By: Adam Buzard,  Director of Pastor Engagement & OAGroup Programming

We hope you all had a restful and meaningful Advent and Christmas! As we kick off 2023, we are excited for all the opportunities and possibilities the new year and new semester holds for our church and school partnerships! 

Whether you have been around United4Hope for awhile or are new this school year, chances are you have heard about MNPS’s initiative Accelerating Scholars. Accelerating Scholars is a one-on-one high dosage tutoring strategy that helps students grow in their reading and math skills. This high dosage approach is both guided by data proven to bring about improvement and also driven by relationships! Accelerated Scholars allows for volunteers to meet with students in person or virtually three times a week for 30 minutes a session for the semester.

While this sounds like quite the commitment (and don’t get me wrong, it is a significant investment of time), it also a unique opportunity to invest relationally in the life of a student. We know that our U4H partners care deeply about students, and Accelerating Scholars is a relationally unique way to invest consistently in the lives of a student over the course of a semester, which not only impacts the social & emotional well being of a student, but also makes a tangible impact in their academic performance. 

If you have been looking for a relationally rich and academically grounded volunteer opportunity, Accelerating Scholars is for you! The deadline to sign up for this semester is Jan. 5th, and if you have any questions, we’d love to talk with you more about this opportunity!  Apply to be an Accelerated Scholar Tutor here: https://brightpath.goschoolbox.com/apply

For a deeper glance in to Accelerated Scholars, we invite you to check out this video to hear from a student!