Governor Cooper endorses NCEC Tutors and Encourages people to apply

Today, Governor Roy Cooper visited Moore Magnet Elementary School in Forsyth County to see NC Education Corps tutors in action and learn how they have supported students and teachers at the school. The NC Education Corps members serve as high-impact literacy tutors that help K-3 students with reading skills and help them recover from the learning disruptions they’ve experienced over the course of the pandemic.

“Concentrated tutoring can help students catch up and accelerate their learning,” Governor Cooper said. “Our NC Education Corps is making a real difference helping our public school children and our educators and I encourage people to apply to be a tutor.”

“We are grateful for the in-school support of NC Education Corps at Moore Magnet. This is more than just another program for us,” said Sean Gaillard, Moore Magnet Elementary School Principal. “Our kids are receiving direct, small group support to help in meeting their literacy goals from compassionate tutors who believe in our kids. NC Education Corps aligns with our school’s efforts to grow every child. It is truly a game changer for our instructional framework at Moore Magnet.”

“We are grateful for our many community partners in education who work every day to increase opportunities for all students,” said Scotland County Schools Superintendent Takeda LeGrand. “Our students participating in the high dosage tutoring program not only build relationships with their tutors; but they build a learning community with the small group of peers who hold them accountable for learning and encourage them to take risks as they work towards their individual learning goals.”

“The NC Ed Corp tutors in WS/FCS have been an important and integral part of our district goal to have 90% of third grade students reading on or above grade level by 2025,” said Tricia McManus, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent. “The individual and small group work they do with our students every week has increased reading skills and the proficiency of the students they are supporting. We are thankful to be part of the NC Ed Corps program.”

“North Carolina Education Corps recruits, trains, and supports high-dosage tutors who work one-on-one and in small groups with elementary students to boost their reading skills. I’m proud to report that we partnered with 24 public school units across the state this year – and we will work with 30 next year – to extend the reach of teachers and make sure young North Carolinians have the support they need to thrive as readers,” said NC Education Corps Executive Director John-Paul Smith. “We are calling on more North Carolina residents to step up and serve as high-dosage tutors in the coming school year to help K-3 students build their foundational reading skills.”

To help respond to the impact of COVID-19 in schools, Governor Cooper launched the NC Education Corps program in 2020 in collaboration with the North Carolina State Board of Education, local school districts and the N.C. Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service. Governor Cooper recently directed additional federal funding to NC Education Corps to recruit, train and place tutors with North Carolina public schools and to plan for the possible expansion into math tutoring.

The NC Education Corps partners with public schools across the state to recruit and train members to support students and accelerate learning. There are nearly 200 NC Education Corps members working in 24 school districts across the state. Corps members are paid and work part-time. The NC Education Corps plans to recruit more tutors for the 2023 – 2024 school year.

Moore Magnet Elementary School is an elementary school in Winston-Salem. The school was established in 1951 and was designated as a magnet school in 1971 to provide differentiated instruction for a diverse population.

Excerpted from Jordan Monaghan, NC Governor Roy Cooper, Governor Cooper Highlights North Carolina Education Corps at Moore Magnet Elementary School in Forsyth County, Encourages People to Apply to be Tutors