State education department partnership to increase tutoring services

The Nevada Department of Education announced a partnership at the end of April to increase tutoring services for high school mathematics and SAT preparation for Nevada students.

The new partnership will bring together the state’s education department with Schoolhouse.world, a portal started by Khan Academy founder Sal Khan, to provide the no-cost services in a virtual space.

“I am proud to continue to expand equitable access to learning opportunities through our partnership with Schoolhouse.world,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert. “The Nevada Department of Education remains committed to listening to and addressing the needs of students, educators, and families as we continue the recovery and begin the renewal of our public education system.”

Schoolhouse.world was launched in 2020 by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy online learning website. Khan started the portal to help students struggling academically due to circumstances created by COVID-19. The schoolhouse.world website has run over a thousand tutoring sessions with students from over 40 countries since it was launched.

“Current offerings include tutoring in high school mathematics and SAT preparation, with plans to add additional grade levels and content areas in the future,” the education department states in a release. “Tutoring sessions are available day and night as volunteer tutors – including over 400 high school students, teachers, professionals, and PhDs – come from around the globe.”

Khan spoke about why he started the schoolhouse.world site.

“I’ve always believed that every child should have access to a free, world-class education,” Khan said in the release. “Khan Academy has been doing this by offering free practice, instructional videos, and teacher tools. Now with Schoolhouse.world, we’re excited to work with the Nevada Department of Education to supplement that with free, live tutoring to students across Nevada.”

Nevada is one of the first states to offer the service to middle and high school students at a statewide level.

“Students can sign up to use Schoolhouse.world by visiting the Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative website at nvdigitallearning.org,” the education department states. “There is no time limit for registration and an unlimited number of students may take advantage of this opportunity.”

The tutoring sessions are conducted through Zoom. All sessions and student interactions are recorded and monitored to ensure safety and security, the education states.

The schoolhouse.world site is an addition to a suite of tools available through the Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative, a website “that helps pre-K-12 educators, students, and families thrive in an online learning environment,” according to the education department.