tutorious ACT preparatory classes. Outcome Objective 3.1 Students will achieve an average increase in their ACT scores of three points. Process Objective 3.1.1 New curriculum development staff will create at least three new individualized lessons plans centered on unique learning styles by March 2015. Goal 4: To increase the number of our senior students who have been accepted to a four-year college or university.
Outcome Objective 4.1: For senior students who apply to one four-year college or university, at least 70% of those applicants will be accepted. Process Objective 4.1.1: Utilizing new curriculum development staff, to create a lesson plan for the college application process by the end of January 2015, and to implement this lesson plan into all ACT preparatory classes by the end of February 2015. Goal 5: To increase curriculum development and implementation effectiveness. Outcome Objective 5.1: To see an increase in teacher approval for curriculum development by increasing a score by twenty percent on a pre and post survey by June 2015. Process Objective 5.1.1: New curriculum development staff will review all present curriculum by mid-february 2015. They will then make changes to present curriculum and create additional lessons plans by April 2015. These plans will be implemented that same month of April 2015. Budget: Position Monetary Need Part Time Curriculum Development Staff $7,800-$10,400 (annual salary) Full Time Partnership Development Staff $24,960 (annual salary) Tutorious main expense in this implementation plan will be two additional staff salaries. The first will be a part time staff person who will be solely responsible for curriculum development. They would work fifteen to twenty hours a week, depending on funds available and applicants available. According to the 501c3 website, it is customary to pay a part time staff person about ten dollars an hour. Therefore we would be paying this person at the minimum $150 a week, and at the maximum, $200 a week. We would need approximately a yearly budget for this person s salary from $7,800- $10,400, respectively. In addition to this expense, the supplementary main expense would be the hiring of a full time staff person. This person s salary would be negotiable dependent upon what funds become available and the hours the applicant will end up working. This person will be in an administrative position, therefore becoming a member of the executive team for Tutorious. For members of a company such ourselves who do not start with a high operating overhead in general, we would not be able to promise a large yearly salary. Therefore, we would most likely offer this staff person about twelve dollars an hour for the sum total of forty hours per week. This would require payment of $480 per week, and $24,960 annually. Timeline: Date January 10, 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 June 30, 2015 January 10, 2016 Evaluation *Begin planned change implementation *Both new staff members hired and trained *Three new ACT classes added *Implementation of college application process curriculum *Three new individualized lesson plans implanted *New lesson plans implemented *Examine halfway point *Evaluate ACT scores and class enrollment *Evaluate teacher post surveys *Final evaluation (ACT scores, class
enrollment, partnership numbers) If Tutorious were to receive the funds necessary to begin the implementation process, our goal would be to begin the planned change on January 10, 2015. We would like to have both new staff members hired and trained by this date. They would then be able to establish themselves within the organization and begin their work as curriculum and partnership directors. Because of this date, Tutorious would then be able to monitor its process over the course of an average school semester. Our first date of examining progress would be June 30, 2015. This would allow for the June ACT scores to return to our students and the data to be processed. At this time we would examine ourselves at a halfway point, wanting the general picture of success to come from a yearlong investigation and change process. The end of implantation would occur on January 10, 2016. This would allow for the December ACT scores to be returned to our students and the data in turn processed and evaluated. If Tutorious was to give itself one year to fully implement our new staff members, we would be able to more completely examine how these staff members changed our partnership numbers, our average ACT scores, our student numbers, etc. This timeline would allow for the change to take root and affect our organization as a whole. Conclusion: Tutorious is an organization committed to all students. We are not concerned about being paid what other companies offering the same services feel is due for the material being offered. What we are concerned about is a commitment to offering training and teaching to our students that will guide them towards a confident and successful approach to the ACT. We know each of our students have a nuanced learning style that will likely be much different than the student sitting next to them. But what we also are aware of is the strength these diverse learning styles bring to a classroom. It is through these differences our students can teach each other, their teachers, and our tutors new ways of approaching test questions and solving problems using critical thinking skills. Each student, regardless of background, regardless of his or her ability to pay, deserves to be set up for a fair chance to succeed in higher education. Our goal is to provide that chance. It is our desire to see every student in the Kansas City Metropolitan area receiving the instruction they need. We are advocates for those students who may not have had an ally before. Our tutors are committed to providing an environment where humor and cleverness are brought into the classroom as a tool to learn. We understand the need for a team approach to conquering the ACT. The comradery we build in our classrooms is a strength other ACT preparatory companies do not offer. Ultimately, our goal is simply stated in our mission. To democratize tutoring by providing all students with access to high quality, individualized tutoring services. We want to bring ACT prep to all students, not just those who can pay the exorbitant prices others might be requiring. We are committed to staying innovative, putting the student first, and becoming the premier provider of tutoring and test prep services; our students are our first priority, and we are committed to doing what it takes to serve them well.