You have many options when choosing supplemental education.  So many choices, in fact, that it’s easy to become overwhelmed.  We have designed our educational offering to be what we consider the best there is.  However, the following is a short, balanced description to help you choose.

Location

Supplemental education companies vary in where they provide their service.

• At Home – In-home education provides a one-on-one experience in the comfort and quiet of a home or library.  Generally, you are going to want to have the student in physical proximity to the educator.  The quality of in-home supplemental education varies greatly.  We believe that ultimately this system provides the best possible chance of success because it allows for a long-term relationship with the student and is customized to fit the student’s environment.  However, some of these services act very much as a broker between the educators and those in need of education.  Be very wary of these providers because no two educators are the same.  For example, some don’t use any type of teaching methodology.
• Learning Center – There is a large number of supplemental educators that provide physical locations for their students to attend.  These companies consider the opportunity for group interaction a positive aspect of their services.  But more often than not, this feature turns out to be a distraction.  They also typically lack the customized approach available through other methodologies.  Furthermore, because of the high fixed costs, this choice tends to be the most expensive – not because it’s a higher-quality option, but because the cost of operating a center is expensive.  To this end, these companies tend to have a few untrained tutors working with several students at once.  Grouping three to five students per tutor is not uncommon.
• Online – This is typically the least costly approach.  The quality of this type of supplemental education varies the greatest.  Some of these online services act as brokers while others attempt to tutor via the Internet.  Due to the fact that most communication is non-verbal, and that physical proximity is extraordinarily important, we recommend using this type of service only to help with specific problems and not as a remediation or enrichment approach.

Focus

• Subject Specific – There are many tutoring companies that focus on a specific area, such as Mathematics or Reading.  Typically, these tutoring companies believe they have a special expertise in a subject area.  What is typically the case, however, is that because they are focused on a specific subject matter, they are not prepared to address the core problem facing the struggling student.  Further, they are not able to address multiple, related concerns, say for example, Mathematics and Science.  In addition, if the student does not respond well to the company’s methodology, they are not equipped to adjust their methods to suit the student.
• All Subjects – A large number of tutoring companies address multiple subjects.  The danger with this approach is that the tutoring company is a novice in all, and master of none.  So while this approach is more flexible and potentially more powerful, you must assess whether or not the company you select can provide deep and broad education.

Teachers

• Unskilled Tutors – These tutors have no training or educational background.  They may purport to have an area of expertise, but they are not trained in how to convey information to a student, particularly a struggling student.
• Trained Tutors – Most tutors undergo some training at the learning center or tutoring company.  However, it is important to ascertain whether that training is basic (consisting primarily of making workbooks available), or if the training is in-depth and teaches the tutor how to best guide a student.  Not all tutor training is the same, and it is important to determine what type of tutor you will be provided.
• Certified Teachers – Certified teachers are a version of “trained tutors.”  They have the potential to be excellent supplemental educators.  A drawback does exist, however.  That is that the certified teacher is not trained on the specific opportunities and pitfalls of supplemental education.  It is always important to understand what type of training your certified teacher possesses.
• Trained Mentors – Trained mentors are trained to skillfully pass on knowledge and engage the whole student.  These mentors essentially work to help the student engineer a learning environment that best suits them.

Methodology

• Computer-based – Depending on the situation, computer-based training or tutoring can be very effective.  However, it generally provides the student with fewer opportunities for interaction, and less ability to communicate effectively.  They also require an available computer and broadband Internet connection, especially if streaming video is used.
• One Teacher, Many Students – This option can leave the student in the same situation they face at school.  Students do not all learn the same or have the same understanding of the fundamentals.  So in order to have one tutor address several students as one, sacrifices must occur.  Often one of those sacrifices is that the student who learns differently is left out.
• One-on-One Tutoring – This approach has the potential, we believe, to be the most effective. If a solid methodology is used, it allows a customized, rigorous, holistic approach that not only provides the student with a path towards remediation or enrichment for a single subject, but also can provide the student with the skills to become an expert learner in any subject.

