Teaching & Tutoring

Rigorous academic training is the centerpiece of our program. Wave-Makers enter the program performing two to three years below grade level. Bringing students to academic proficiency requires many hours of intensive teaching and tutoring in small-group settings, whether in the charter school or in the after-school and weekend education program.

Once our students reach high school, the program is tailored to assist them with the challenging courses and exams they must take to compete effectively at the college level, providing academic advising, subject-specific tutoring whenever students need it, and standardized test preparation. Whether we are working with students for extended hours at our charter school or supporting students we have placed in other schools with after-school tutoring, Making Waves is committed to finding the instructional time beyond the traditional school day that is necessary for the students' success. To ensure that instructors and tutors are sufficiently skilled at helping students overcome their deficiencies on the way to mastery of basic skills and beyond, we provide extensive and continuous professional development. Having trained more than 500 tutors and instructors since our inception, Making Waves has established a highly effective program of professional development.

One-on-One Intervention

Sometimes small-group instruction is not enough to help children who are struggling to reach proficiency, and they need additional support. Wave-Makers who receive a "C-" or lower in any class during middle or high school enter an Empowerment Program. There they follow individualized course work with an emphasis on math, reading, or writing during one-on-one sessions with highly gifted faculty members and graduate students. Empowerment instruction continues as long as necessary.