Tackling the Issues
Among the significant responsibilities of shaping the next generation, teachers juggle challenges such as classroom control and long hours. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue, with students facing setbacks in their social and emotional development. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 87% of public schools reported negative impacts on student socio-emotional development during the 2021–2022 school year. Similarly, they found that 84% of public schools agreed or strongly agreed that students’ behavioral development has also been negatively impacted.
A 2024 Education Week study found that “nearly half of teachers—49%—said their morale got worse over the past year.”
Emerging from the pandemic, students and teachers needed support more than ever.
The Consortium for Public Education (Consortium) is a nonprofit organization that collaborates with our region’s schools on initiatives to strengthen and broaden school leadership, engage the community, and empower students to prepare for their futures. Its initiatives build community partnerships that support public schools, reaching over 4,000 educators, 19 counties and more than 90 school districts and career and technical centers.
As education shifted back to in-person instruction post-pandemic, Eden Hall Foundation and Consortium began conversations about creative methods to ameliorate some of the stress teachers face, particularly at the elementary level. Teachers voiced a critical need for more opportunities to provide specialized one-on-one or small-group instruction with students but cited the lack of additional classroom support as a major barrier.
“As schools were coping and beginning to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders from Clairton City and Wilkinsburg School Districts shared directly with Eden Hall Foundation the need for assistance in the classrooms so that teachers could have more time to focus on students needing additional support,” shared Sylvia Fields, president of Eden Hall Foundation. “One way to accomplish this is to provide every classroom with a tutor or small group of tutors who could work with ‘middle’ and ‘advanced’ learners, helping them to grow and thrive while also freeing teachers to spend more time with students that might require extra attention and intervention.”
School Solutions
The Consortium activated its partners for solutions. They collaborated with Carlow University to facilitate college students serving as extra support for classrooms in the Wilkinsburg and Clairton City School Districts. Carlow students responded in substantial numbers to the Wilkinsburg School District program, which continues to thrive today.
“Since our students began participating in the Partners in Learning program, we’ve had more requests to student teach in Wilkinsburg than ever before,” said Tanya Baronti, director of clinical placements at Carlow University. “Our Carlow students love the program and the district.”
Seven Carlow students visited Turner Elementary students in grades three and four in the fall semester. They will see a new group of Carlow students in the spring semester, and the program plans to add another grade level for the 2025-2026 school year.
“Partners in Learning provides students the academic and emotional support to thrive. The elementary students look forward to the Learning Partners coming, the classroom teachers benefit from the added support, and the Carlow students gain valuable experience. It’s a win for everyone.” said Jenn Sethman, director of organizational strategy & special projects at the Consortium for Public Education.
However, Clairton City School District’s remote location made it difficult for college students to access.
To create a unique solution for Clairton, Consortium partnered with Auberle, a nonprofit that offers human services in five main areas: workforce development, housing, young adult services, foster care and behavioral health.
Auberle and Consortium partnered to identify high-achieving high school seniors at Clairton who were ahead of schedule in their graduation credits and, therefore, had extra time in their school day, often ending their class schedule early. Currently, six high school students who finish their coursework early in the afternoon support elementary classrooms and receive compensation from Auberle.
The high school students excel at matching the classroom's needs, such as diffusing behavioral issues, noticing disruptive students or those falling behind, offering guidance and modeling positive behavior. Sethman said the response from the elementary students has been incredibly positive, with all parties—teachers, high school students and elementary students—benefiting.
“There’s a value added to those elementary classrooms, and the high school students are getting paid,” Sethman said. “The teachers have even found that they’ve been able to get through their curriculum faster.”
Auberle financially compensates Clairton’s high school students for their work and offers wraparound career support services as they prepare for the future. For example, Auberle may help students with career exploration, college and job applications, financial aid applications and driver’s education.
To further support student success, the Consortium is exploring the creation of a “college in high school” course that would allow high school students to receive academic credit for their work. They plan to expand the program each year and hope to lay the foundation for Clairton to continue running it independently.
“For the high school students to walk away with a great experience where they gained these skills, explored a career path and got credit for it—that is incredibly important,” Sethman said.
The project is in its second year of implementation and will roll out at a new elementary grade level every year for five years. This thoughtful, measured approach leverages the strengths of the school districts, Eden Hall Foundation, Consortium and the education partners. Early anecdotal data has been positive, and stakeholders plan to complete a full project evaluation. Ultimately, the organizations involved hope that, as a result of this innovative collaboration, Clairton and Wilkinsburg students will have the support they need to thrive academically.
“We are thrilled to see positive feedback from all sides, with college and high school students nurturing the young minds in Wilkinsburg and Clairton, teachers seeing more effective learning and elementary students thriving with extra support,” said Fields. “The students, teachers and tutors all benefit here, and that is what makes this program so special.”