Paramount Community Unites to Offer 24/7 Academic Support to Students

PARAMOUNT, Calif., Sept. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

"The city and the school district have a history of working together in groundbreaking ways. We both serve the same community, after all," said City Manager John Moreno, regarding the city's decision to help PUSD bring in Paper.

At PUSD, a 95% free & 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."

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 said that "providing support to our students whenever they need it – 24/7 – in both English and Spanish, is a true game-changer for us all."

Read Dr. Ryan Smith's tweet here.

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 said.

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 help 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, library services, and publicly televised lessons. 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.

Learn more about how Paper is complementing districts' 2020-21 plans here.

About PAPER
Founded in 2014, Paper is an Educational Support System (ESS) providing students with 24/7 live help & essay review, and teachers with real-time feedback and intervention tools. Paper partners with districts across North America to close the achievement gap and support educational equity.

Further information about Paramount USD is available here.

For further information, please contact:
Jacob Geller
Director of Partnerships
PAPER
1-438-523-2350
[email protected] 

SOURCE Paper Education Company Inc.