Philadelphia Inquirer Profiles Tutoring Program at Camelot Chester

Chester High School freshman Jameisha Johnson is the first to admit that school was not working for her. She struggled academically, had serious behavioral issues, and was placed in an alternative-school program.

Then two Widener University professors and their cadre of student tutors stepped in with a pilot program aimed at increasing literacy for vulnerable students, simultaneously providing hands-on experiences for their education majors.

“My grades went up. My behavior improved. I got into sports,” said Johnson, 15, who plays point guard on both the junior varsity and varsity girls’ basketball team, even though she’s only a ninth grader.

She is one of six students in the Widener program from Camelot Chester’s Transitional School, a Chester High program operated by a for-profit company that specializes in alternative education.