Sickle Cell Tutorial Program
Innovative equity educational program to support the academic challenges of students with Sickle Cell disease.
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One of the more pressing concerns and frustrations voiced by the sickle cell community especially the youth and their parents is the heavy toll on school attendance and academic success which too often results in students with sickle cell disease repeating school grades far in excess of the national average. Our research has documented the burden of the disease on academic performance nationally, for all students, it is on average repeating a grade 4.5 % of the time nationally whereas our research has documented that within the sickle cell community this rate of recidivism approaches 40% nationally
With that as a backdrop, we have launched a tutorial program working with local colleges and universities to have local college students provide tutoring services and support for those students in need of academic support. This program has been further bolstered with a program coordinator supported by Southern CT State University. To further these efforts our new sickle cell center has been equipped with the digital capacity donated by Yale University to serve and support the continuum of academic needs of the sickle cell community.
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Our new tutorial program will be supportive of both middle and high school students as well as students in both school ranges from the contiguous Dwight community.
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Further, as part of this Greater New Haven Program, we will work to quantify the current baseline rate of recidivism for the New Haven Public School system. It is our goal that over time we will markedly reduce the frustrations and lack of success of many of the students and their families who have expressed how disheartened they have become due to the lack of resources to address this unmet academic need. The SCDAA. SC Board of Directors believes our new targeted tutorial program will improve and address this aspect of the quality of life of many in the sickle cell community.
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