Paramount Community Unites to Provide Equitable Academic Support
City of Paramount, Paramount Unified School District, and Paper partner to provide students with free, 24/7 online academic support from expert tutors.
The City of Paramount, California, and Paramount Unified School District (PUSD) partner with PAPER to provide access to unlimited, 24/7 online tutoring to all students in grades 4-12. The partnership fills the need for equitable, round-the-clock learning support for PUSD students.
→ Learn how Paramount excelled with Paper
City Manager John Moreno, regarding the city’s decision to help PUSD bring in Paper, said:
The city and the school district have a history of working together in groundbreaking ways. We both serve the same community, after all.
At PUSD, a 95% free and reduced lunch rate and an elevated rate of ELLs meant a pronounced need for at-home learning support. On Paper’s online platform, students get multilingual live help and essay review for all subjects from trained, qualified tutors. Moreover, teachers and administrators get full access to student activity on the platform, which helps target their instruction.
Superintendent Dr. Ruth Perez stated:
The feedback we receive from parents often indicates that their students need more personalized support. Paper meets this need perfectly.
[WATCH: Paramount, CA discuss Paper at their Board Meeting]
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ryan Smith, leading the district’s educational services, realized the value of providing anytime, anywhere support. With countless distractions, frustrations, and responsibilities facing students at home, Dr. Smith explained that:
Providing support to our students whenever they need it—24/7 and in both English and Spanish—is a true game-changer for us all.
By helping deliver unlimited access to Paper for PUSD students this year, Paramount city officials will help close the divide between those who can afford private tutoring and those who cannot.
“Paper is proud to partner with a community like Paramount. They squarely share our vision and mission that every child should have the opportunity to reach their academic potential. To see the community come together so quickly is inspiring and highlights the strength of relationships between our schools and municipalities within which they operate,” said Philip Cutler, Chief Executive Officer of Paper.
“As part of the profound value we place on education, and in light of our long and sturdy partnership with the district, the city lent whatever support we could to this program without hesitation,” Mayor Peggy Lemons stated.
There was an acknowledgment by city officials that the school district had already made impressive strides in managing the current crisis, and they were committed to helping take that further.
PUSD Governing Board President, Vivian Hansen, also went on to explain the long term value that Paper brings to PUSD students and families:
This service will be a valuable resource for all of our students during distance learning, and when we return to in-person learning.
“The school district has reacted to this ever-changing landscape swiftly and with creativity. Connecting with Paper for these extensive tutoring services is another sign of how PUSD is offering what our students need to meet the current challenges,” the Mayor added.
Such partnerships have helped schools deliver crucial resources this year, such as devices, WiFi, publicly televised lessons, and library support services. The support provided by the City Council to Paramount USD to adopt Paper is yet another example of how critical partnerships are in providing equitable, scalable resources to communities.
[READ ALSO: Val Verde Unified School District Selects Paper to Ensure Equitable Access to Learning]
