The Lagoon School

Mission: Partnership with parents to give an all-round education to each student, based on Christian principles, with emphasis on the dignity of the human person, integrity, leadership qualities and academic excellence.

Vision: To see every Lagoon student equipped with an integral education which enables her to play her unique role in the home, work place and the larger society.

Core Values: Freedom with responsibility, Dignity of work, Responsible use of resources, Spirit of service, Parents involvement as primary educators

The team lead is responsible for overseeing and maintaining the tutorial program, a mentoring system designed to ensure that every student integrates seamlessly into the school's activities and programs. Their role involves ensuring that these programs align with the school's philosophy and provide personalized attention and support to students. Additionally, the team leader is a member of the leadership team responsible for developing strategic goals, monitoring their progress, and ensuring their implementation. The team leader also oversees the technology department and ensures the integration of technology in the classroom.

The Tutorial Program is a focal point for the Team Lead and her team. Our specific goal is to enhance this program by making targeted improvements and conducting an evidence-based study of its impact within the next year. The team lead and her members are prepared to dedicate the necessary 3-4 hours of work per week, and possibly more, as they are already doing.

At the beginning of this year, we distributed surveys and questionnaires to the beneficiaries of these programs to understand their impact better and identify areas for improvement. Participating in the LEAP project will therefore serve as an extension of this exercise. 

The Tutorial Program provides personalized mapping and mentoring for students, aiming to help them thrive academically and flourish all-round.

Firstly, children's experiences within their families and friendships significantly impact their development and well-being (Rubin, 1984), inevitably affecting their learning and school experience. Secondly, the the current system of teaching and learning in Nigeria today often fails to address the diverse needs of learners or take into account their personal experiences and challenges. Realistically, it is often impossible to address a good number of these challenges during a lesson. Thirdly, other essential aspects of a child's development, including aspects beyond academics such as character building, leadership skills, and personal growth, are often overlooked in the classroom when learning is going on. Students therefore need  personalized support and mentorship to navigate their unique situations and challenges, and guidance to develop life skills which are essential for success in life beyond the classroom. 

Additionally, research consistently shows that children benefit from having a close relationship with a trusted adult other than their parents. These relationships are crucial for their well-being and development (Lindon, 2005). The absence of such a relationship can have a detrimental impact on a child's development (Rosenau, 2000)

The Tutorial Program was implemented to provide solutions to the problems listed above by offering personalized mentoring, support, and guidance to students so that they thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and otherwise. The program is designed so that each student has a dedicated adult mentor, known as a Tutor. The tutors are trained educators who work hand-in-hand with the students to understand their unique circumstances, needs, challenges, and goals. Some of the tutors are also teachers in the school, dedicating their time to both classroom teaching and mentoring. Others, a.k.a. external tutors, have a passion for working with young people and volunteer their time to this task.

The tutorial program requires a certain periodicity of meetings between parents and tutors, and students and tutors. Parents of the students being mentored are required to meet with the tutor at least once a quarter. On the other hand, students are meant to have 1-1 meetings with their tutors at least twice a month and are encouraged to solicit their support whenever the need arises.

When tutors meet with the parents, they discuss the progress and development of the student, share insights into the student's strengths, areas for improvement, and any strategies for further support and accompaniment. Tutors also seek feedback from parents to ensure that the support provided aligns with the family's goals and expectations for their child's education and well-being.

During their meetings with the students, tutors provide academic assistance in the form of guidance on time management, study skills, and goal setting. In addition to these, the tutors provide emotional support, listening to the student's concerns and offering advice and encouragement. They also facilitate discussions on personal development and strategies for adopting and practicing the various virtues being promoted in the school at each point in time.

At the end of every quarter, students receive, in addition to their academic evaluation, an evaluation of their performance in the tutorial program.

Foundational Research: So far, we have leveraged information from literature reviews, research papers, etc., to demonstrate the need for and effectiveness of providing this kind of 1-1 support. Usually, we use the outcome of these in promotions about the program, website information, and periodic presentations.

