Giving the gift of education

By Jo McCulty Keaira Sullen, center, was among students at Hubbard Elementary School who received collections of school supplies and new hats and mittens from their ColumbusReads tutors and University Relations staff members on Dec. 13. The gift-giving followed a regular weekly session of reading with the students, who, along with East Linden Elementary students, are tutored by Ohio State staff, faculty and student volunteers as the University's participation in ColumbusReads continues.

OSU's participation in tutoring program produces results

Whether you read the statistics or the smiling faces of kindergarten students getting extra doses of attention, Ohio State's involvement in the ColumbusReads program is definitely having an impact at two local elementary schools.

"I do believe that the fact that Ohio State is one of the participating partners is making a difference on the impact we're having on our target population," said Tina Love, director of special projects for the Office of Student Affairs.

For three years now, Love has enlisted volunteer tutors from among Ohio State faculty, staff and students who work with kindergarten children at Hubbard and East Linden elementary schools to help improve reading skills. ColumbusReads is the Columbus Public Schools' answer to Ohio Gov. Bob Taft's OhioReads education initiative, created in 1999 to improve reading skills of Ohio's kindergarten through fourth-grade students so they can pass the reading portion of the Fourth Grade Proficiency Test.

Love said tests of reading skills administered before and after the kindergarten students' participation in ColumbusReads showed an overall average gain of 56 percent at Hubbard and 70 percent at East Linden -- one of the highest gains in the Columbus Public Schools district. The overall average gain in the district was 53 percent.

Love said the majority of tutors are OSU staff, and some students and faculty also participate. Tutors work one-on-one with two kindergarten students for 30 minutes each in once-a-week sessions throughout the school year. "I think that's what is making the difference -- the fact that they work one-on-one with the students," Love said. As mentors, she said, tutors provide the children with a consistent relationship through weekly reading sessions, encourage them in learning developmental skills and serve as a positive role model. "For some of these kids, the attention the tutors give these kids may be the only one-on-one attention they receive," Love said. Love said that the patience, flexibility and long-term commitments of many of the tutors have played a key role in the success of Ohio State's involvement in ColumbusReads. "Children aren't always going to stay on task," she said. "Tutors need to be able to make the adjustment for that particular student in terms of where they are on any given day." Love also credited good relationships with the ColumbusReads coordinator at each school

By Jo McCulty Ohio State mentors tutor students at Hubbard Elementary, a Columbus Public school.

Jo McCulty, staff photographer with University Relations, started tutoring at Hubbard Elementary three years ago to fulfill her need to give something back to the community. She said ColumbusReads is a good avenue through which both she and Ohio State can promote education while serving the community.

It's also a fun way for her to interact with children without the full-time responsibility of raising her own.

As a mentor, she says she tries to share an attitude of excitement and enthusiasm about learning that she hopes the kids will pick up on.

"If they begin to enjoy reading they may see the opportunities connected to reading, and that's a huge door to open," McCulty said.

While that might be a tall order for a kindergartner to appreciate, McCulty noted, these young students can at least learn the power of picking up a book, thumbing to the index and being able to read words for themselves.

Laurie Day, special assistant in the Office of the President, is in her third year of tutoring at Hubbard. She said she believes in and values the tutoring program because "the impact on the children's lives is direct, immediate and observable."

For Day, the program is truly a two-way street with ample rewards for both student and tutor. She has found the students to be shy and reserved at first, but sees them opening up as the relationship grows.

"By the end of the year, the students are telling you about their pets, their brothers and sisters, and other aspects of their lives," Day said. "And, more importantly, their reading and communication skills have improved."

Columbus Reads started as a pilot program in February 1999, with one company and three schools involved. The response was so positive that it kept expanding to its current level, with 35 companies providing tutors at 17 schools, said Virgie Homeny, ColumbusReads supervisor with Columbus Public Schools.

She said Ohio State has made a tremendous impact on the program, partly because it sends tutors to two schools, while most others send tutors to one school.

"The tutors from Ohio State have been very involved in the academic welfare of the children, and they also care about them on a personal level," Homeny said. "It's also beneficial to have tutors from an academic environment who understand what education is all about."

