Summer Tutorial Program

The goals and objectives of the Summer Tutorial Program are to equip students with the academic skills necessary to succeed in public schools. The program serves an average of 55 students each summer. It operates five days a week, seven hours a day for six weeks, beginning in mid-June. The Settlement School provides boarding for students who lack transportation or live too far away to commute.

The curriculum includes an intensive program of two periods of individualized reading instruction, two periods of math instruction (groups of up to three students), one period of auditory instruction (groups of up to seven students), one period of instruction in keyboarding and word processing (interdisciplinary units of study are used), a half-hour of social values instruction and a half-hour of reading comprehension instruction. Spelling, handwriting, grammar and direct vocabulary instruction are incorporated into the reading instruction. On average, students make a one-year gain in reading and math during the six weeks.

The staff of the Summer Tutorial Program includes supervisory personnel, who have been part of the program for several years, and local college students. The funds invested in summer school not only help the students being tutored but also provide summer jobs and service opportunities for these college students. Many of the college students are education majors who desire to experience one-on-one interaction with students. During the past 25 years, several former tutors have become teachers. These teachers are a major source of referrals to the program.

Tuition for the Summer Tutorial Program is $2,500 for communting students and $5,000 for boarding students. However, no child is turned away for financial reasons. Tuition scholarships are made possible through grants and donations to Hindman Settlement School. Approximately 85 percent of students are from low-income families and 95 percent are from the Appalachian region.

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