Education+ started as an ELI program and is now featured in the Santa Barbara Independent.
Education+, a student-run organization that started as an ELI Project, was recently featured in the Santa Barbara Independent. Founded by ELI alum, Jessica Lickstein, in 2023 for her ELI project, Education+ offers free, virtual tutoring services to K-12 students in Spanish and English. Each quarter, 30 to 50 UCSB students volunteer as tutors, conducting 10 to 30 weekly virtual tutoring sessions. Initially, Education+ focused on environmental justice education but has since expanded to cover all school subjects.
By offering a free, fully virtual format, Education+ removes common barriers, such as transportation and cost, that often limit students’ participation in after-school enrichment programs. Any student can sign up for a session online and receive quality tutoring customized to their specific needs. In each 45-minute to 1-hour session, tutors help students with a variety of goals, such as preparing for a test or catching up on missed work. Tutors get to know their students' strengths and areas for growth, cultivating lasting success in academics and beyond. Tutoring can be scheduled as-needed on their website or as a weekly recurring session.
In addition, Education+ offers courses such as coding and Spanish-language for 3rd through 5th-grade students. In the future, Lickstein hopes to increase course offerings and expand the model to other universities.
For more information or to sign up, visit educationplussb.org.
