Whereas, California Education Code §88076 [1] exempts from classified service “full-time students employed part-time” and “part-time students employed part-time in a college work-study program or in a work experience education program conducted by a community college that is financed by state or federal funds,” which results in fewer opportunities for employment for part-time students even though they make up over 65% of credit students [2];
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has recognized the need to adopt comprehensive strategies to support the success of part-time students [3]; and
Whereas, Creating greater flexibility for hiring part-time students as student tutors will enable more peer tutoring, which benefits students with personal connection and will help part-time student tutors with enhanced campus engagement and further strengthening of their subject matter expertise [4];
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, working with system partners, urge the California Legislature to revise California Education Code §88076 [5] to add an additional exemption from classified service for “part-time students employed part-time as student tutors” without necessitating that the student is in a college work-study program or in a work experience education program.
MSU
1. California Education Code §88076 applies to community college districts with personnel commissions. See https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=88076&lawCode=EDC
2. California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Management Information Systems Datamart. ”Full-time/Part-time (Unit Load) Status Summary Report.“ Retrieved October 1, 2023, from https://datamart.cccco.edu/Students/Unit_Load_Status.aspx
3. Resolution S23 07.03 Defining Success for Part-time Students: https://asccc.org/resolutions/defining-success-part-time-students
4. For an example of research on the benefits of peer tutoring, see Valeria A. Russ, The Relationship Between Final Grades and Tutoring Methods of At-risk College Freshmen, (2015). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=dissertations
For an example of research on the benefits for the peer tutor, see Kait Bouthillette, "Tutor, Guide, Lead: Examining the Experiences of Peer Tutors" (2016). Higher Education Student Work. 11. https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/soe_studentpub/11
For a quick summary of findings on the effectiveness of peer tutoring, see Troy Markowitz, The Power of Peers In Higher Education, Forbes, July 9, 2020 https://www.forbes.com/sites/troymarkowitz/2020/07/09/the-power-of-peers-in-higher-education/?sh=2ded07de313c
For a testimonial from a student tutor on how peer tutoring benefits the tutor and tutee, see Doug Kovel, Peer Tutoring in the Pandemic, Inside Higher Education, March 23, 2021 https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2021/03/24/benefits-peer-tutoring-and-how-develop-effective-program-opinion
5. California Education Code §88076 applies to community college districts with personnel commissions. See https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=88076&lawCode=EDC