STEP helps supervisors step into managerial shoes

Of the thousands of employees at Ohio State who have supervisory responsibilities, Anne Massaro can say with conviction that 30 of them have been well-trained for their jobs.

That's not to say that supervisors who haven't finished the Office of Human Resources' Supervisor Training to Enhance Performance (STEP) series of workshops aren't good supervisors, but they're not ones Massaro can personally vouch for.

As a consultant in the Organization and Human Resource Development office, Massaro coordinates the STEP program, a role that has earned her the title of STEP-mother among her colleagues. Massaro helped to develop and start STEP in the spring of 1998, and, as a way to acknowledge the work of participants, organized the program's first graduation ceremony on Dec. 3 for 30 graduates.

Graduates are individuals who have completed 40 hours of training in 12 core workshops. STEP is designed to develop management skills for faculty or staff supervisors. Topics covered in the workshops include conflict management, legal issues, interviewing and selection, analyzing performance problems, and compensation principles.

"We cover everything from communication to motivation to goal planning to evaluating performance," Massaro said. "Bottom line is that it is about OSU policies, how to function at the University, and how to develop effective relationships with employees."

The program can be completed in as little time as a year, but participants are welcome to take as much time as they need to fit the sessions into their schedules. In addition to the 30 graduates, there are approximately 200 supervisors working through the series. There is no charge for enrollment in the series or for the individual workshops.

Graduates who spoke at the graduation ceremony expressed praise for the program.

"I'm thankful that there is a program through which I could go to learn what it takes to be a supervisor," said Susan Conrad, associate director of the Research Foundation's Office of Grants and Contracts. "I look at the STEP program as a framework for the work I do as a manager."

Conrad's supervisor, Anne Moffat, director of the Office of Sponsored Programs for OSURF, has had four of her employees complete STEP, and she plans to encourage more to enter the program.

"I think the Research Foundation has a really excellent training program for staff, but we fall down a bit in terms of helping people manage people," Moffat said.

She has noticed that STEP graduates are more at ease handling office difficulties, and have proven to be a real asset on search committees. "I think the whole organization has benefited," she said.

Although Lt. Richard Morman of the University Police said he had taken several leadership courses prior to STEP, he found that STEP helped him learn how to apply his previous training and gave him a better understanding of policies specific to the University.

Morman cited the opportunity to meet other supervisors from elsewhere at the University to be one of the best aspects of the program.

"The networking that goes along with the program is great," Morman said. "It is refreshing to see that other people in supervision share some of the same challenges that I do."

Building relationships is an important aspect of STEP, Massaro said. "Collective problem solving is a real help, so creating a support network is really important," she said.

Workshops are taught using many case studies, and, as often as possible, participants are encouraged to think about applications in their workplaces.

"I try to get them to think about their own work situation: Here's a problem; now how do you bring a solution back with you to the workplace?" Massaro said.

The structure of the program is relatively unchanged since its inception, Massaro said. All of the workshops are tweaked and improved each time they are offered. One additional class has been added as a requirement.

"The 12th class is about compensation," she said. "Ninety-nine percent of the people in STEP don't make compensation decisions, but they're the ones staff go to with questions. What we do is inform them about issues like equity and market concerns, so they can at least understand and communicate all that is considered when compensation decisions are made."

Enrollment continues to grow, and Massaro expects to see that trend continue.

"There is just so much that people need to know. Being a supervisor is a very complicated job, and we want to give them a good point to start from, and a place to come to with questions," she said.

Supervisors with a stronger grasp of Ohio State polices and who are more confident in carrying out their duties contribute to a friendlier workplace, Massaro said. "It contributes to higher morale for everyone," she said.

Workshops are offered every quarter, with the next workshops set to start in January. Faculty and staff can register for individual courses.

For the first time, participants will be able to register for workshops online. OHRD is redesigning its Web site and the STEP application will be available at that location by the end of December. Visit http://hr.osu.edu/ and click on the OHRD button. For more information about STEP, call 292-4500.

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