Florina Shahini immigrated to America from Kosovo last year . She speaks excellent English, having studied the language since 5th grade in her native country.
Since fall, she has been attending Plainfield High School, and her mastery of English has helped her make the transition into the public school system.
But her verbal fluency couldn’t compensate for reading and writing skills necessary to succeed in academics.
“Yes, I could speak English, and I understand it,” said Shahini, 16, a junior at the high school. “But I was having trouble writing essays. I couldn’t spell in English.”
Then a friend told her about the school’s Literacy Center, where students can find help. Staffed with student volunteers who tutor peers in reading and writing, the center was exactly what Shahini needed.
“It helped me a lot with my classes, homework, writing and spelling in English,” she said.
She also was having trouble with textbook language.
“I didn’t know geography,” she said. “I didn’t understand a lot of the words. I failed the first test. Then I started at the center, and I got an A on the second test.”
Shahini has joined many of her classmates–and thousands of students nationwide–who take advantage of tutoring options. Those options also include private tutors, educational services and on-line tutors.
In the last 10 to 15 years, “there has been an increase in the number of students being tutored,” said Pam Skinner, English teacher and reading specialist at Hoffman Estates High School. “We’ve become much better at identifying students who need help, and there’s more personnel available to give the extra help. We didn’t have all these options 25 years ago. If a student needed help, he could see the teacher after school–if the teacher had time and the student wasn’t in a sport.”
So how do you know whether your child needs a tutor? And how do you find the best option?
Observe your child and take note of his academic performance. Also talk to teachers and listen to their suggestions, educators said.
If the teacher recommends a tutor, “then have a discussion with your child so he has some input,” said Nancy Eichelberger, Literacy Center director at Plainfield High School. “Talk about the options and decide what you are going to try first and set a time line–six weeks or so–for signs of improvement.”
At the end of six weeks, evaluate the situation, Eichelberger suggested. Talk about it; see how your child feels. If there’s been an improvement, encourage and praise your student, or reward him.
“If it’s not successful, talk it over,” said Eichelberger, who has been an English teacher for 28 years. “Talk to everyone involved. It might not be the right match. This is the time to start considering your second option.”
There is no precise way of knowing which options are preferred, but it appears that parents look to the school first, educators said. “A lot of schools–elementary, middle and high schools–have centers like ours,” Eichelberger said. “It’s convenient for the students, and there’s no fee.”
Like the one at Plainfield High School, most in-house tutoring centers give students individual help in just about any subject. They are usually staffed with student volunteers and a supervising teacher.
“There’s no pressure here,” said Amanda Pruss, 17, who was Shahini’s tutor this year when Pruss was a senior. “It’s very open and so the kids feel comfortable, relaxed and confident.”
Pruss tutored Shahini about a half an hour a day on school days. “We focus on homework and any question she has,” Pruss said. “She’ll go through a paragraph and pick out the words and terms she doesn’t understand, and I put it in plain English for her.”
“It’s amazing to see what happens when a student sits down with a student mentor,” Eichelberger said. “They get right down to work because the mentor says, `We’re going to do this.’ It’s a big advantage to work peer-to-peer. Student mentors talk to the kids on their own level.”
In some Chicago public schools, adult mentors visit schools to help the students improve reading, writing and language skills. Such is the case at Williams Elementary School on Chicago’s Near South Side.
On Wednesday mornings this last school year, five adult tutors, who are employees of CIGNA HealthCare of Illinois, arrived at the school to assist primary-grade teachers. The tutors were assigned to one class for about an hour and a half. They usually tutored individuals and small groups in reading skills, Principal Roy White said.
On Mondays after school, 65 6th graders met with volunteer tutors at the Chicago Board Options Exchange in Chicago. After school the pupils were bused to the exchange, where they met individually with tutors who helped them with subjects such as math, science and reading. After the hourlong tutoring session, the pupils and their mentors played games and socialized before the pupils were bused back to school, White said.
Both programs are possible because of Working in the Schools, a tutoring program offered in the Chicago Public Schools. Volunteer tutors are screened and trained for the program, White said.
“This is a great opportunity for [pupils],” White said. “Our students need tutors because they are not as advanced in their studies as they should be.”
If you have a student in the Chicago Public Schoolswho needs extra help, call the school and find out if it has a tutoring center or WITS program in place, White suggested. If it doesn’t, call the Chicago Board of Education to find out how to get one started, he added.
“It’s a great program. We believe our scores will go up,” he said.
For those who can afford it, hiring a private tutor is another option. The school (or school district) should have a list of qualified tutors. Local colleges and universities often have the names of students who are interested in tutoring. Private tutors offer anonymity and flexible scheduling, educators said.
Franchised and wholly owned firms, such as SCORE! Learning Centers, also offer a certain amount of anonymity because children aren’t being tutored among their peers. That’s an important factor for a child who is afraid of being labeled “different” or “stupid” by his peers, administrators and educators said.
Most staff members at these centers are certified teachers who tutor children in everything from basic reading skills to College Board preparation.
“We analyze a particular subject area such as math and evaluate the child’s skill level against other students in his grade,” said Marcia Parulo-Shepard, executive director of the Sylvan Learning Center in Wheaton. “We look at how the child learns and how much repetition is needed. Then we start him at a level where he is ready to learn.”
The goal of tutoring is to raise a student’s skill level in a specific area. But there are other benefits, educators said.
“Tutoring is more than helping a student improve his reading or math skills,” said Skinner, who has been a teacher for 30 years. “It’s helping the student get organized, develop study skills, succeed and feel good about himself.”
A tutor also can help motivate a student, said Skinner, who is a tutor in the Reading Center at Hoffman Estates High School. “We show them their reading scores. If a student is reading at a 3rd-grade level and he’s a sophomore in high school, he won’t like to see that. It gives him a reason to do something about it.”
Parents must be active participants in the tutoring process, administrators and educators said. “You have to follow through at home,” Eichelberger said.
TUTORING OPTIONS–FROM SCHOOL TO THE WEB
Following is a partial list of tutoring options.
Private tutors: About $25 to $30 an hour and up. Public educators can’t recommend tutors, but many schools, school districts and local teachers unions have the names of tutors. Local colleges and universities often have the names of students interested in tutoring.
Franchised and wholly owned centers: About $30 to $50 an hour. Most offer basic skills classes through College Board preparation. To find one, check your local phone directory or ask a parent whose child is enrolled in a center for a recommendation. Or begin with the following sample of nationwide educational services. Call the 800 number and follow directions to find a center near you.
Huntington Learning Center: 800-CAN- LEARN (800-226-5327).
Sylvan Learning Systems: 800-EDUCATE (800-338-2283).
SCORE! Educational Centers: 800-372-6734 (888-E-SCORE-4).
On-line tutors: About $30 a month for unlimited tutoring. Tutornet offers on-line tutoring services, including live interaction with an experienced educator, flexible scheduling and anonymity. For more information, visit Tutornet’s Web site at www.tutornet.com, or call toll-free at 877-888-6754.
School learning center: No cost to student/parent. Call the school or the school district to inquire.
