





































Author
ANN TOBIN  
Campus/Community  
Liaison, Center for Service 
Learning, Indiana University 
East

The Center for Service-Learning 
(CSL) at IU East works with 20-80 
service-learning students every 
semester from course-based as-
signments, including students from 
Education M300 Teaching in a Plu-
ralistic Society, as well as students 
in Criminal Justice, Psychology, 
or Spanish courses. We meet with 
each student to find a service-learn-
ing experience that fits with their 
schedule, location, and course 
objectives. Students’ experiences in 
the community often lead to new 
partnerships in the small towns in 
the wider IU East service area. The 
Center strives to meet the needs of 
our well-established and new service 
partnerships. The most significant 
work we do every day with our stu-
dents, however, is through our K-12 
tutoring programs. 

Tutoring programs are comprised of 
Math Counts! (funded by the Stamm 
Koechlein Family Foundation); 
Indiana Kids for 6th-12th graders 

and funded through a Serve Indiana 
Grant; Work Study (the reading 
tutoring helps fulfill the required 
community service component of 
the program); and volunteers. A new 
program for Spring/Summer 2020, 
also funded by a Stamm Koechlein 
Family Foundation grant, is the K-5 
Tutoring Program.  

benefits of service 
learning for families 
and community  
partners 
In fall semester 2019, 38 IU East 
tutors/mentors worked at the IU 
East on-campus after school pro-
gram and at many area schools and 
community youth organizations. 
Students served 1,977 hours with 
a total of 3,000 interactions with 
young people.  Tutors/mentors 
provided outreach services to 5 ele-
mentary schools, 3 middle schools, 
2 high schools, as well as Girls 
Inc of Wayne County. Tutors also 

The Center for Service-
Learning (CSL) at IU East 
Engaging students with the community through 
tutoring and mentoring programs for K-12 students  

 ANN TOBIN 

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answered requests for support from Townsend’s 
Harambee after-school program and Amigos 
Richmond Latino Center programs. Tutors also 
organize monthly group mentoring at Hibberd 
Early College Academy, in which 15 mentors work 
with 3-5 students each, in Socratic discussions. 
In Spring 2020, IU East is meeting new requests 
from Dennis Middle School, providing 3 bilin-
gual students and 2 Spanish language students to 
assist Dennis’ English Language Learner students 
in the classroom. 

K-12 students, their caregivers, school teachers, 
and after-school program coordinators find our 
tutor/mentor programs to be of great benefit 
increasing not only students’ academic perfor-
mance, but also their college and career oppor-
tunities.  Students who have worked with IU 
East tutors and mentors perceive improvement 
in math, English and sciences, and agree that 
mentors provide guidance about how to solve 
problems, as well as define and achieve their 
college and career goals. They are also perceived 
by students as good role models who help them 

keep on track with their academic goals. Stu-
dents express that the program increases their 
awareness of career options beyond high school 
and their confidence that they will achieve most 
of their goals.  As one of the students said, “I 
especially liked getting my grades up, turning 
homework in on time, and talking to someone 
while I do my work.”

Similarly, parents shared that their children’s 
participation in our programs have helped their 
students make progress in classes and be more 
aware of available college and career options. 
They also noticed how their children like school 
more and show more interest in finishing high 
school. One of the parents commented, “Tutoring 
has had a positive impact on [my daughter]. [She] 
is more confident in her assignments due to learn-
ing about how to do them through tutoring.” 

School teachers, principals, and after-school 
program coordinators find that IU East tutoring 
and mentoring programs are a great resource 
to accomplish their goals to improve student 

IU East mentor Bailey Wilkison with mentoring group.   Photo credit: IU East

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academic performance. Hunter Lambright, a 
teacher at Richmond High School expressed, “We 
have many students who have trouble learning 
math in English because Spanish is their primary 
language. Eric is an incredible benefit for our stu-
dents because he can help with not only the math, 
but with some of the difficulty in translation. 
His presence in the classroom has helped keep 
some of these students from slipping through the 
cracks and getting frustrated.” 

Marci Lindahl, CIS Coordinator at Test Middle 
School commented, “This service is invaluable.  Our 
students benefit greatly with having mentors/tutors 
to help them academically one on one or in a small 
group.  Our working parents benefit immensely by 
having tutors/mentors come to the school rather 
than having to take them to another facility.”  

In addition to tutoring, many of our students 
develop mentoring relationships with the younger 
students, serving as role models and having dis-
cussions about issues that might include healthy 
choices, friends, priorities, coping skills, as well as 
college/career goals and readiness. 

Deana Hatfield from Girls Inc. mentioned, 
“Students help us give girls a safe place to go 
after school/breaks/summer while facilitating 
programs that range from economic literacy, 
Operation Smart, Leadership and Community 
Action, and Friendly Persuasion.” Claudia 
Edwards of Amigos, the Richmond Latino 
Center, said “By providing [support and 
mentoring], we are helping shape responsible 
and caring adults which ultimately benefits the 
whole community.” 

IU East mentor Bailey Wilkison with mentoring group. Photo credit: IU East

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1NSSE 2018 Snapshot. Indiana University East. https://www.iue.edu/academics/ir/documents/NSSE2018report.pdf

benefits for iu east tutors/
mentors 
Service learning allows tutors/mentors to develop 
skills that will help them in their futures. Accord-
ing to the National Survey of Student Engagement 
(NSSE) 2018, service learning is the High Impact 
Practice (HIP) that most graduating seniors at IU 
East experience during their college careers.1  

Tutors/mentor have expressed that because 
of their participation in the tutoring/mentor-
ing programs, they feel they are better at be-
ing accountable, caring about others, showing 
leadership, listening to others, and generating 
alternative solutions to problems. They also said 
they are better at managing their time, support-
ing local community, organizing their work, and 

communicating. Tutors/mentors have expressed 
the value of helping K-12 students in their learn-
ing and goal accomplishment as well as building 
relationships and working with diverse students. 
Bailey Wilkison, a Social Work major, said,”Ser-
vice-learning is currently helping to inform my 
future decisions regarding what individuals I 
will work with and how I can better impact those 
people. I previously had little social work-related 
experience and service-learning has helped me to 
expand that scope. Putting my skills to use and 
practicing ways in which I can assist others has 
been beneficial to my education as a whole.” 

IU East offers tutors/mentors professional devel-
opment workshops, providing the tools needed to 
successfully work with younger, diverse students 
in the community.  

School of Education faculty member Dr. Denice Honaker provides tutor training at the beginning of each 
semester. Photo credit: IU East

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