Hundreds of University of Wisconsin students have signed up to join the MadisonCorps, a tutorial program unveiled in the capital city last July, to close the academic achievement gap between students of color and white students.

Since its inception, local volunteers and more than 400 UW students have joined forces with the Madison Metropolitan School District to work with children from fourth to eighth grade.

UW student Paul Kimenski, who tutors at O’Keefe Middle School, said he is amazed the program has grown so much and that so many UW students are participating.

“The sheer size of this program is incredible,” Kimenski said. “It is truly amazing what just a few people have done.”

Kimenski said the high levels of student and local involvement have led to an almost 2-1 tutor-to-student ratio at O’Keefe. Because students are given so much academic attention, Kimenski has had a chance to work with the students to figure out how each individual student learns best, he added. According to Kimenski, MadisonCorps has succeeded in providing actual mentors for the students involved because the kids get so much one-on-one attention.

“It’s important for these kids to have role models of some sort,” Kimenski said. “It’s great to see these kids and really know them. Kids appreciate that.”

Currently, 70 percent of MadisonCorps volunteers are assisting middle-school children with math. Julia Joe, Schools of Hope volunteer coordinator at James C. Wright Middle School, said the program’s intense focus on math and communication skills works to lessen the disparity between minority students and their white classmates.

However, the program is serving up a whole new kind of math, according to Kimenski.

“Even though the program is supposed to be centered around math, if you look at the math textbooks, they are overwhelmingly filled with word problems and English,” Kimenski said. “These are not the same textbook we had as kids.”

The kids are taught a more “comprehensive program” in general — one focusing on solving and communicating problems, Kimenski added.

According to Joe, although MadisonCorps would be nothing without the individuals who dedicate their time to the program each week, all parties involved benefit from the program.

“The fact that it is a work-study program gives students incentive to participate, and because of this, kids are able to get tutors in their classrooms,” Joe said.

The program also provides a meaningful volunteer opportunity for UW students. MadisonCorps volunteers do not need any past tutoring experience and can volunteer for as little as one hour a week.

Kimenski, who started tutoring with the program last fall, said the program’s greatest benefit to UW students lies in the opportunity it gives them to work with people who grew up in completely different situations than themselves.

“Madison isn’t the most diverse campus,” Kimenski said. “To diversify oneself and humble oneself is important. For students to get off the sidewalk and see real-life stories is important.”