Sylvan Partners With Local Schools to Address the COVID-19 Educational Gap

Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12 with more than 750 points of presence worldwide, is playing an integral role in helping schools across the country fill the education void caused by COVID-19.

For Michigan-based Sylvan franchisee Jessica Rollins, a former teacher who owns four Sylvan Learning locations, it’s been a challenging but rewarding experience to suddenly find herself playing a hands-on, in-person role at local schools.

“At the districts we’re working with right now, some students haven’t logged on at all during COVID-19,” Rollins said. “They’re completely disengaged. We have kids in the program who didn’t do anything from March of 2020 to January of 2021. It's really nice that the schools are using community partners like Sylvan to help get these kids re-engaged.”

As the country moves into its post-pandemic phase and students return to school, it’s become increasingly clear that the virus has left gaps in learning. A recent study estimates that COVID-related learning loss has put students behind anywhere from four to 12 months, depending on demographics. 

But new federal funding for schools struggling to get their students caught up has allowed them to partner with Sylvan to address what could become a generational education crisis if left unchecked. 

“It’s a formidable challenge”, said Rollins, who’s currently working with second graders in Flint. “This is a group that struggled before the pandemic,” she said. “They are now two years behind.”

Rollins said she spends two hours every day helping students with their second grade work and another two hours teaching them at a kindergarten level. “They completely missed out on first grade and much of second grade, so if they were to get promoted to the next grade, they would then be significantly behind,” she said.

While public school teachers are required to teach the curriculum designed for their specific grade, Sylvan is uniquely suited to offer an individualized method that can meet students exactly where they’re at. 

“We’re able to take grade level completely out of the equation,” said Rollins, who thanks to the program is able to work with and zero in on the progress of a small group of up to eight students. 

Independent research shows the Sylvan Method™, developed through academic research, teaching experience and technology, builds confidence, boosts skills, delivers better grades and results in up to three times more academic growth compared to students who don’t utilize Sylvan. The brands’ proprietary software, SylvanSync™, allows Sylvan teachers to engage and motivate students with adaptive lessons and a personal learning plan for each child. 

Rollins and her team are already seeing results. “The first thing we’ve noticed is a change in our students’ ability to maintain their stamina, because they’re not used to having to engage for long periods of time,” she said. “Right now, we’re working with students for four hours at a time. They used to start asking, ‘How much longer?’ after about an hour in. Now that timeline is more than doubling. While we’ve only been at this program for about six weeks, we’re also seeing good attendance, which is another positive sign.” 

Typically a demographic that struggles with attendance, Rollins said she’s seen a major turnaround. “The biggest thing is that these kids are glad to be back in person with a live teacher,” she said. 

Of the 76 students Rollins and her team are working with, 75% have missed one session or less so far. “This is a group that doesn’t typically come to school, so it’s a significant statistic,” she said.

For Rollins, who’s already in talks to offer services to more schools this coming school year, it’s gratifying to be able to bring Sylvan’s proven method of teaching success to a group of students who need but normally would not have financial access to their services. And as a former public school teacher herself, it’s also gratifying to see how much the program is helping teachers.

“The teachers are amazing,” Rollins said. “They’ve been so open and so willing to work with us to get these kiddos to where they need to be. Schools are doing everything in their power to deal with this challenge right now, but they have an impossible task. We are so excited and honored to be able to partner with schools and help students, teachers and families get past this hurdle as we all move on from COVID.”

To learn more about how your school district can take advantage of Sylvan’s learning opportunities, go to: https://www.sylvanlearning.com/resources/sylvan-school-services

To learn more about Sylvan franchise opportunities, visit www.sylvanfranchise.com.

ABOUT SYLVAN LEARNING

With more than 40 years of experience and more than 750 points of presence throughout North America, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvan’s proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync™ technology on the iPad® for an engaging learning experience. Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGE — STEM and accelerated courses — and Sylvan Prep — college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey. For more information, visit www.SylvanLearning.com or SylvanLearning.com/blog.