Peru State College photo

PERU  - Peru State College students are helping a virtual tutoring service called Nebraska SMART expand from Educational Service Units to the 88,000 students in the 221 schools that make up the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association in Nebraska.

The Nebraska State College system launched the online tutoring platform  in 2024 with teacher education students from Peru, Chadron and Wayne state colleges offering tutoring sessions for K-12  in math, English, science and social studies. It was expanded this year to include school districts in 90 Nebraska counties.

Peru State Coordinator Dr. Gina Bittner said the broadened services have received positive feedback from students and parents across the state.

Tutors include Kaitlyn Holaway of Glenwood, Lydia Lang of Palmyra, Klarysa Throckmorton of Lincoln and Alex Barnett of Tarkio, Mo.

Here is the college's press release

Nebraska SMART Expands Statewide, Triples Reach of Free K-12 Virtual Tutoring

(Peru, NE) Nebraska SMART (Nebraska Success Made Accessible through Rural Tutoring) has expanded its impact in the past year, according to Julie Dickerson, Director of Nebraska SMART. Growth milestones include Nebraska SMART broadening its services, tripling its student population base, and receiving positive feedback from students and parents across Nebraska. This growth came through the expansion beyond Educational Service Units 1, 4, and 13 to include all the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association (NRCSA) member school districts across the state.

Launched in 2024, Nebraska SMART is a free virtual tutoring program for students in grades K-12 in Nebraska Educational Service Units 1, 4, and 13 and all participating Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association (NRCSA) school districts. Nebraska SMART offers flexible online tutoring sessions in Math, English, Science, and Social Studies, designed to meet the diverse needs of K-12 students. Teacher education candidates from Peru State, Chadron State, and Wayne State remotely tutor students through an online tutoring platform. The grant-funded program is administered across the Nebraska State College System and supports students’ homework needs.

According to Nebraska SMART, scheduled appointments are available in time increments ranging from 15 to 60 minutes, and on-demand tutoring is available to students in need of instant assistance. All tutoring sessions are recorded for quality assurance and can be reviewed by the college coordinators (Bittner, Brierly, and Plager) and Director Dickerson. Nebraska SMART has completed over 1,360 tutoring sessions since its launch, with mathematics being the highest-need area, followed by English, science, and social studies.

All Nebraska SMART tutors are full-time students in the teacher education program who have undergone background checks and specific training in methods courses.

  • Nebraska SMART Director, Julie Dickerson (Lincoln, NE)
  • Peru State Coordinator, Dr. Gina Bittner (Dawson, NE)
  • Addison Schneider (Humphrey, NE)
  • Sidney Johansen (Powhattan, KS)
  • Kaitlyn Holaway (Glenwood, IA)
  • Lydia Lang (Palmyra, NE)
  • Klarysa Throckmorton (Lincoln, NE)
  • Kylie Hansen (Lincoln, NE)
  • Kiera Rich (Elkhart, KS)
  • Alex Barnett (Tarkio, MO)

The 2024-25 school year presented new opportunities for the Nebraska SMART team as the student population it serves tripled in response to the expansion of NRCSA member school districts. This expansion was reflective of NRCSA's membership growth, as it represents over 88,000 students across 221 member schools, Educational Service Units, and State Colleges spanning 90 counties and 25 legislative districts throughout Nebraska, according to NRCSA.

Students in Nebraska, from kindergarten to 12th grade, who are under Educational Service Units 1, 4, and 13 or any NRCSA school district can get online tutoring for free. To determine eligibility, parents should visit the Nebraska SMART website: www.nscs.edu/nebraskasmart. The tutoring is provided by qualified tutors in specific subject areas. Students can either schedule an appointment with a tutor or log in to connect with the next available tutor in the queue. To get help, students should provide their homework or specify the topics they want to cover.

To receive tutoring services for their children, parents must first register them. Once registered, students or their parents can schedule a tutoring session at least 2 hours in advance. Additionally, students can join in on-demand tutoring to be connected with the next available tutor. Registration and session requests can be accessed through the program website: www.nscs.edu/nebraskasmart.

Nestled in the hills of historic Southeast Nebraska, Peru State College offers a mix of innovative online and traditional classroom undergraduate and graduate programs, including online graduate degrees.

Established in 1867 as Nebraska’s first college, Peru State has transformed over the past century and a half into a state-of-the-art institution offering diverse, multifaceted educational programs annually to nearly 1,200 students.