KTLA

L.A. to pay some high school students to tutor their siblings

Vaccination site workers board a school bus transporting education workers as it arrives at a mass vaccination site in a parking lot at Hollywood Park adjacent to SoFi stadium during the Covid-19 pandemic on March 1, 2021 in Inglewood, California. - The vaccination site is part of a plan from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and State of California to reopen all district elementary schools by mid-April. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

A Los Angeles program that launched this week will pay some high school students to tutor their siblings or other school-aged relatives in their households.

The program, called Student 2 Student Success, will train and pay 1,000 low-income high school students under 25 years old who are enrolled in L.A. Unified School District Title I schools.

They will be paid to tutor children who have had low grades, inconsistent attendance and have missing or incomplete school assignments.

It’s meant to prioritize students who have struggled academically because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has been especially hard on young Angelenos, who faced so many disruptions to their lives and schooling,” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. “With Student 2 Student Success, we’re making sure younger students get the extra support they need, and providing our tutors with a chance to explore a future career in education or child care.”

The tutors, who will be selected on a first come, first served basis, will contribute up to 120 paid hours, which includes 20 hours of training.

Eligible applicants can join a virtual information session on Zoom from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday to learn more about how to apply. Those participating as tutors must be allowed to work in the U.S., officials said.

“The pandemic robbed in-person learning for many of LA’s most vulnerable students and there is no replacement for that lost time,” said Carolyn Hull of the Economic & Workforce Development Department. “Allowing older students to tutor younger students is a step toward alleviating that learning loss, while giving them a sneak peek at life as an educator.”