It seems like Mack Brown is popping up all over Austin these days – on CapMetro buses, on RunTex billboards, and PSA’s. And he keeps talking about being a Classroom Coach. So you may be thinking “I’ve volunteered before. Am I a Classroom Coach? Am I changing the game?”

In mid 2008, Executive Director Kathrin Brewer decided that Austin Partners in Education needed a way to brand our small group learning structure to differentiate it from traditional mentoring and tutoring, even though it incorporates both of these components when building a relationship with students. Small group learning takes place when 7-10 volunteers come into a classroom during the regular school day and help small groups (get it?) of 3-5 students in a key area of their education: 2nd grade reading, 8th grade math, and 12th grade college readiness. (more…)