Core Values:

Quest For Educational Equity

We believe that all children deserve the opportunity to learn and excel academically; however, we know that all children aren’t given the same resources to do so. TestQuest, with the help of many individuals, has dedicated its 12 years of service to NYC’s most vulnerable children and families in an attempt to give these students the extra help they need to rise to the level of their peers and begin creating brighter futures for themselves and for their families.

Asset-Based Approach to Teaching and Learning

The TestQuest educational model is based on an asset-based approach to teaching and learning. Contrary to the often deficit-based approaches seen in traditional schooling, we believe that all children have the capacity to learn if given the proper resources, support, guidance, and care. Thus, we have never turned down a child – whether they are a Special Ed. student, ELL, a student with a disability, or a child in the foster care system – we take the skills that they have and build upon them. We believe that each child, with his/her own unique potential, has the capacity to grow and learn.

Holistic/Integrative Approach to Services

We want to make education a family experience. We believe that bringing education into the home can help stimulate a child’s curiosity, inspiring them to want to learn more about the world that surrounds them. We encourage parents to sit and learn alongside their children as they are a vital part of a child’s outlook on the world. As children become more comfortable with the idea of education as part of the family experience, it becomes a more natural and consistent part of their daily life.

Collaborative Efforts

A child’s education is the product of many different individuals, environments, and influences which include parents, teachers, friends, and others. Thus, we wholeheartedly believe in the collaborative efforts needed to make any educational program a success. Our program wouldn’t be as successful as it is without the continual help and support of schools, foster care agencies, and other social service organizations who work with us to achieve this common goal.

Cumulative Effects of Positive Influences

Many children at-risk are often subjected to negative influences at home, on the streets, and sometimes even in school. We believe that sending positive role models (our teachers and tutors) to a family’s home is a way to make academics and education a more inviting venue. When positive educational messages are relayed inside the home in addition to school, it is another forum for the child to become interested in learning. The one-on-one attention of a tutor or teacher often allows a child to relax, ask lots of questions, and motivates them to keep trying rather than give up.

Many Sides of Success

While the current trend in education is to measure success merely through test scores and numerical statistics, we believe in celebrating the often immeasurable small successes that a child can experience through individual home instruction -

• the confidence a child develops when they become more comfortable with learning
• the change in mindset a child can have when they interact with a positive adult role model in the home
• the joy of a family navigating the educational process together
• the curiosity and wonder of a child who now believes that academic success is tangible and learning can be fun

Though none of the above can be measured through empirical data, we believe that these seemingly small successes are the stepping stones that ultimately lead to a child becoming academically successful.