Private tutors…Are they helping or hurting our students?…

Let me start out by saying that more needs to be done when it comes to helping our children. These services don’t always prove to be the most advantageous; but I make this statement with the understanding that these programs can be improved.  Prior to teaching in the classroom I worked with adults as a trainer for two years.  So my first experience as a teacher and a student of education was as a No Child Left Behind, (NCLB), tutor.  I say teacher and student because the experience was really rewarding for me.  I learned something about being a tutor and working one-on-one with students too; but towards the end of the 2008 school year I did see drawbacks to the program.  Hiring a tutor for children with special needs, or for children that are behind using this program the way it is operated around the country today is not enough.

No Child Left Behind, (NCLB), under federal law, provides free tutoring to low-income students struggling to improve overall knowledge and test scores in areas such as math and reading.  Tutoring services are usually offered after school by individuals working for private agencies, or nonprofit organizations.  These agencies or nonprofits are not required to hire credentialed teachers.  Some employ college students, but in most cases these organizations require that the tutor have at least a Bachelor’s degree. 

According to Maria Glod at the Washington Post, (2008), In the 2006-2007 school year $595 million dollars went to this “fast growing industry”…but it remains unclear just how beneficial these extra tutoring sessions have been.  There are questions regarding whether or not the extra sessions truly boost student performance or narrow socioeconomic achievement gaps between students from low-income household compared to those from mid to upper level income households.

In several states test scores were compared to the 2005-2006 results to see if students who received the additional services performed higher than that of the previous year.  In the State of Virginia the Department of Education released test scores for math and reading in April.  The findings indicated that students who received the extra tutoring services did not score better than their peers who did not receive the extra tutoring services (Glod, 2008).

I think it is a little too soon to measure whether or not this program, still in its infancy, is working without looking at how the program is administered.  Students who qualify for tutoring services are alloted the maximum of two hours a week for a total of 20 hours for the entire academic year.  For struggling students that is not nearly enough time to make a significant difference in their performance.  It’s like a drop in a bucket (as my grandma use to say).

I spend an average of 2 hours a week with my NCLB students.  After their 20 hours for the year has been used they don’t get any additional services.  I have had parents tell me that they are grateful for the extra help because many of them lack the skills needed to help their student.  So what happens to this student the rest of the week when I am not there to provide assistance? 

What I have learned is that when my student’s get frustrated they give up before asking for help.  In addition, larger classroom sizes make it really hard for classroom teachers to provide the type of individualized support their struggling students need beyond the time spent with them in the classroom as a group.  It’s even harder for teachers working without a teaching assistant in the classroom full-time.

More needs to be done if  state and federal governments want schools to provide higher standards of education.

Reference:

Mandated Tutoring Not Helping Md., Va. Scores.  By Maria Glod Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 13, 2008; Page B01