High-Quality Tutoring at the Petey Greene Program: Aligning Intent and Impact
When I moved to Philadelphia, I learned that Eastern State Penitentiary–now a museum and nonprofit advocating for reform in the criminal legal system–first implemented the practice of solitary confinement still used in today’s carceral facilities when it opened in 1829. Originally envisioned as an application of Quaker philosophy, solitary confinement was intended as an alternative to corporal and capital punishment and an opportunity for pious self-reflection and penitence through solitude and silent contemplation. Solitary confinement at Eastern State Penitentiary had deleterious effects on incarcerated people’s mental health and wellbeing. It caused irreparable harm and has since been referred to as torture. Yet, no one immediately questioned or abolished this practice, and it continues to be used across the world today. What I have learned from this history and what I take with me into my work is that the best intentions don’t inherently yield a positive impact. It’s imperative that we regularly reflect on, evaluate, and revise our practices at the Petey Greene Program to ensure that our impact meets our intentions of providing an ethical and high-quality service for learners who are or have been impacted by the criminal legal system.
To this end, we have developed a definition of “high-quality tutoring.” At the Petey Greene Program, we believe that ethics and quality are inextricably linked: In order to provide an ethical service, it must be high-quality. We’ve included this commitment to quality in our organization’s mission and volunteer training. However, until now we haven't articulated what high quality means to us. Educational providers center different priorities when defining high-quality tutoring, and each definition is context dependent. It can mean a learning space in which students meet school- or government-mandated standards. It can mean an education that holistically affirms students’ humanity. It can also mean leveraging education as a tool of liberation, as a means to supporting student autonomy and leadership. Or, as we’ve determined as a team, it can be a mixture of these different definitions.
Through conversations and interviews with Petey Greene Program staff and board members and input from tutors and students, we have come to define high-quality tutoring as 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.
“High-quality 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.”
High-quality tutoring in action
In practice, high-quality tutoring sessions are consistent, student-centered, and customized to students’ preferences, needs, strengths, interests, and goals. High-quality tutors are knowledgeable, enthusiastic about tutoring, and equipped with a variety of tutoring strategies to confidently guide work with students during and across sessions. The PGP commits to leading a high-quality tutoring program by providing centralized, consistent support for a collaborative community of tutors through training and diverse tutoring resources.
Our study hall program at the State Correctional Institution (SCI)-Chester, just outside Philadelphia, is an example of high-quality tutoring in practice. Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 30 Petey Greene Program tutors facilitated two study hall sessions at SCI-Chester for 15 students each week. In these study halls, consistent tutor-student pairings met to work towards the student’s goals, including passing the GED or workforce certification exams and developing English language and literacy skills. Each student met with the same two PGP tutors every week, and the tutors communicated with each other between tutoring sessions about the student’s progress and needs. Tutoring sessions were always student-centered: Tutors were often able to source materials that appealed to students’ interests and share them with the facility for approval, or they worked with students to select worksheets and texts from the materials the facility provided. This structure—a student cohort combined with consistent tutor attendance—created a learning community that generated trust, collaboration, autonomy, and confidence.
Similarly, a tutor cohort provided opportunities for tutors to process their experiences, brainstorm strategies, and support each other in providing a high-quality service. The PGP provided centralized support for tutors through group debriefs, materials sourcing, and ongoing training on tutoring in carceral spaces. Our goal is to support tutors the way we expect tutors to support students. Through this tutoring model, we saw students progress and accomplish their goals: PGP students in these study halls passed the GED and workforce certification exams and made gains in their English language and literacy skills. Most importantly, they reported feeling supported in their learning and respected as learners.
An evolving practice
Though we haven’t been able to host study hall programming the same way since the pandemic inhibited us from entering the facility, the study halls at SCI-Chester represent a successful, high-quality program, and we’re looking forward to working with students in person again soon. Our experience at SCI-Chester and dozens of other facilities shapes and informs our definition of high-quality tutoring, which we will use to guide our programming and ensure that we provide high-quality education for PGP students.
Most importantly, this definition will continue to evolve. We will revisit it periodically to update its language, structure, and stated values as we, as an organization and a broader community of educators and learners, learn more about what it means to provide the highest quality tutoring services for students who are currently or formerly incarcerated or who have been impacted by the criminal legal system. As we’ve seen with the history of Eastern State Penitentiary, the best intentions mean nothing if the impact is harmful. Moreover, providing a high-quality service is a practice, one that takes daily recommitment and reevaluation. It’s an ever-changing and ever-moving pursuit because our community of learners, tutors, educators, and advocates is always learning, growing, and transforming.
“It’s imperative that we regularly reflect on, evaluate, and revise our practices to ensure that our impact meets our intentions of providing an ethical and high-quality service for learners who are or have been impacted by the criminal legal system.”