Erik Kimel Tutors Low-Income Students

When Erik Kimel launched Peer2Peer Tutors, at the age of 16, his idea was simple: students can help other students succeed academically.

"We have a huge achievement gap in this country," Kimel said. "If you're born into a certain zip code, no matter how bad you mess up, you can go to college, because you've got money."

Kimel runs what he calls a for-profit business with a social mission. Peer2Peer hires high school tutors from local communities to teach students within the same community. Often, the two students go to the same school.

Recently, Peer2Peer helped secure $20,000 in funding to tutor 30 low-income, culturally diverse students at a Norwalk, Conn. school.

"It works because the content is fresh," Kimel said. "The environment is the same. The tutor may have even had that same teacher. It's firsthand, and you're able to use those 'I know what it's like to be in your shoes' type of statements.'"

Kimel said his business has a track record of success. Last school year, his tutors taught students at a Silver Spring, Maryland elementary school. After three academic quarters, Kimel said, 60 percent of the students tutored by Peer2Peer saw their grades improve by at least one letter grade.

"We make students feel comfortable," Kimel said. "Then they start to feel confident and then they start to improve."

Peer2Peer also offers a sorely needed employment opportunity for young people, in an economic climate that has been especially tough on teens and college students. The tutoring company is poised to create 500 youth jobs, according to a Peer2Peer press release.

Tutors make at least double the minimum wage in their community and can make as much as $18 an hour. Kimel said that tutors "always" list the experience on their college applications. He added that tutors in low-income areas are especially excited to work for Peer2Peer.

"They are thrilled to be able to make at least double the minimum wage," Kimel said.

When asked if he felt his mission to employ young people was especially critical, given the stagnant economy, Kimel responded, "Yeah, but we were doing it before it was cool."

Kimel also wants to shift the dominant narrative that America's students are underachieving and being outperformed by youth in other countries, like China.

"Instead of getting so hung up on the countries abroad, we've got some pretty smart kids in our country," Kimel said. "We need to recruit them to help students who are in need."

To learn more about Peer2Peer, visit the company's website and watch the video below:

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Comments

[Charles Tyler]

10:28 AM on 09/17/2011

Peers tutoring peers is not a new concept but has and continues to be done in most schools. I dont understand how or why this guy can simply create a business and charge for the services and is then seen as running a needed and respectable business. I am wondering how these low income students are able to afford to have these tutors if the peer tutors are being paid 18 dollars an hr.? There is also the fact that Erik is running a for profit business whereby he also profits off these low income students and must receive some sort of federal aid that doesnt go directly to the the students but his pockets. What should be promoted is a free, non-profit networks that allow for students to tutor other students. This should be set up within schools or districts. Students should be paid by the school, district or organization while providing free tutoring to other students. It is somewhat shameful that Erik is exploiting the system and low income students for profit and fame.

[apc 2003]

07:02 PM on 09/13/2011

"Kimel runs what he calls a for-profit business with a social mission. Peer2Peer hires high school tutors from local communities to teach students within the same community. Often, the two students go to the same school."

So, if I'm reading this right, then two students at the same school could take part in Peer2Peer and one of them gets paid to do it? So a student won't help a fellow peer unless they're paid by an outsider? How is that builiding community? What message is that sending that we can't even motivate young people to help each other out unless there's a paycheck attached? Some schools do this as part of the daily schedule.

[Charles Tyler]

10:31 AM on 09/17/2011

I agree, this "for profit charity" movement is getting somewhat annoying. People are simply using other people's desire to help and exploiting it for financial gain. This is a particular odd case as Erik's peer to peer services are quite common in most schools and districts.

[HPost Hipster]

03:52 PM on 09/12/2011

I was a 25 year old CEO way before it was the "cool" thing to do. Just sayin'.

[darquelourd]

03:40 PM on 09/12/2011

I hereby declare myself CEO of the break room!

[Toronto7]

02:34 PM on 09/12/2011

Well of course it is all about the money... please!

[artleads]

01:57 PM on 09/12/2011

Where does he get the money to pay for the program? I saw 20K, which is negligible. Maybe I missed something.

[peer2peer]

03:51 PM on 09/12/2011

Private families, SES funding, federal grants. The 20K is an example of a non profit partnership, which is a lot for a localized non-profit.

[artleads]

05:04 PM on 09/12/2011

Thanks. Excellent program, which could contribute to revolutionizing how education is delivered.

[Charles Tyler]

10:33 AM on 09/17/2011

Why not make it into a nonprofit program? Why is it for profit? Wouldnt the money be better served if it actually went to the students instead of the pockets of the "CEO"? It appears as though you are taking a historically free program and idea (peer tutoring) and now making it a costly, money-making program.

[spottery2k]

12:54 PM on 09/12/2011

While this is an excellent and noble cause it does not address, and perhaps contributes to a deeper problem in education. Education is not about making everyone the same and making life more regimented and standardized. Education of course serves a compliance function, but more importantly, students must be encouraged to think outside the bubble sheet. Having a mastery of trivia is less important than the critical thinking skills to face completely new and challenging problems, as distinguished from exercises, for example. If I were to ask you for the square root of 9 plus 2, that would be an example of an exercise, because even before you know the answer you already new how to find it. A problem involves first determining how to find a solution before actually solving for it. Education is more a personal quest than a group endeavor.

[LIBowski420]

02:23 PM on 09/12/2011

I couldn't agree more, our education system sets people up so they can find answers, its much too concrete, treats everything as a math equation and once you reach an answer then you're done. I remember being in school and fellow classmates could always get to the answers but never explain the steps or process of reaching them. I believe it has to do with critical thinking and the complete lack of teaching critical thought in our system(essentially we are not taught anything about critical thinking until senior year of high school) also, how we view education in our society as a whole. Its a means to an end, we dont educate ourselves because we want to learn, we educate ourselves because we are told to do so and we are promised $$$ as "grow-up" and "mature".