TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) was awarded a $3.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Incorporated for the AskROSE homework help program.
For over 30 years, Rose-Hulman’s AskRose free tutoring program has conducted more than 750,000 tutoring sessions, supporting Indiana students in grades 6-12 in the STEM areas of math and science.
These grant dollars will allow the program to help more middle and high school students, including historically, underserved students.
“We’re making sure we’re reaching our underserved populations in a better way,” RHIT President Robert Coons, President said. “The English as a second language profession here in the US has identified areas where utilizing bilingual tutors is really helpful in terms of working through homework.”
According to a press release, “Indiana Department of Education data suggests English as a Second Language (ESL) students are another highly impacted group of students. Based on this information, AskRose will hire additional bilingual students to create dedicated Spanish-speaking tutoring hours and pilot this concept with two schools.”
In addition to better serving the underserved population and the additional bilingual tutors, the grant dollars will allow the program to expand by offering a new outreach program “RoseStem.”
RoseStem is a college preparatory school program that will equip historically underserved students with additional resources to help pursue STEM fields.
Coons explained RoseSTEM is designed to build a pipeline of highly prepared students for college through partnerships with high schools and Community-Based Organizations (CBO).
Selected high schools and CBOs include Indianapolis Center for Leadership Development, Minority Engineering Program, GEO Academies of Indianapolis, Starfish Initiative
Chicago Noble Charter Schools, Walter Payton Prep and Marian Catholic High School
Northwest Indiana 21st Century Charter School of Gary, and Terre Haute South Vigo High School
They plan to reach out to all local high schools to offer the valuable services.
Approximately 100 Rose-Hulman students work as tutors. To become a tutor they must be recommended by faculty for their technical knowledge and ability to communicate with students of all skill and comprehension levels.
Coons noted: “A key ingredient of the AskRose program is that rather than give students the answers, tutors guide students through homework problems to help them better understand math and science concepts.”
Each evening, about 20 tutors are available from 5-10 p.m. (Eastern Time) Sunday through Thursday from early August through the middle of May. Tutoring sessions are available for free by video, telephone call, email, or chat. Tutors can be accessed through the AskRose website or by calling 877-ASK-ROSE (877-275-7673).
