Engaging with the National Partnership for Student Success

campuses like widener university promote college student engagement as tutors and mentors

November 7, 2025

The Bonner Foundation is pleased to be working with the National Partnership for Student Success, a new initiative that is addressing the gaps in pre-K education by engaging college students and other volunteers as tutors and mentors. The vision for the NPSS has been developed by a diverse group of organizations, agencies, educators, and parents and began with the creation of a framework for action and a set of recommendations from the field. The NPSS focuses on five types of evidence-based student supports that can be combined to meet holistic student needs: academic tutors; mentors; post-secondary transition coaches; student success coaches; and wraparound integrated student support coordinators. The NPSS is designed to meet the immediate COVID recovery needs of students, families, and educators and serve as a bridge to an education system that provides supportive learning experiences and relationships across all the places young people learn and thrive.

• NPSS is evidence-based: They take a holistic, evidence-based approach, grounded in the science of learning and development, that attends to young people’s cognitive, academic, social, and emotional growth.

• NPSS builds upon communities’ assets: Proven providers of these supports exist and are already integrated into the communities where support is needed most. Through national engagement and local collaboration, we help organize, expand, and improve supports for maximum impact.

• NPSS is locally determined: NPSS promotes and enables local decision-making about what student supports are needed, in which schools, and for which students, while supporting schools in collaborating with external organizations to reduce burdens on already over-stretched schools.

• NPSS leverages existing funding and infrastructure: NPSS helps state and local leaders leverage existing revenue sources and program infrastructure – including the use of American Recovery Plan funds and other federal funds – and work through AmeriCorps National Service programs and state service commissions.

• NPSS addresses not only pandemic recovery, but also long-standing educational inequities: While theyaccelerate supports for young people immediately, we are seizing opportunities to increase access to resources for historically under-resourced young people over the long term.

Take a look at the program developed under the leadership of Marina Barnett, Assistant Provost for Civic Engagement at Widener University, described below.

Elevating Student Achievement Through Widener University’s High-Impact Tutoring Initiative

by Dr. Marina Barnett, Assistant Provost for Civic Engagement

Widener University’s High Impact Tutoring (HIT) Initiative exemplifies the role of higher education institutions as community catalysts, especially in regions with significant educational disparities. This innovative program, developed in partnership with the Chester Upland School District (CUSD) and supported by federal work-study funding from the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS), addresses critical learning gaps in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math for young students in Chester, Pennsylvania. The program’s evidence-based approach targets students performing below proficiency, providing individualized academic support to improve engagement, academic confidence, and long-term success.

Widener's HIT initiative tackles pressing challenges faced by CUSD students, where recent data indicate that 30% of students are below basic in ELA, and 69% are below basic in Math. Through consistent, small-group, or one-on-one tutoring, HIT tutors—composed of Widener students—offer personalized support tailored to students' specific needs, helping close achievement gaps while fostering educational equity. University student tutors gain invaluable career-enhancing experience, and their work positively impacts the Chester community, aligning with Widener’s mission to empower communities through civic engagement.

At the core of the program is a collaborative framework involving dedicated personnel, including a High-Impact Tutor Coordinator. This coordinator works closely with CUSD teachers to identify students in need and oversee the tutoring process. This coordinator also serves as a bridge between the university and the district, facilitating real-time feedback, assessment tracking, and tailored instructional strategies. HIT’s continuous monitoring and evaluation ensure that tutors and students are achieving meaningful outcomes, creating a model that other universities can replicate in their communities.

Additionally, tutors who join the Bonner Scholars Program engage in deeper learning and service, gaining training in cultural awareness and social justice and having access to resources such as leadership coaching and national networking events. These experiences prepare university students not only to be effective tutors but also to become well-rounded civic leaders.

Widener University’s High Impact Tutoring Initiative reflects a growing movement in higher education to build partnerships that promote community and educational equity. For university leaders seeking to make a difference, programs like HIT highlight how strategic collaboration, evidence-based interventions, and a focus on community impact can address regional educational disparities while offering students a pathway to professional and civic development. By leveraging resources to create high-impact outcomes for K-12 students, this initiative ensures that educational institutions remain central to advancing social equity and empowering future generations.