Students Get Tutoring Experience Through Partnership with Pittsburgh School Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Point Park students gained hands-on field experience by observing classrooms and tutoring children in math at Pittsburgh Public Schools' Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School (also known as Pittsburgh King).

While most students in the EDUC 220 Family and Community Diversity are sophomore education majors, the course also fulfills the core curriculum requirement "Understand People" and has been popular among the general student population for years. Alongside those whose dream it is to have a classroom of their own were those who plan to be communications professionals and performers. 

Stanley Denton, Ph.D., professor of education, developed and taught the popular course. Denton retired on Dec. 31, 2025, and this fall marked his final time leading students through the experience. 

"I’ve always tried to have a field experience affiliated with this class because it’s vital for them to achieve the objectives of the class: how families and communities interface with schools," Denton said. "Part of it can be done in a traditional college classroom environment, but a bigger part is done in the real-world applied settings."

Denton's students visited Pittsburgh King four times, each time for about three hours. They observed a class, then worked one-on-one with a fourth-grade student in mathematics. Last spring, Denton's class worked with the same third-grade group, so the children benefited from repeated exposure to Point Park students. 

Partnering With a "Community School"

Pittsburgh King is one of the few Pittsburgh Public Schools designated as a "community school." Denton describes community schools as addressing the comprehensive needs of children and families using a community approach.

The partnership with Point Park, providing math tutoring, is such an example. The partnership benefits both Pittsburgh King and Point Park students and fulfills the education students' requirement to complete a project-based field experience, defined as working with K–12 students in a setting outside the classroom. 

"It was nice to get insight beyond just watching," said Keneisha Washington, a sophomore elementary education major. "You start with mixed emotions because you're randomly selected with a younger individual for the first time, and go to creating a bond and them not wanting you to leave their side."

Pittsburgh King is a strategic choice for the partnership. Not only is it easily accessible for Point Park students using the U-Pass program, which provides free public transit, but the school is predominantly made up of minority students.

"For a fairly significant percentage, this is their first experience working in a culturally diverse school setting," Denton said. "They're willing and highly motivated, but still, it's a first. Many of their field experience reflective writings are about that, in a positive way."

Amber Smith, a sophomore special education major, has loved working in the diverse school. 

"I loved going to a school so enriched in African American culture and history," Smith said. "While of course the school was named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the school also listens to the Black National Anthem, 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,' during announcements. Additionally, the staff does their best to ensure all students are taken care of, like the African proverb, 'It takes a village to raise a child.'”

Helping Students Develop Confidence

Denton explained that, as sophomores, the education majors in the class are still early in their training, and some of the class members aren't education majors at all, so the goal of the field experience isn't necessarily to give the Pittsburgh King students a lot of math instruction as much as to influence their mindset about the subject.

"Over the four visits, the tutor is more likely to impact the student's confidence as a learner. 'I can,' vs. 'I can't,'" said Denton. "The tutor can probably impact that attitude toward math learning more than give them specific math problem-solving skills."

Smith experienced this for herself. "Through this experience, I learned that I'm not the best at math," she said. "However, through perseverance, hard work and a helping hand, a lot can be accomplished. I learned it's important to never leave students behind and give them a fighting chance to learn and succeed."

David Chapman, a sophomore special education major, said he enjoyed interacting with the students and helping them grow. "I learned how to best help kids who, in a different schooling system, would be left behind," he said. 

Washington made the connection between her field experience and her future: "I'm looking forward to teaching younger students, so I observe what I can use in my classroom, map out my future room and learn what kids are like in this upcoming generation." 

Even Non-Educators Play a Role in Education

Denton hopes that those who are not future teachers will also get insight into how they can impact their local schools.

"My expectation for my students is that they'll gain an enhanced appreciation for the role that college students, volunteers and others who don't work at a school — outsiders, for lack of a better term — can play in the success of students," he said. "Schools can't do it alone."

As Denton retires, the legacy of connection he is leaving behind will continue and even expand. Dr. Michele Leyshon, assistant professor, will teach Family and Community Diversity and maintain the field experience component at Pittsburgh King. In addition, Leyshon will be overseeing another group of students who will tutor Pittsburgh King students in math in the spring.

Thanks to Denton's leadership, the partnership between Point Park and Pittsburgh King remains fruitful for all involved.

More About: School of Education, special education, early childhood education, education, Pittsburgh Public Schools