Allies for Excellence
partners with students to reach their unique excellence.
About Allies for Excellence
Allies for Excellence offers high-touch, evidence-based tutoring and skills coaching in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Founded by Helen A. Kalk, the practice specializes in supporting neurodivergent learners—including those with dyslexia, ADHD, cognitive differences, and executive function challenges. Helen brings warmth, patience, and enthusiasm, and over 30 years of experience helping children, teens, and families discover their unique pathways to success.
Approach
Every session is designed to meet learners where they are—strengthening cognitive skills, improving academic fluency, and rebuilding confidence after frustration with school. Helen uses trusted, research-backed methods such as the Orton-Gillingham Approach, Equipping Minds®, and Making Math Real® to make learning engaging, structured, and effective.
A Transformative Learning Experience
Families describe the Allies for Excellence experience as personal, encouraging, and transformative—a place where students are seen for who they are and supported to grow into who they can become.
Local Roots, National Reach
In-person sessions are offered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with online tutoring available nationwide for families seeking individualized, research-driven learning support that inspires a lifelong love of learning.
Helen’s Philosophy
Helen enjoys working with people who sometimes dance to a different drummer—learners who think creatively, process information in unique ways, and thrive when instruction honors their individuality. She believes every learner deserves to be understood, encouraged, and celebrated for how they learn best.
“Everyone, regardless of age, etiology, or disability, has the ability to enhance their learning aptitude and heighten their intelligence.”
Dr. Reuven Feurenstein
Equipping Minds®
Equipping Minds® provides practical exercises and games to build working memory, executive functioning, processing speed, comprehension, language, social, and reasoning skills in learners of all ages and abilities.
Equipping Minds Cognitive Development Curriculum uses cognitive development exercises which set aside academic content to target cognitive functions. Learners participate in interactive games and paper and marker activities which are organized in a progressive and challenging manner.
As a trained mediator I encourage the learner to “think aloud” and verbalize what they are processing and thinking. While the model of mediation is the same for all learners, individualization will occur based upon the learner’s progression.
The exercises are designed to create, strengthen and connect neuropathways and underdeveloped cognitive learning skills such as auditory and visual processing, working and long-term memory, comprehension, attention, logic and reasoning abilities which are fundamental to a person’s ability to receive, process, retain and apply information.
The cognitive therapy program strengthens these abilities allowing one to learn efficiently impacting job performance, academics, relationships, communication and life skills.
“The research study demonstrated that Equipping Minds Cognitive Development Curriculum increases verbal abilities, non-verbal abilities, IQ composite, and academic abilities in learners with Specific Learning Disorder.” Carol Brown
Automaticity with multiplication and division facts is foundational in mathematical problem solving. The 9 Lines Multiplication Fact Acquisition and Application Strategy© is a powerful tool to help students develop automaticity for multiplication and division facts simultaneously.
Making Math Real®
Allies for Excellence utilizes Making Math Real® based strategies and methods.
Making Math Real® is
For all students and all grades K-12
For all processing styles and abilities, from LD to gifted
Directly connected to research in neurobiology and cognitive science
Developing working memory and executive function integrating all math content from pre-K through calculus
Direct, explicit instruction
Intensively incremental and systematic
Making all math content connected, meaningful, and real
Developing concept-procedure integration: comprehension not memorization
Teaching students to be independent mathematical thinkers
Allies for Excellence, in utilizing Making Math Real® (MMR) methods, is in no way affiliated with, a member of, or employed by the Making Math Real Institute (MMRI) and does not represent or reflect MMR or David Berg in any way whatsoever. Neither MMRI nor David Berg has trained, certified, licensed, monitored, endorsed, recommended, or sponsored Allies for Excellence. MMR is a clinical methodology, not a program or curriculum, and neither the MMRI nor David Berg monitors, endorses, or accounts for the quality of services provided by Allies for Excellence.
What is Orton-Gillingham (OG)?
Orton-Gillingham is an approach for remediation, not a specific program. It is evidence-based with scientific research that supports its use to help children and adults with dyslexia learn how to read and spell.
It is: Explicit, Systematic and Structured, Sequential and Cumulative, and Multisensory
OG is individualized. Although there are specific techniques, each student moves through the program at a pace that allows them to develop fluency and automaticity for each step of the program.
OG is diagnostic and prescriptive. I monitor skill development with each step. The instructional practices are built upon what was observed in the previous lesson and what is judged to be necessary to move the student forward in the next lesson.
OG develops word attack skills. It teaches the skills necessary to both decode and encode the written word.
Students are provided continuous feedback and positive reinforcement. With the tutors’ support, they develop the metacognition (awareness) of what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how they can use it in new situations. As a result, they will usually develop improved self-confidence in learning and improved motivation for reading and writing.
In the hands of a well-trained and experienced instructor, the Orton-Gillingham approach is a powerful tool of exceptional breadth, depth, and flexibility.
Testimonials
Helen has worked with several of my clients who were different ages and had vastly different needs. She was able to create instructional programs for each one that were tailored to their exact needs, involved a great deal of hands-on, real-life learning, and made learning relevant and interesting. Each child made wonderful growth with Helen and their self-confidence improved greatly with her.
Dr. Mary McKone, BrainWorks
Helen has been meeting with my son, who is on the autism spectrum, for two years. He is smart and capable, but struggles with executive functioning like staying focused, managing his time and seeing tasks through to the end. Since working with Helen, he has made significant progress in increasing his stamina for staying on task and completing his homework assignments. She helps him play to his strengths, which has improved his confidence, and has been incredible in advocating for an IEP that includes the supports and accommodations he needs to be successful in high school. Most of all I appreciate the care, kindness and patience she shows my son and the trust she has built with him. I highly recommend Allies for Excellence, not just for kids on the spectrum, but any child that needs positive, caring and effective support in school.
Jessica N.
Working with you has been such a positive experience for my daughter. She’s so much more confident about her writing now and doesn’t get overwhelmed the way she used to. I really appreciate how you make each session encouraging and fun. She always comes away feeling proud of what she's accomplished.
Courtnay S., parent of K
As a retired special education teacher with forty years of experience, I am very pleased to endorse Helen Kalk as an owner and educator in Allies for Excellence.
I have known Helen personally and professionally for fifteen years as she has worked tirelessly with children in the capacity of administrator and educator. Any child that works with Helen will feel the touch of a dedicated educator, who is committed to the care and education of children.
Helen is an amazing person—intelligent, educated, and experienced—with children as her passion.
One could not find a better ally for their child.
Deborah Brown
Helen Kalk is truly a gifted teacher. She knows how to connect with unique learners, adapting curriculum and approach to meet learning needs. She has brought our son to learning levels we did not know were possible. We are so grateful.
We are truly grateful for Helen.
Adele H., parent of J
Get in Touch
I am located in the Lake Oswego, Oregon and would love to learn more about your child’s needs and how I can help. Please contact me through the below form. I’ll be back to you soon.
