Jun 17, 2019
Read more about The Tutor Awards in Forbes.
At Clark, we’re passionate about super-powering tutors. Our all-in-one tutoring software helps educators streamline administrative processes, so they can scale their businesses to reach more students and spend their time focusing on what matters—working on-on-one with kids.
We believe that personalized learning drives student success, and that educators are the most important members of society. Classroom teachers have opportunities to be recognized with annual awards, but we know that independent educators are changing lives and shaping future generations in the same way. You’ve heard of Teacher of the year, but why not Tutor of the Year?
To that end, we’re proud to present the first-ever Tutor Awards. These awards are about celebrating the commitments and accomplishments of tutors—singing the praises of the unsung heroes of our education system. These educators are at the front lines, working with students who need extra help, providing social and emotional support in addition to academic coaching, and helping kids reach their full potential by sticking with them even after the school year comes to a close. And while recent scandals may have given some tutoring practices a bad rap, these companies and individuals are out there every day doing great work to make the world a better place.
We’re thrilled to honor the recipients of the Tutor Awards across five categories. In the future, the categories will change to reflect current issues and focus areas in education.
BEST OVERALL TUTORING BUSINESS
Winner: Evolved Education
Runner-up: Sliding Doors STEM & Dyslexia Learning Center
Founded in 2014 by Mary Miele, Evolved Education has 72 tutors, has served more than 500 students, and has completed more than 24,000 sessions. They focus on all subject areas, asll test prep, executive functioning, and academic coaching.
In her own words, Mary founded Evolved Education “in order to professionalize the tutoring and education consulting space and provide a unique approach to supporting students in school. When we engage, inform, and empower all actors in a student’s educational life—improving educational experiences for teachers, students, families, and schools—we ensure the best possible support for all students.”
At Evolved Education, tutors take a multi-faceted, holistic, and individualized approach to ensuring that each student learns well within their maximum learning potential. A unique and highly effective framework called the Evolved Education Paradigm ensures a personal partnership between families and educators, emphasizing the whole child philosophy to help students thrive.
HELPING GIRLS WITH STEM SUBJECTS
Winner: The Ladder Method
Runner-up: Highline Tutoring and Testing Center
Founded in 2015 by Candice Lapin, The Ladder Method has 29 tutors, has served 500 students and completed 10,000 sessions. They focus on subjects including Executive Functioning, STEM, Organization, and Reading Comprehension.
Candice developed a proprietary meta-learning method that blends learning techniques, executive functioning skills, and mindfulness tools to help students reach their highest potential, gaining confidence while reducing the time spent at any task.
At The Ladder Method, tutors are viewed as mentors, coaches, and teammates that supplement what classroom teachers do. When it comes to STEM, tutors view these traditionally male-dominated subjects and fields as critical areas of study for young women, particularly as they are key components of new and emerging industries.
BEST STUDENT OUTCOMES
Winner: Activ8 Learning Center
Runner-up {AC-A-D’AM’IC} K-12 Tutoring
Founded in 2014 by Megan Becker, Activ8 Learning Center has 8 tutors, has served over 387 students and completed 5,600 sessions. They focus on subjects including Language Arts, Math, Science, Executive Functioning, and Spanish.
A special education teacher herself, Megan founded Activ8 because she has two children with special needs and identified a real opportunity to create a center where children could get support while still staying in the mainstream public school setting. Tutors collaborate with teachers and specialists to meet each child’s unique learning needs, employing innovative, whole-brain methods and multi-sensory teaching techniques specifically tailored to children with learning differences.
When it comes to student outcomes, this whole-child approach ensures success. Tutors are trained to recognize when a student might have struggles in addition to their learning differences, like anxiety. As educational advocates, Activ8 can help families secure services available to them through their school district or other resource channels, whether that’s seeking funding for in-home academic services or developing a comprehensive IEP.
TUTOR OF THE YEAR
Winner: Loretta McDonald, Stepping Ahead Tutoring, LLC
Runner-up: Bright Minds Tutoring
Founded in 2019 by Loretta McDonald, Stepping Ahead Tutoring, LLC has a single tutor, has served 4 students and completed 80 sessions. They focus on subjects including LEA, Math/Phos, and Reading Comprehension/Math.
Loretta has always been committed to helping children and adults learn all they can in order to have a better life. As a professional educator for over 35 years and a community worker in elementary schools for more than 12, Loretta emphasizes the importance of organization, thorough preparation, communication skills, and setting clear expectations in one-on-one tutoring settings. Her passion for the subjects that she teaches helps her students learn more, dig deeper, and think harder, and her approach to individualized tutoring helps students build confidence, gain independence, and take on responsibility.
Winners were selected by judges who are leaders, innovators, and award-winners in education themselves.
Megan O’Connor is the co-founder and CEO of Clark, a virtual assistant for independent educators. She is a frequent speaker on education, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Rebecca Mieliwocki was named Teacher of the Year in 2012 by President Barack Obama, a recognition of her bold and unconventional teaching practices and her belief that teachers must be held accountable for the success of their students.
Robyn D. Shulman is the thought-leader (and certified classroom teacher) behind EdNews Daily, an education media outlet and resource that provides education support and information for parents, students, teachers, and school administrators. Her work and influence earned her accolade of LinkedIn’s #1 Top Voice in Education.
Jerry Huang is an SVP at Rosetta Stone, where he leverages expertise in digital language learning gained at iTutorGroup and through his own work as a tutor to a community of learners around the globe.
Sydney Chaffee, 2017 Teacher of the Year, teaches an interdisciplinary humanities course called Justice and Injustice at Codman Academy in Boston. She is an advocate for social justice in schools and access for all students to transformative, equitable education.
Many fantastic educators applied for the Tutor Awards, and it was no easy task for our judges to choose winners. We hope that those who applied will continue to do great things in tutoring and apply again next year, when we celebrate tutors and the incredible work that they do all over again.
As individualized learning grows, we envision a future where teachers both inside and outside of the classroom are working together to ensure student success. Thank you to our award winners and all those who applied for the incredible work that you do to help your students achieve their goals and dreams.
