Background and theory
Evaluation, part 1 — PMAP 8521, Spring 2024
1: Program background and purpose
(≈350 words)
Teach For America, a nonprofit organization with the aim to improve education and opportunities for children in the US, launched a virtual tutoring program – Ignite – during the backdrop of COVID-19 in late 2020. The goal was to cover the learning losses of children due to weeks and months of school closures which adversely impacted the academic learning and performance of students, particularly those belonging to marginalized communities (Beard, 2022). Currently, this virtual fellowship covers roughly 90 schools across 28 Teach for America groups (Answers to Frequently Asked Questions | Teach For America, n.d.).
Ignite is a community-based, education-centric initiative sponsored by Teach for America where Fellows (primarily university students) lead a small group virtual learning session for K-8 students with the oversight of a school-based veteran educator. The time commitment is up to 5 hours per week during school hours with an age criterion of being at least 18 years old while authorized to work in the US. The learning sessions are spread across a semester either during the Fall or Spring for 4 months in one semester. The subject focus is on elementary reading or middle school mathematics whereby the Fellows provide students with high-impact tutoring customized to the needs of that school. Additionally, the Fellows are expected to provide individualized learning that drives students’ achievement and create a higher sense of belonging in the classroom. This is made possible by dedicated support from Teach for America to the Fellows who receive dedicated support and training to ensure that the educational goal of the fellowship with regards to equity, accessibility, and high learning quality are met. (Ignite Fellowship Teach For America, n.d.)
2: Program theory
(≈400 words)
The Ignite Fellowship was conceived as an attempt to to foster belonging among student while accelerating their learning, particularly given the context of learning loss during nCovid-19. As per a study on learning loss and student achievement, the impact of a well-trained tutor teaching a small group of students thrice a week was equivalent of roughly five months of academic learning (Kane, 2022). Additionally, tutoring was found to have a more significant impact relative to smaller class size, summer classes, or longer school year (Kraft & Falken, 2021).
Beyond the academic performance, Future Ed (2021) highlighted that students in the Milwaukee Tutoring Program took six fewer absences in an academic year relative to their peers. Given the evidence for the benefits of high quality, customized, and small group tutoring, the Ignite Fellowship was envisaged to ensure that gaps in the educational landscape were addressed. The impact theory graph for Ignite Fellowship is shown below which highlights the direct links between virtual tutoring and improved educational outcomes.
3: Logic model
List every possible input, activity, output, and outcome for the program and provide a brief 1–2 sentence description of each.
Inputs
Number of Fellows
Number of veteran educators
Number of schools on-board for the Ignite Fellowship
Technological platforms for learning
Curriculum resources for learning
Activities
Orientation sessions provided to Fellows
Teaching session provided by Fellows to students
Supervision by veteran educators
Outputs
Number of students taking the session
Number of weekly hours by Fellows
Number of online sessions taken by Fellows
Change in test scores of students
Outcomes
Decrease in nCovid19-induced learning loss
Better education achievement by students
Lesser student dropouts
Few repeat graders
Diagram
4: Analysis
(≈150 words)
The Ignite Fellowship has a well-rounded and focused approach towards achieving its desired outcomes of bridging the learning loss that was expedited by the nCovid19-induced school closures. Although the flow between the inputs, activities, and outputs appear to be relatively smooth, the intended versus actual outcomes can be difficult to predict given its ambitious nature. For instance, a general rise in education achievements could be possible, but for how long? Will it persist after the tutoring school year? That may or may not happen as multiple other factors influence academic outcomes and the decision of dropping out or not.
Nevertheless, it can asserted that under ideal conditions, where the requisite activities under Ignite Fellowship are successfully and effectively conducted, there is a higher likelihood of observing positive changes that may translate to the the intended outcomes as shown in the logical model. If parental motivation, household conditions, and school quality are also taken into account as part of the Ignite Fellowship delivery (which will also mean a more complex logical model), then the stated outcomes are more likely to materialize in the communities with this educational initiative by Teach For America.