A Way With Words & Numbers is a tutoring program that utilizes the skills and resources of graduate and undergraduate students at MU to help local students master the basic skills of literacy and math. Teams of tutors consisting of volunteers and work study students work at various sites in the Columbia community, assisting children in preschool through eighth grade, as well as adults.

Nearly 200 MU students serve each year as tutors in this program. Currently, A Way With Words & Numbers provides teams of tutors to all 20 public elementary schools, 1 middle school, 3 private elementary schools, two after school programs, the public library, a local preschool, and the Adult Learning Center.