Northern Virginia’s Turbo Tutoring launched a partnership with Kravitz Orthodontics in South Riding earlier this year to provide free SAT and ACT preparation programming to low-income students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford the classes to prepare them for college entrance exams.
Turbo Tutoring, a mobile prep program that conducts affordable seminars throughout both Fairfax and Loudoun counties, was started four years ago by Fairfax County Public School teachers Dan Harris and Greg Greentree.
“I have known Dr. Kravitz for many years, and I can honestly say that I don’t know a person who is more generous, more willing to help others than him,” Greentree said. “He told me long ago that the first duty of any business is to invest in the community, and he has proven that time and time again. Turbo Tutoring is very proud to have him as a friend and partner."
The Turbo Tutoring founding duo’s first goal was to make standardized test prepping accessible to more students, and with their new partnership with Kravitz, Harris said they are excited to expand their resources even further. Turbo Tutoring offers review for the SAT, the ACT and the PSAT.
“The way it works is Kravitz Orthodontics writes us a check for $185 to us, to cover the cost of the in-need student's admission for our prep class,” he said. “We just began this partnership this year, and we are excited to continue it, and hopefully expand it, to help more students.”
Both Turbo’s ACT and SAT programs cost $185 and are all one-time classes lasting two hours and 45 minutes, regardless of the examination being reviewed. Harris and Greentree designed the classes so that they cover everything a test-taker needs to know — from subject matter to test taking tips and strategies. Greentree and Harris teach all of the Turbo classes, which they offer around eight to 10 times a year. Class sizes range from 20 students up to 50.
“Our mission is to help students achieve higher test scores, along with improving their overall confidence level when taking exams, both standardized tests, as well as tests in their own classes at school,” Greentree said. “We teach test taking techniques along with the content for the ACT and SAT exams.”
Turbo Tutoring’s new partnership with Kravitz Orthodontics is one step closer to Harris and Greentree’s collective quest to contribute to the success of every student in the community who needs the boost. This year, in addition to the scholarships through Kravitz Orthodontics, Turbo will offer free enrollment to a few students.
“Another main mission of ours is to give back to the community,” Harris said. “We have given a lot of money to several school Parent-Teacher-Student organizations, as well as athletic booster clubs. We have given scholarships out to students in the spring that have attended our class as well, and we look forward to doing that again this spring. Usually we give a short essay prompt about a topic, and advertise it through our Facebook and Twitter pages, then we select a winner. We would love to partner with other organizations to help give more scholarships.”
Social media has been a powerful tool for Turbo Tutoring, as it was their first link to Kravitz Orthodontics.
“We connected through social media,” Harris said. “I approached Neal, from Kravitz Orthodontics about the idea of helping students together, as we sometimes are approached by a teacher, counselor, or parent about having a student that wants to take our class because of the positive feedback they have heard about our program. Gregg and I hate for money to keep a student from taking our class, and we asked if the people at Kravitz Orthodontics would like to assist some of those students. They agreed to pay for some of the students that needed the financial help. They are amazing, selfless people at Kravitz Orthodontics.”
To access Turbo Tutoring or learn more about the courses, visit http://turbo-tutoring.com/about-us/ or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/turbotutoring.