Academic supports are programs and strategies that are used by schools to increase the academic achievement of students, particularly for students who may be at risk of diminished academic achievement. A wide variety of strategies have been developed to provide extra support to students. These strategies can be applied at all grade levels (Brophy, 1998).
The most obvious academic support might be tutoring. Effective tutoring programs provide motivation, personal individual attention, direct instruction, and error correction to increase students’ academic skills. Mentoring programs are a common source of tutoring that may also provide motivational support to students. Before and after-school programs allow for additional time and support to complete homework, and afford opportunities for adult assistance without taking students away from their normal instruction in school. Some schools have implemented small learning communities within a school to make for more personalized instruction and better understanding of individual student needs. And finally there are some Internet based instructional support programs which students can do on their own, or with minimal adult support, to provide guided supplemental or remedial instruction. Regardless of the form the extra help takes, the objective is to raise achievement.