Every day after school some students from Giffen Elementary School cross the street to the Albany Housing Authority and climb a flight of stairs. When they open the doors to Two Together, they are welcomed into rooms where every wall is painted in a floor-to-ceiling scene of white brick, flowers, unicorns and all manner of wonder. In here, their own little homework clubhouse, they get seats, snacks and precious one-on-one time with a trained tutor.

The homework help is also there for students from Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology.

Some tutors are teachers, putting in time after the buzzer has sounded the end of a day of classes. They give that boost with help in math, reading, writing or computer time.

Two Together, now celebrating its 10th year, is a non-profit organization that gets funding from the state Advantage After School Programs.

• Official Web site: www.twotogether.org

"It is a model of a homework assistance program that can get kids excited about schoolwork with the benefit of uninterrupted time with talented, caring educators," said NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira, who visited the program earlier this month.

Spotlight

The community-based group came together in 1997 after Giffen students and staff were thrust into the spotlight — and the center of the national voucher debate — when New York City philanthropist Virginia Gilder offered scholarships to any Giffen students who wanted to attend private school. Giffen, which made the cover of Forbes magazine, was dubbed "one of the worst public schools" in the state. Rather than giving up, teachers, union officers, administrators, parents, board members and community groups have worked together to dramatically improve achievement at the inner-city school.

Among the Albany Public School Teachers Association members boosting these kids are: Nátee Turner, a K-1 teacher at Giffen and a site coordinator for Two Together; Jacquelina Johnson, a first-grade teacher at Giffen; and Karen Gebhardt, a Giffen teacher and Two Together board member.

Other tutors come from the State University of New York at Albany and the College of St. Rose. They've had rewards such as a third-grader who finally read her first book after months of tutoring, or the faces of kids who beeline for their table, eagerly pulling out papers from backpacks.

Two Together hosts a three-week summer exploration program, family suppers and book festivals. Last year, an essay contest focused on "My Community Hero." The winning essays were read to community members, who support the program through fund-raising. NYSUT is a community partner of Two Together.

The program provides tutoring for students in grades 1-5, and trains sixth-graders to be after-school "reading buddies." In the neat library at Giffen, they point to words in books laid out flat on their spines while the younger students pronounce the words.

When a sixth-grader is interrupted by the younger students, Neira says quietly: "How do you think it is for a teacher who has more than one child in the class not paying attention? It'd be hard — wouldn't it? — if the teacher has to keep reminding them." The students listen attentively.

— Liza Frenette