Founded in 2008, the Petey Greene Program (PGP) supports the academic goals of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people through high-quality volunteer tutoring programs. PGP staff are deeply familiar with the confidentiality, security, professionalism, and other requirements of tutoring in jails, prisons, youth detention centers, and reentry programs.

High-quality tutoring

The foundation of all PGP tutoring is a trusting and supportive educational relationship between tutors and students that affirms students’ humanity and dignity, empowers them to take ownership of their learning, and supports them to progress towards and accomplish their academic goals with confidence. The PGP’s tutoring sessions are consistent, student-centered, and customized to students’ preferences, needs, strengths, interests, and goals.

Tutoring services

PGP tutors include undergraduate and graduate students at local colleges and universities as well as community members from a range of professions, including former teachers. Tutors have the academic background and training to support students at any stage of their educational journey. Many PGP tutors are bilingual, and we regularly recruit additional tutors to meet the language or academic needs of students. Because we have relationships with over 30 colleges and universities in our service area, we can typically provide tutors in all academic subjects.

We tutor students who are:

• Participating in high school classes

• Focused on adult basic education

• Studying for HiSET and GED tests or college admissions and placement tests

• Participating in college readiness programming

• Enrolled in college

• Participating in vocational training or studying for certifications

• Enrolling in credit transfer and recovery programs

  Pursuing self-guided online learning

The PGP complements educational programs with one-on-one and small group tutoring, and it can also serve as the primary education provider, developing programming to meet partner needs. Examples include:

• College readiness programming. The PGP offers a humanities-based College Bridge Program to prepare students for the rigors of college.

• Virtual and blended learning programming. The PGP can support students pursuing self-guided, adaptive online learning with personalized tutoring, in-person when possible. The PGP has expertise in leveraging and integrating ethical education technology, tailoring programs to the online infrastructure and security restrictions of individual facilities.

Rigorous training and ongoing support

Every PGP tutor receives over 10 hours of training. This includes a pre-service training designed to enhance tutors’ understanding of the challenges faced by currently and formerly incarcerated learners and to educate them on ethical volunteerism, trauma-informed practices, and tutoring strategies. Tutors also participate in a partner-specific orientation to review the details, process, and logistics for tutoring with a specific program partner. During the semester, tutors receive ongoing training and education, and they are required to attend at least one tutor development training, which covers strategies related both to pedagogy and to specific subject areas, such as writing and math. PGP tutors receive training and support specific to the program modality, ranging from in-person textbook-based education, to blended learning, which combines in-person tutoring with online learning. Finally, tutors have access to personalized professional development and support from PGP staff, including one-on-one tutor coaching from the PGP’s Director of Curriculum and Training.

Work with us

The PGP has fifteen years of experience providing academic support services for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners. Building on this experience, the PGP can help other organizations, companies, and universities develop systems, learning opportunities, and tools to advance educational justice inside and outside carceral spaces. We have an extensive network of partners including local community organizations and correctional institutions to help create workshops, lectures, training resources, and more.