Philosophy

• Remediation & Skills Development – A large number of tutoring companies provide “remediation services.”  These companies first assess the skill level of your child in their particular trouble area.  Typically they will find that the child is one or more grade levels behind where they should be.  They will then prescribe a plan to bring the child to their grade level and beyond.  At first glance, this strategy seems ideal because it promises to bring the student to a desired grade or skill level.  But it is important to make sure that the instruction that is being received is not rudimentary.  For example, assume your child is having difficulty with fractions.  Does the teacher simply recite the rules to the student – “Divide the numerator by the denominator?”  Or does the teacher provide a thorough understanding that includes both how and why fractions work the way they do.   Sure, memorizing the rules might help the student pass a fractions test now.  But what happens when it comes to applying that knowledge?  Without truly understanding the concept of fractions, subsequent tests (not to mention real-world applications) will continue to be a problem.
• Homework Help – Most every tutoring company provides some form of help with a student’s homework.  However, at some companies the help stops there.  This option is typically on the lower end of the cost spectrum.  If your child is having a few sporadic problems with their lessons, then these companies can do very well to provide clarification.  If your child needs more instruction or instruction on an on-going basis, these tutoring companies, including after-school programs, won’t provide the necessary level of support.
• In-depth Supplementation – Very few providers are willing or able to offer in-depth help to students.  Most companies that do are dedicated to providing the student with a solid understanding of the material they are working on, which consequently provides a solid foundation for future work.  It is important to realize that not all providers in this market are equivalent.  Parents must find a provider that has a solid methodology for conveying the information.  It is also important to recognize that this type of instruction takes the longest to produce grade results. Therefore, parents need to determine if it is worth the wait since this type of education is aimed at both the present performance of the child and their future performance in college and beyond.

Contract Type

• Month-to-Month – These contracts provide the greatest flexibility.  They allow you to leave the relationship if you are not seeing the results.  You can easily drop the company without penalty.  Often times, there is a notification period to protect the company.  Make sure you believe this notification period is a reasonable amount of time.
• Long-term Contract – These contracts commit you to a predetermined amount of time.  If your student does not progress, or if the company becomes unresponsive, you are still liable for the tutoring bill.

There are other less tangible aspects of any tutoring experience that should, nonetheless, be considered when interviewing a perspective supplemental education company.  These include:

• Flexibility – If your student is having difficulty with Reading and Math, can the company adapt to both subjects?  If your student is still struggling with school after a reasonable amount of time, will the company create a plan to address the issue?
• Responsiveness – When you request information, does the company provide it quickly?  You need to believe that if there is a problem with the service you are receiving, you will get an answer that you can live with.  It’s also important that the people you’ve chosen to help your child actually care about his or her success.
• Professionalism – When you call, is the phone answered?  Is your call returned?  Do you get the impression that the company is organized?  Professionalism is a difficult concept to define, but you know it when you experience it.
• Expertise – Do they provide a researched, scientific method for teaching?  Many companies, in particular tutor brokers, operate under the implicit assumption that anyone can teach.  That is simply not the case.  Be careful; understand who your tutor is going to be.
• Honesty – This is vitally important.  Did the company tell you they can turn an “F student” into an “A student” within a short period of time?  Well, they can’t.  Most supplemental education companies are reputable and will make sure to set your expectations at a reasonable level.  Be wary of a company that either does not set your expectations at a reasonable level, or provides “pie-in-the-sky” claims.  Any student can excel, but it takes time.  Some methodologies work faster than others, but a child’s brain requires time to incorporate new successful learning patterns.

We hope this guide is helpful as you make your selection.  Please click here to read about the value and quality experience we bring to the table.  We wish you the best of luck in your decision.  If you would like additional help, please don’t hesitate to contact us.