Bringing Citywide Math Tutoring to New Haven

Volunteering as a literacy tutor with New Haven Reads in 2016, Ron Coleman ’25 met a middle school student who would help redirect the course of his career.

“He was a seventh grader, a student they told me was very tough, and the last tutor hadn’t figured out how to reach him,” says Coleman, who had previously been a teacher for five years at New Haven’s Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy.

“I started volunteering my first year out of the classroom,” Coleman says. “I really missed making directs impact on students.”

Working with Coleman, the seventh grader blossomed. He climbed multiple levels in the reading curriculum and began showing up for sessions with a smile on his face.

“I was able to connect with him and remind him that while school isn’t as effortless or entertaining as television, video games or social media, the work you put in—the skills, the knowledge you gain—nobody can ever take it away from you, and it helps you instead of helping the people marketing to you,” Coleman says. “Doing well in school will help you achieve your dreams instead of being distracted by someone else’s.”

The student’s success inspired Coleman, who was then managing New Haven’s Teach for America (TFA) branch as it transitioned from a subject-based to a region-based organization. “It made me want to get involved in a larger way, supporting new teachers to become better faster,” he says. “There are helpful mindsets and actions that you learn over time as an educator that can easily be learned up front.”

At an ensuing educational roundtable event, Coleman learned that New Haven parents were clamoring for tutoring help in subjects besides reading, especially math.

“A light bulb went off,” he says. “I called my TFA colleague Dan Hicks and said, ‘Hey, we should do this.’” Shortly afterward, the New Haven Counts math tutoring service was born. Coleman is now the organization’s executive director, while co-founder Hicks is director of development, and a third co-founder, former TFA educator Dom Dugo, began as chief marketing officer and now serves on the board.

“Our work has always been grounded in our experiences as classroom teachers, and we know first-hand how important high dosage tutoring and quality mentorship can be for students in New Haven,” Hicks says.

“We launched in 2018 purely out of passion and wanting to work with kids outside the traditional school day,” Coleman adds. “I was fortunate to have a mentor who ran a premier learning program that engaged students across the state in STEM challenges for five-weeks each summer. Dan and I both wanted to give more students the foundation to access high-leverage programs like Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program.

The fledgling nonprofit, which today coordinates more than 100 math tutoring hours each week across New Haven schools and youth-serving organizations, began in “startup mode,” scrambling for grants and establishing after-school tutoring at just one or two sites annually.

When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, New Haven Counts shut down all direct service programs in schools and libraries. The organization resumed operations in 2022, and in 2023 became part of the New Haven Tutoring Initiative, which has since enabled rapid growth.

Coleman also entered SOM’s full-time MBA program in 2023. His work with the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute and regional educational support organizations, like the KNOWNpreneurs Growth Lab and the Connecticut chapter of the Black Business Alliance, made him want to develop stronger institutional knowledge that would develop his knowledge and skills as both a leader and a consultant.

“SOM's focus on business and society really hit the sweet spot for me," Coleman says. “After working closely with educators and small business owners in New Haven, I saw how business principles could be leveraged to create lasting social impact. The program's emphasis on bridging the private and public sectors aligns perfectly with my goal of building more equitable educational and entrepreneurial opportunities in urban communities.”

Central to New Haven Counts’ mission is the belief that sustainable community change must come from within. Among the organization’s staff are 20 New Haven high school students (former volunteers completing between 15 and 50 hours of community service) currently serving as paid interns. The organization plans to expand to 25 interns by spring of 2025.

Coleman’s SOM classmates also volunteer. “I tutored as a way to give back to the New Haven community,” says Jake Walther ’25. “It’s been meaningful and fulfilling work, and I’ll be continuing.”

Cindy Gu ’26 is a new tutor. “Having grown up with access to education resources and encouragement to pursue my intellectual curiosity, I want to pay it forward by helping kids to also realize their potential,” she says, “especially now that I’m in a position to make a difference.”

Balancing MBA studies and an expanding nonprofit has been challenging. “It’s been an honor and privilege, as well as a never-ending exercise of time management and prioritization,” Coleman says.

“We hired six site supervisors and two education coordinators during my first year at SOM. The team and I also revised content to adjust programing for K-5 students. Our previous tutor model supported middle school students, and our summer programs engaged both middle and high schoolers, so there has always been something to create or improve upon.”

Coleman will be keeping a close eye on New Haven Counts this year. The nonprofit’s goal this year is to help put the New Haven Tutoring Initiative on pace to have 300 volunteers tutoring 500 students weekly for at least two hours by 2026. Innovative partnerships with schools, nonprofits, churches, and sports organizations have broadened the organization’s reach. Tutors come from across the New Haven community, including Yale, which hosts a tutoring site for New Haven Youth Tennis and Education at Dwight Hall, and the local mentoring organization Squash Haven. Six Yale SOM students have signed up to tutor this year.

Two surprising revelations in the New Haven Counts journey, Coleman says, have been the resilience and potential of local students and educators, and the compassion and commitment of New Haven residents, city workers, and older students.

“Witnessing their growth has reaffirmed my belief in the profound impact that education can have on individuals and communities,” he says. “I’ve also been surprised by the unwavering support of the community, particularly our high school and college students, and of Yale, which has been an invaluable partner in our mission. True, sustainable transformation occurs when diverse groups of people come together to create positive change for the next generation.”