Many of the biggest success stories start out quite small. This one is no different.
A Plano Independent School District student, Gautam Penna, was stuck home in the pandemic, just killing time.
"I was watching a news documentary online during the pandemic and I saw that like 70% of high schoolers were failing at least one class. I thought, 'what could I do?'" said Penna.
He invited classmates for a study session, and more than 150 students showed up.
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"I wanted to see how the study session would be and how my friends could teach other people, said Parameshwar Chamarthi, a 10th grader.
The student-led sessions were so popular they started recruiting more students to lead them, and start more classes at more schools.
Penna's little idea to help had not just taken off. Well, it "soared." That's the name -- an acronym, Student Organized Academic Refinement.
Carter In The Classroom
Focusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed.
"It helps students learn grow and get help from older people such as sophomores who already have experience in these subjects," said Louisa Xu, a ninth grader.
With the pandemic past us, it just keeps rising, SOAR is a nonprofit that goes to schools across the Plano ISD, improving test scores.
"I'm learning the curriculum with them and if I found something confusing, then I might take a different angle to go about it, said Aayush Appan, a ninth-grade instructor.
Students helping each other: Despite all the big-brain ideas out there for teachers to help students grow, the one that's working here wasn't all that complicated at all.
