K to 5 reading tutoring
Two thirty minute sessions a week, one tutor to one child, using a structured phonics curriculum.
Teaching reading since 2005
Reading is learnable at six and at forty six
Free one to one tutoring for elementary students who are behind, and adult classes for people who never got the chance. Trained volunteers, structured curriculum, measured progress.
1,430learners a year
26tutoring sites
1.6avg grade levels gained
Freefor every learner
Programs
Children, adults and everyone in between
Every program is free to learners and taught by trained, screened volunteers and staff.
Adult basic literacy
One to one instruction for adults reading below a fourth grade level, scheduled around shift work.
High school equivalency prep
Small group classes covering all four HiSET subjects, plus we cover the test fee for enrolled students.
English language classes
Four levels, morning and evening sections, with a conversation lab twice a week.
Family literacy nights
Monthly evenings where parents and children read together and each family takes home books.
Tutor training
Twelve hour certification for new volunteers, offered monthly on weekends and weeknights.
About Bright Path
One tutor, one learner, twice a week, all year
Bright Path was founded in 2005 by two retired Shelby County teachers who kept meeting adults who had been passed through school without ever being taught to decode. We use structured literacy grounded in phonics, we test every learner in and out, and we publish the results whether they are flattering or not.
•Structured phonics curriculum, the same approach for children and adults
•Learners assessed at intake and at year end, gains reported publicly
•Every volunteer completes twelve hours of training and a background check
Reviews
Learners, families and tutors
“My daughter was in third grade reading at a kindergarten level and school had run out of ideas. Two sessions a week for one year and she reads chapter books now.”
Keisha R., Parent, Frayser
“I hid it for thirty years. Filling out a job application used to make me sweat. I read the newspaper on my porch now.”
Willie J., Adult literacy learner
“The training gave me an actual method instead of just good intentions. I have tutored the same student for two years and I can see exactly what changed.”
Meredith A., Volunteer tutor
FAQ
Getting a tutor or becoming one
How does my child get a tutor?
Call or fill out the request form and we schedule a short intake assessment, usually within two weeks. That tells us exactly where the gap is. We then match your child with a trained tutor at the site nearest you, typically a school or branch library. There is no cost and no income requirement.
How long does it take to see progress?
Most K to 5 students gain about 1.6 grade levels over a full school year of two sessions a week, and families usually notice a change in confidence well before the numbers move. Adult learners vary more widely because attendance varies, and the single strongest predictor of gain is showing up consistently.
I want to volunteer but I am not a teacher. Can I still tutor?
Most of our tutors are not teachers. The twelve hour training gives you the curriculum, the scripts and the practice, and a staff coach observes your first sessions and checks in monthly. We ask for one year and two hours per week, because switching tutors sets a learner back.
Do you offer classes in languages other than English?
Our English language classes are taught in English using visual and immersion methods, which works across a mixed language classroom. Intake and enrollment conversations are available in Spanish and Arabic, and we work with interpreters for other languages so that no one is turned away at the front desk.
Contact
Start reading, or teach someone to
Call or come by our Union Avenue office to request tutoring or sign up for the next volunteer training weekend.
Phone(901) 555-0121
Address2101 Union Ave, Suite 300, Memphis, Tennessee
HoursMon to Thu 9am to 8pm, Fri 9am to 5pm, Sat 9am to 1pm
AreaShelby County, tutoring at 26 school and library sites