About Educational Justice
Educational Justice is a non-profit headquartered in Louisville, KY striving to end educational inequity by pairing 5th-8th grade students with high-achieving high school peers for long-term one-on-one tutoring and mentorship to improve their academic performance and social development.
Educational Justice was founded in 2011, by educator and entrepreneur Moshe Ohayun, when he brought together idealistic tutors frustrated with persistent educational inequity. These tutors observed that accessibility to additional academic assistance, like tutoring, for students from higher income families provided them with unequal competitive advantages that allowed them to secure scholarships and achieve greater academic success. This was happening in the same state where the education gap between family income levels was staggering and has only grown since, exacerbated during COVID. In 2022, 32% of Kentucky 8th graders scored below the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) proficiency level, with students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) scoring 23 points lower on average than their non-eligible peers.
In 2016 Educational Justice (EJ) developed its scalable and sustainable no-cost academic assistance solution for students from low to moderate-income families. The innovative model identifies and trains top high school students to use their academic expertise as dedicated tutors for underserved 5th-8th grade students. Students are paired for supervised one-on-one tutoring sessions weekly throughout the school year. Many continue in the program for successive years. Educational Justice employs high school students community service volunteer hours, ensuring a consistent and substantial volume of tutors and the ability to provide tutoring at no cost.
EJ is implemented as a hybrid tutoring model using virtual meeting and online curriculum resources paired with occasional in-person meetings and social opportunities. This shift minimizes issues related to space, transportation, and scheduling, with little sacrifice to the quality of tutoring.
In 2023 the EJ program once again pivoted to meet the needs of the community. During the pandemic students fell behind by 1.5 years. Not only were students substantially hurt by learning loss, the pandemic left young people who faced that isolation at such a formative age with an increased likelihood of experiencing depression, social, emotional and behavioral difficulties and worsening general mental well-being. While this was reflected in academic achievement, the decrease in student attendance and increased disciplinary actions was also very concerning. Due to this, EJ shifted its model not only to include tutoring but also to train Activists to mentor their younger peers on social emotional skills. EJ is currently engaged in a partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)who created a peer focused mental health program to train students using their nationally accredited process. This additional training was requested by the Activist corps.
One-on-one peer tutoring is a proven educational tool, and mentoring provides essential emotional support and personal development. The near-peer mentoring model, pairing high schoolers with middle schoolers, offers younger students a stable, relatable role model. Youth with mentors are 55% more likely to enroll in college, 55% less likely to skip school, 46% less likely to start using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to start drinking, and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions. These relationships often resemble sibling bonds, with older students helping younger ones navigate school challenges, build confidence, and develop emotional regulation tools. Feedback from teachers and parents highlights the program's rapid, positive impact on students' outlook and confidence.
EJ fosters unique mentor relationships, providing middle school students with one-on-one attention that boosts academic performance, self-efficacy, interest in learning, and mental health. High schoolers gain leadership skills, experience in teaching, and a broader understanding of wealth inequalities and education. As EJ expands, it aims to equip more students with the tools and support needed to overcome barriers to equitable education, leveling the playing field and providing opportunities historically inaccessible to our students.