At Voqal, we believe education access is an important part of achieving greater social equity. It was with this idea in mind, that the Education Opportunity Project (EOP) was created. The goal of the Education Opportunity Project is to measurably reduce educational opportunity gaps by providing capital and strategic advice to entrepreneurs and organizations working to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged populations. This month we highlight the work of one of these organizations, UPchieve.
UPchieve’s mission is to democratize access to academic support so that all students have an equal opportunity to finish high school, attend college, and achieve upward mobility. Recognizing that many students lack access to academic support at home, especially late at night, UPchieve taps into two large networks of volunteers to connect students with one-on-one tutoring. Students log onto the platform and indicate what subject they need assistance with at any time of the day and are linked with a vetted volunteer expert in that field with an average wait time of five minutes. The work UPchieve is doing to revolutionize student tutoring can be summarized into three key areas:
1. Provide Free Tutoring and College Counseling
UPchieve’s tutoring is available 24/7 to all low-income high school students in the U.S. It currently offers math tutoring, science tutoring, and basic college advice.
2. Build Student-Centered Technology
UPchieve is building the most accessible, student-friendly platform for academic support. It is available on all devices and doesn’t require any prescheduling.
3. Support Schools and Other Nonprofits
UPchieve helps its partners ensure student success through student support, staff/teacher training, data analytics, and more.
One of the things that makes UPchieve such a great fit for the Education Opportunity Project, is its focus on serving low-income students. We believe ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to an education is vital, and UPchieve is a prime example of an organization that is working to make this a reality.
The founder, Aly Murray, was also a low-income student, and that lived experience shows up in the intentional design choices UPchieve has made to meet the unique needs of these students. Everything about the organization, from program design to marketing, is centered on serving low-income and other historically under-resourced students.
We believe that truly addressing educational opportunity gaps requires solutions at every stage of an individual’s education. UPchieve and their focus on accessible tutoring resources is one of those solutions and we are excited to be able to support this important work.
Interested in learning more about UPchieve? Check out its website at upchieve.org.