The move to scrap the antiquated agrarian school calendar and conduct classes all year long is garnering renewed attention among school districts across the country.
But some parents achieve virtually the same thing by enrolling their child in summer classes . If an educational summer session is in your plans, here’s what to expect from some of the offerings in the Chicago area.
For starters, the old-fashioned thinking that summer school is only for failure or remediation no longer applies.
“I’d estimate the students we see throughout the summer break down to a 50-50 split between remediation and enrichment,” said Ken Frysztak, owner of Huntington Learning Centers in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove and Bloomingdale. “We also see students just before their environment changes, like between junior high and high school. Parents are looking to enrich or increase skills before students go to the next level. During the school year, we actually see more students because of deficiencies.”
Frysztak says parents have four options for supplementing their child’s education: Work with the child’s school; ask a friend with the necessary degrees and educational training; seek out a privately owned learning center; or do the tutoring yourself.
Kathie McNeil, director of admissions and marketing for the Chicago Junior School in Elgin, suggests two other options.
“For enrichment purposes, parents also have the choice of using an independent school like ours, as well as places like their local park district or library,” she said.
The only cost from the majority of these options may be time, but free alternatives might not produce the desired results. Ken White, founder and owner of the Success Labs, with various locations in the Chicago area, says free enrichment programs are useful for keeping kids busy or mentally engaged but not for taking students to a higher level.
“The reality for some people is that they’re looking for enrichment with a purpose: to help a student get into a better school or course placement,” White said. “If that’s the case, the freebies aren’t going to push the student enough. He’ll only be `engaged’. To push students further, you’ll probably need to seek out an independent or private service.”
In spite of the cost, learning centers offer many advantages. The use of diagnostic tests, staff with teaching credentials and individualized instruction isn’t found in most home school or community settings.
“Everything we do involves working individually with each student,” Frysztak said. “We don’t have a set curriculum, like the `4th grade reading program.’ We take parent input and what the child’s regular teacher has said, and conduct a thorough skills evaluation. There’s no shooting in the dark.”
A skills-based test that includes reading, comprehension, phonics, study skills, writing and math is given to students at Huntington Learning Centers at a cost of $145. White says his diagnostic test is $60 at some Success Lab sites and $115 in others.
“We have a special arrangement with the Chicago Park District in which we have set up centers inside some of the Chicago public schools,” White said. “The costs there for testing and services are lower.”
Individualized instruction at park-affiliated sites runs $18 per hour. At outlying areas such as Park Ridge, Success Lab fees range from $30 to $40 per hour.
Prices at Sylvan Learning Centers vary slightly because all of the 18 Chicago-area sites are privately owned. Director of education Kathy Mantyck of the Oak Lawn center says hourly rates range from $35 to $45 depending on an individual’s needs, and from $95 to $185 for a battery of tests, depending on how many subject areas are evaluated.
Most centers allow you to tailor your child’s summer session according to his needs and schedule. Huntington discounts its hourly rate if you pay in advance. Still other centers, such as Ombudsman Educational Services, with more than 30 sites in the Chicago area, offer complete 60-hour summer sessions at a fixed rate.
“We have a summer school program that offers 60 hours of instruction, including our enrollment fees and diagnostic testing, for $400,” said Pam Sweeney, manager for the Ombudsman site in Libertyville. “There’s also 40 hours of instruction for $325 and private tutoring for $35 per hour.”
Sweeney said students in the 60-hour program can choose any number of days to attend classes during the week or take a vacation and resume when they return.
“All of our instruction is individualized, which allows us to work with students based on their skills,” she said. “This system allows for maximum flexibility regarding the student’s or parent’s time and still provide for his needs.”
Spokesmen for all centers agree that a combination of diagnostic testing, low teacher-student ratios and an individualized program are the keys to their success.
Frysztak said that according to extensive surveys he has conducted, 93 percent of the parents were satisfied with the experience.
“We’re happy to follow up with schools regarding our observations or recommendations,” he said. “We consider the follow-up as a part of our service.”
White said parents should not be confused about the benefits of individualized instruction versus an individual tutor.
“Individualized instruction has been proven to be the most effective because it also promotes independence,” White said. “We’ve seen that students that are tutored on an individual basis have the skills but often come to believe they’re better because of the teacher.”
Sweeney said your choice of a tutorial or enrichment center, whether public or private, should be based on a number of factors.
“Location is obviously always an issue,” she said, “but other factors, including cost and how the program is presented to you, should also be considered. If parents want to keep kids engaged, the program has to be challenging, interesting and fun, otherwise you’re defeating your purpose. A generic class offered at a public site doesn’t always meet the child’s needs.”
“The difference with a school like ours versus being at home is that our setting offers wonderful opportunities that go beyond what most parents can do,” McNeil said. “The key is finding an appropriate match for your child’s needs. We want children to be engaged, have fun, and we want them to be lifelong learners.”
Mantyck says a token system based on effort has been very successful at Sylvan Centers.
“We award tokens based on effort that students can spend in what’s called the `Sylvan Store,’ ” she said. “Kids save the tokens in a checkbook and buy things like Beanie Babies and Yo-Yos, which are very big lately.”
Keep in mind that some centers offer different programs, depending on the time of year. McNeil said the Chicago Junior School offers enrichment programs in the summer that are open to students who don’t attend regular classes in the fall. No remediation programs are offered. Ombudsman’s program focuses more on at-risk students and those with behavior problems during the regular school year and more enrichment and remediation in the summer.
Experts say helping children means using all the resources you have available.
“By all means, parents should investigate the local library, park district, church and any other resources they might have in their community,” Mantyck said. “Everything helps, but sometimes the local offerings are not enough. Do you homework before choosing a center and don’t just pick one because it’s $5 or $10 cheaper an hour. You want a program where children take pride in their work and one that provides motivation.”
