One of the best parts of Evan Reddick’s week is when he walks into Huffman Middle School, ready to tutor his usual group of sixth graders.
“When I get in there and see smiling faces, kids cracking jokes and everything else going on, I cherish that set amount of time to talk to them and lift them up,” Reddick said.
Reddick is one of the many college students working as tutors through a partnership between United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) and Birmingham City Schools (BCS). Through the program, which started in 2022 to combat learning loss related to the COVID-19 pandemic, students from local colleges and universities can get paid to provide “high-dosage” tutoring to BCS students.
While definitions of “high-dosage” vary, research has found that regular tutoring in small-group sessions helps reinforce what students are learning throughout the year. That’s exactly what tutors in this program provide.
Reddick started working with the program in the fall of 2023. Currently studying for a doctorate in education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Reddick said he has personally seen improvements among students he has tutored – improvements in their behavior, their mastery of material and their excitement to learn.
“As a tutor you find that the students are excited when you get there to instruct them because it gives them a little break away from their traditional environment,” Reddick said. “They seem to be very receptive to the additional guidance they’re getting outside of the standard classroom setting.”
Beyond his enjoyment of the role and its clear impact, Reddick said he has been able to sharpen some critical professional skills of his own through the work. Specifically, Reddick highlighted newfound experience in working with different personalities and building relationships with both students and administrators.
And those administrators have served as key models for leadership, Reddick said.
“As teachers and principals, you set the tone for what students expect,” Reddick said. “Without any doubt, I have been fortunate to meet a variety of teachers and administrators — at Huffman Middle alone — who have been supportive of whatever I need to help the students as best as possible. That’s been a major takeaway for me.”
Aleisha Dunning serves as the Tutoring Partnership Coordinator at UWCA. As the face of the program for United Way, she works directly with local colleges, universities and students alike to recruit and onboard new tutors.
To become a tutor in the program, United Way requires only that students are enrolled in post-secondary education and maintain at least a 3.25 GPA. Dunning said her favorite thing about the program is that students in any major can join.
“I love the students. In this program, we have a wide range of majors represented, including chemistry, pre-med and engineering among others. The one thing that they all have in common is a desire to help the community,” said Dunning.
Tutors are paid $15 per hour and have access to flexible scheduling. To learn more about the program, or to apply, click here.