Glendale Unified School District’s innovative Super Tutors program has been recognized with a 2023 Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association.
The CSBA honor was presented to the district during the organization’s annual awards ceremony last week. The Golden Bell Award promotes excellence in education and school board governance by recognizing outstanding programs and practices.
Super Tutors, which was awarded in the “Closing the Opportunity Gap” category, is a peer tutoring program at GUSD middle and high schools. Student tutors are trained on effective tutoring practices and assigned a peer to support. Tutoring sessions take place before and after school and at lunch. A website helps students find the right tutor for their area of need.
Tutoring services are provided to students at no cost, and Super Tutors are compensated for their time. For many Super Tutors, this is their first-ever job.
“The Super Tutor program has a dramatic positive impact on our school communities,” said GUSD Board of Education President Jennifer Freemon. “The program has been absolutely instrumental in providing GUSD students with much-needed academic intervention, especially after the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By receiving academic support directly from their own peers, students have an opportunity to connect in meaningful ways. Some of our Super Tutors have even been inspired by this experience to pursue careers in education,” she added.
This year marks the 44th anniversary of the Golden Bell Award.
“Golden Bell Awards reflect the depth and breadth of education programs and governance decisions supporting these programs that are necessary to address students’ changing needs,” said a statement on the CSBA website.
First published in the December 9 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
