Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Virginia Beach City Public Schools Uses Online Tutoring to Fill Learning Gaps

Five years ago, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) had a “homework help” phone line that was monitored by retired teachers. Those teachers were on call and tasked with helping students across various subjects. Unfortunately, the service could have been more utilized. “Only a handful of students were calling each week, out of 66,000 kids in 84 different schools,” said Monica Robinson, Ed.D., K-12 Academic Support Coordinator, Department of Teaching and Learning at VBCPS.

Along with being underutilized, the homework helpline teachers were expected to be knowledgeable about entirely too many different subjects—from third-grade math to AP physics and all points in between. After spending a year using an online tutoring system that was phased out fairly quickly, the district began using FEV Tutor’s 1:1 live online tutoring service to replace their phoneline homework helpline and deliver individualized, scheduled tutoring to students who needed it most.

“We looked around for a solution that would meet the needs of all of our students,” said Robinson, who learned about FEV Tutor at the NAFEPA conference. “I went up to the FEV table at the conference and told them what we were looking for, namely on-demand tutoring and homework help,” said Robinson. “They said, ‘You are looking for us.'”

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