What teachers are saying…

As someone in the Rutgers cohort, I can confidently say that my experience with Raising Hands and IMSE was exceptional. Throughout my time, I have felt extremely supported by so many people. When applying to jobs, I felt that having the IMSE practicum on my resume helped tremendously. After an interview and demo lesson with just one school, I was given an offer for a position within a district that I was highly hopeful of. Since then, I have accepted my offer to teach 4th grade in Edison and I am so excited!

-Kayla R. Rutgers Student Teacher Cohort, 2023

I would like to give a HUGE shoutout to Raising Hands Tutoring for giving me this opportunity to be trained in OG.  This has been an interest of mine for quite awhile but didn't have the means to do on my own.  The knowledge I gained as a teacher in one short year has surpassed ANY undergraduate and graduate school courses I have taken.  I feel that I have a plethora of skills that I can share with colleagues and of course make an impact on all the students I serve.

-Michelle W. South Washington County, MN Cohort, 2023

Raising Hands Tutoring has provided me the opportunity to enhance my teaching with an explicit and multi-sensory approach that has transformed my learners.  By integrating structured literacy into my sessions, my students have unlocked a whole new world - one in which they truly envision themselves as readers and writers. Students walk away from their learning experiences with not only foundational literacy skills, but with a confidence in themselves that extends far beyond our classroom walls. Raising Hands Tutoring bridges the opportunity gap our emergent learners face, fostering a more equitable approach to literacy and learning.

-Tammy Y, South Washington County, MN Cohort, 2023

Connecting with the community and building partnerships helps us to extend our reach beyond the school day. The partnership with Raising Hands has provided us the opportunity to support both teachers and students during and after school hours. Currently, Raising Hands provides targeted, individualized after school tutoring to some of our striving readers free of charge. Not only are the students receiving high quality literacy instruction during the school day, the partnership allows for additional support, as needed, by a trained specialist who understands how students learn to read, analyzes each student's work, and plans accordingly for instruction. As the service is free of charge it is such a great help to our families that wouldn’t be able to necessarily afford to pay for the cost of a tutor.

- Michele Rodriguez, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Highland Park School District