DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — After the pandemic, schools were hit with a growing number of students falling behind academically, and some local districts are shifting gears to combat the decline.
One charter school has invested over $10,000 toward additional resources for their students, and they say it was a much-needed investment.
“There was definitely a huge gap in learning because you have to understand when you go on virtual, especially K2 babies, being virtual is not as successful for them because I’m not getting that intimate proximity with their teacher,” Victoria Simmons, principal of North Dayton, said.
She has seen a major decline in student academic success after the pandemic, noticing a particular need after seeing a dip in younger students reading levels.
“We give a lot to our literacy because if our babies can’t read, they’re not going to be successful. Our whole goal is they’re reading and then when they’re third through eighth, they’re reading to learn. So, when they go to high school, the opportunity, the opportunity for them to graduate is a lot higher.”
The dean of K-2, Derek White says after they saw the need their students had, the school quickly partnered with Sylvan after-school tutoring to bridge the gap.
The service is completely free to parents of North Dayton students after a $10,000 investment by the school, making it a fast process that many parents appreciate.
“They get them assessed and they immediately,” White said. “The turnaround time that they start. That’s the thing that my parents love immediately because we try to make sure again, our goal is to bridge that academic gap, that learning loss that has occurred from the pandemic.”
Their district is not alone. Many students across the nation have been struggling academically since the pandemic.
For North Dayton School of Discovery, partnering with Sylvan for the past 3 years has significantly increased reading scores for students.
Sylvan of Vandalia’s executive director, Derek Flatter, said the extra help can make all the difference in students’ overall performance.
“What we find is students really start to have success and they really in their confidence is the biggest thing that we see that grows,” Flatter said. “Then, it gives them confidence when they come back to the school or the next day or the next month or two.”
North Dayton School of Discovery encourages other school districts to partner with tutoring professionals if they are facing similar declines, and Sylvan Tutoring also offers individual tutoring for ages 5-19 for anyone in need of additional extra help.
