Jessica Lickstein, a third-year sociology major at UC Santa Barbara, has seen first hand the education disparities between children from low-income families and children from moderate- or high-income families. 

While volunteering in a kindergarten classroom a few years ago she saw how some kids struggled to learn to read while others were flying through chapter books. While working at a summer school program, she met so many students that had below grade-level reading skills. 

So she decided to do something. 

Last year Lickstein started Education+, an organization composed of other UCSB students that offers free virtual tutoring for students from kindergarten to eighth grade. In January they will restart their free Spanish program and a free coding program to help kids with the basics of Spanish and coding. 

“I got to learn a lot about educational inequities and some of the systemic issues within our school system, and seeing some of that firsthand, whether it be in classrooms or in after-school programs, was really disheartening to me,” Lickstein said. 

Education+ started as a class project and now has roughly 50 tutors who work with students each week. Each tutor is assigned to one student, allowing them to take a hands-on approach and connect with the kids they’re tutoring.

“The kids who were getting the once-a-week tutoring were working with the same tutor every week, so they got to form a relationship with them and watch them grow, and at the same time the tutors were gaining experience and getting better and learning what to do,” Lickstein said. 

Education+ is currently organized like a club and is in the process of becoming an official UCSB club, which would help to get more students involved and become tutors. 

Grace Ferguson, Education+ co-president, got involved when Lickstein reached out in their sorority group chat to see if anyone wanted to join. Ferguson tutored in high school and was looking for ways to continue tutoring at UCSB, so she was thrilled to get involved with Education+. 

“We hear from the students directly or their parents through email about how their grades have improved or how their confidence has gone up,” Ferguson said. “So it’s been very impactful, because we’ve been able to directly get feedback from them via Zoom, via email and whatnot; it’s been very rewarding and very nice to be a part of.”

Fiona Hughes, a second-year history major, got involved as a tutor last year after she saw an Instagram post about Education+ looking for tutors. 

“I had done tutoring in high school as a volunteer, and I wanted to continue volunteering because I really enjoy it,” Hughes said. “It’s just been a really positive experience, and it feels nice that you can kind of see the growth one on one with the person. It’s very tangible, which I really appreciate.”

This year Hughes took on the role of tutor coordinator, which means she creates and organizes the schedule, sends out Zoom links and communicates with parents over what their student needs. 

“It’s been a really great experience,” Hughes said. “I wish that it was available more broadly across the country. I’m really passionate about the fact that we need to have a better education system that more effectively serves all students.”

As a tutor, Hughes met with the same student each week and enjoyed seeing them progress throughout their sessions. She said that working with Education+ has made her more aware of disparities and inequality in education.

“One thing that’s highlighted for me is just how there are definitely disparities within the education system for different students,” Hughes said. “Especially with public schools, it’s harder for kids to get individualized one-on-one tutoring, so it makes me feel impassioned, and makes me understand how important the work of Education+ is trying to bridge the gap.”

Looking to the future, Lickstein said she hopes to see the club continue after she graduates and that the program can expand nationwide to tackle systemic inequalities in the U.S. education system. 

“We know that that’s just a small piece of the problem, but however we can help, even if it’s just at a really small local level, we want to be part of the solution and not add to the problem,” Lickstein said. “We all definitely have an immense privilege of getting higher education, and we want to give back and hopefully create that same opportunity for these students.”

Parents can sign up here to select a time for a free hour of tutoring and select what subject their child needs help with. 

Spanish and coding introductory courses will be starting in January for one hour a week.