Formative Research: Without adopting a consistent or formal approach, we have conducted user interviews with students, tutors, and parents and have used insights from these interviews to improve the program. For instance, the decision to move the tutorial termly reporting was a result of informal interviews with tutors and parents.

The data we have collected from a recent survey on the program  has revealed several key insights which have helped to affirm our convictions that this system of student support is very helpful. As a result we see the need to invest more in evidence research around the program, improving the quality of professional development of the tutors, and use technology to improve the operational process and documentation.  From the data we have collected we were able to observe the following:

Many students reported improvements in their study habits, academic results, and personal growth as a result of the program. This information has reinforced our belief in the effectiveness of this style of personalized support and therefore we want to continue to grow the program. 

Secondly, the data showed that the program has helped students develop important life skills such as time management, goal setting, and communication. Students also reported improvements in their relationships with peers and family members.

Thirdly, the data revealed that parental involvement is crucial to the success of the program. Students whose parents were actively involved in the program reported greater improvements in their academic performance and personal development. 

In addition to these, the data highlighted the need for the stipulated regularity and consistent communication between tutors, students, and parents. Students who had regular meetings with their tutors reported greater improvements in their academic performance and personal development.

We want to continue leveraging on the insights from the data to improve the program, and ensure we are offering the best possible support to the students.

So far, much of our work has not been documented thoroughly, yet we are informally recording its impact. In the long term, we aim to market this program as a patent to other schools, presenting it as a tried and trusted approach to educational support that promotes overall student well-being and academic outcomes. Additionally, we run a training institute for the development of new teachers, and we believe that strengthening the evidence base of this solution will better prepare us to make it a patent that can be implemented in other schools.

Furthermore, since we include the tutorial program as part of the overall report for students on a termly basis, enhancing its evidence will help both parents and students understand its importance. Lastly, it will be highly beneficial for current tutors and new educators who are joining to become tutors to understand the impact of the tutorial program and, therefore, give their best to it.

1. What are the long-term effects of participating in the Tutorial Program on students' academic and personal development?
2. What strategies are most effective in building positive relationships between tutors, students, and parents in the Tutorial program?
3. How do students' self-perceptions of their academic outcomes and personal growth change over time as a result of participating in the Tutorial Program?

We wish to develop a structured framework, based on feedback from all stakeholders, on effective strategies for building positive relationships between tutors, students, and parents in the Program. This could include recommendations for communication methods, engagement activities, relationship-building initiatives, ethical conduct, and practices, etc. This framework could further be employed in the continuous training of tutors and the onboarding of new tutors.

We also hope to create a Self-Perception Assessment Tool or Framework that can be used to measure changes in students' self-perceptions of their academic outcomes and personal growth as a result of participating in the Program. We imagine this to be a set of ideal questionnaires, survey questions, or activities.

Additionally, we would also want to devise a plan for longitudinal data collection as part of the research study to measure impact over time, among current students and probably with those who have completed the program and have graduated.

We will integrate the structured framework for building positive relationships between tutors, students, and parents into the continuous training curriculum for tutors and the onboarding of new tutors. This framework will serve as a guide for tutors in fostering strong, supportive relationships with students and parents. We will also use the framework to conduct regular assessments of the effectiveness of relationship-building strategies and make adjustments as needed.

The Self-Perception Assessment Framework will be implemented as part of the program evaluation process. Students will complete the assessment at various intervals to track changes in their self-perceptions of academic outcomes and personal growth. This data will be used to inform program adjustments and improvements.

We will use the longitudinal data collection plan to measure the impact of the Tutorial Program over time. This will involve tracking the progress of current students and alumni who have completed the program to assess long-term outcomes. The data collected will be analyzed to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement in the program.

The desired long-term outcomes of the LEAP Project sprint for the Lagoon School will be to strengthen its capacity and prestige as an educational institution that provides personalized learning through an evidence-based mentoring program. We believe that participating in the sprint will contribute to improving the foundations, processes, and aspects of the tutorial program, thus making it more effective in achieving its laid-out goals. In the longer term, we aim to come out with a patent, which includes, documentation of evidence-based outcomes, principles frameworks, etc for replication in other schools.