School district, libraries respond to puzzled children’s calls for help

Right now, a kid is sitting at home agonizing over fractions or despairing about the periodic table. Someone's even crying over silly questions that involve trains leaving a station and arriving at a place at the same time.

Parents who have seen this little drama unfold at their kitchen table are forced to either help their child or solve a word problem of their own: If a parent isn't smarter than a fifth-grader -- or first, second or 10th, for that matter -- who's going to help the kids with their homework?

Lynn Trell, for starters. The Clark County School District's mathematics coordinator, Trell also operates the Homework Hotline, a lifeline of sorts for befuddled schoolchildren who get home only to realize they don't remember how to multiply fractions or know how to explain in 250 words the rivalry between the Capulets and Montagues.

The hot line, which has been around since 1991, takes an average of 8,000 calls in a school year, Trell says. Kids of all grade levels can call 799-5111 (toll free, 866-799-8997, for rural students), from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and get help with homework on any subject. Not surprisingly, math questions dominate 85 percent of those calls, Trell adds.

From 4 to 5 p.m., those questions may be answered by a teacher live on television, channels 96 and 111. The Homework Hotline operates out of KLVX-TV, Channel 10, the local PBS affiliate, and is funded through a partnership involving the school district, Silver State Credit Union, NV Energy and Vegas PBS.

And though all ages can call, the hot line receives the bulk of its questions from pupils in third through eighth grade.

"This is one thing the district does that directly affects student achievement," Trell says.

Kids who call in remain anonymous. Sometimes, parents call in asking for help in explaining concepts to their kids, too.

Eight to 10 high school juniors and seniors field the questions, Trell says, and are supervised by a teacher. Trell hires the hot-line operators, ensuring that they know what they're talking about.

"A lot of studies have been done on peer-to-peer teaching and there's been great success with that," Trell says.

The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District provides students with another resource for homework help.

"One of the library's roles has always been to assist students with homework," says Mary Nelson Brown, the library district's youth services coordinator.

Under the Homework Help Initiative, established formally in the district's 2005-08 strategic plan, the library offers print and electronic materials to assist students with schoolwork. Students can ask for homework help at any branch; the West Las Vegas and Centennial libraries have Homework Help Centers dedicated for this purpose. The centers offer computers that can be used only for homework as well as tutorials on how to use library resources, Brown says.

The library's website (lvccld.org) also features a portal called "Homework Help," where users can access a variety of databases and other materials arranged by grade level and subject matter. That Web page averages between 3,000 to 4,000 hits a month, Brown notes.

All that's needed to access the library's resources is a library card. The great thing about the homework initiative is that parents can be assured that their kids are using online materials that are dependable, Brown says.

Users can access cultural databases, biographies, newspaper and magazine articles. For older students, there are debate topics and practice tests. The library also has a subscription to an online tutoring site called Brain Fuse. It connects students with a live tutor based on subject area, Brown says.

"The tutor can work with the student through the chat function," she explains.

The Henderson library system also offers "Homework Help" online (mypubliclibrary.com) from 2 to 11 p.m. daily. A link on the Henderson Libraries' Web page ("Live Homework Help") directs users to the Tutor.com Student Center. There, students can access help from a live tutor in math, science, English and social studies. Students also can upload a document, such as an essay, to the site and have it reviewed by a tutor. There are links to practice quizzes for state standardized tests, too.

The Homework Help Center at Centennial Hills library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive, is open from 2:30 to 6:45 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. The West Las Vegas location, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd., is open from 2 to 5:45 p.m. Sundays and 3 to 6:45 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.