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Montoe, Michigan and Tacoma, Washington are among the growing number of communities that are drawing on older people to reinforce and enrich learning in the public schools.

While the match between the young and old seems to be a natural and rewarding one, both communities stress the importance of developing a well-structured volunteer tutoring program.

"The roles of the teacher and tutor must be carefully defined," cautions James R. Steed, a member of the staff of the Senior Adult Education program in Monroe. Michigan and the coordinator of senior tutors. "No effort is made to make teachers out of the tutors," says Steed. "They are there in the schools only to strengthen and reinforce learning."

In Monroe, each of the three participating schools provides a room for the tutoring, study materials and the services of the principal to implement the program. The principal develops teacher acceptance of the tutoring effort and works with the teachers to select the students who need help.

As coordinator for the tutors, Steed begins his part of the program by holding several orientation classes in the school for each new group of tutors. He discusses the relationship of the tutor to the teacher and what the tutor can and cannot do. Some work is also done on the use of educational games in motivating learning.

After the orientation period, each tutor is assigned to work with three children in individual half-hour sessions, with the focus usually on math or reading. Every week, Steeds spends 45 minutes before the tutoring sessions begin discussing concerns that the seniors may have about their work with the students.

Aside from the educational and emotional benefits of closer contact between the generations, Steed sees another reason for getting older people involved in the schools. He says the large increase in the number of voters who do not have children in school has often meant rejection of community requests for higher school budgets. "If seniors have a chance to see what good work the schools do, they can become very effective advocates for improving education."

In Tacoma, Washington, RAISE is the apt title of the senior tutoring program and it stands for Retirees Active In Student Education. Started in 1976 with a grant from the Ben Cheney Foundation of Tacoma, RAISE became such a popular program that three years later funding was taken over by the Tacoma public schools. Then a decision was made to include younger tutors, and RAISE became a part of a larger program, known as Volunteer Services.

But Ethel Geiger, a retiree who works part-time as a liaison between RAISE and the schools, notes that about 85 percent of the 350 people who are a part of the tutoring and enrichment program are over 55. She says this year approximately 150 tutors are active in Tacoma's 60 public schools. At least another 100 volunteers go periodically to the schools to demonstrate special skills or talents--everything from folk dancing to the art of storytelling.

All applicants for a volunteer tutoring position complete a detailed interview form, says Mrs. Geiger in explaining how the program is organized. Each year, RAISE sends out forms to elementary and high school principals asking them to specify the kind of assistance they need, whether it be for tutoring in regular subjects, help in shop or English As A Second Language classes, or demonstrations of unusual talents. Volunteer tutor request forms are also distributed to the teachers.

"When we get these forms back, we match them with the applicant interview form to come up with compatible placements." Once an assignment has been mad, RAISE makes a date for a meeting at the school with the volunteer and the teacher.

"We bring a handbook on'tutoring along to the meeting for the volunteer and another RAISE handbook for the teacher so each person knows their responsibilities," says Mrs. Geiger. She adds that "every effort is made to make the tutor fell that he or she is truly a part of the school." In about a month, RAISE follows up on the placement by contacting the volunteer and the teacher to see how the tutoring is progressing.

"We try to impress upon our volunteers that they should not stretch themselves beyond their capabilities," comments Mrs. Geiger. "We tell them it's better to start slow with one hour a week of tutoring and then work up to more if they want to."

RAISE funds pay transportation costs for the senior tutors and for their lunches at the schools. The overall Volunteer Services program has an annual budget of about $35,000 and operates its extensive tutoring network with a 3-person staff--a full-time coordinator, Mrs. Geiger who works half-time, and a volunteer part-time secretary. Several times a year, the program sponsors workshops for the tutors on such topics as techniques for motivating students and working with students with special needs.

In addition to assisting children from regular classrooms, the tutors work withhandicapped children and students from the vocational school. Many of th RAISE volunteers are retired teachers, and some have been tutoring since the program began.

Mrs. Geiger says her enthusiasm for RAISE is renewed each time she reads an applicant interview form. When asked "Why do you want to tutor?," she says the semors frequently answer: "Because I would like to do something meaningful and useful and to be needed in the community."

For information on the tutoring programs, please contact: James R. Steed, Senior Adult Education, St. Mary's Academy, West Elm Ave., Monroe, Mich. 48161 (313) 243-5030; or Volunteer Services, Tacoma Public Schools, P.O. Box 1357, TAcoma, Washington 98401 (206) 593-6984.