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When to Get a Tutor
Tutoring is an option for an increasing number of families. It can help a struggling student or provide added enrichment.
By Marian Wilde, GreatSchools Staff
Tutoring used to be limited to struggling students with affluent parents. Now it's a booming industry that caters to students of a wider variety of ages, ability levels and family incomes.
Reasons to Get a Tutor Fueled by concerns about rising academic standards and tougher standardized testing, as well as by parents seeking a competitive edge for their kids, the rapid expansion in the tutoring business has some companies now offering their services to children as young as 4 years old.
With all these reasons for hiring a tutor, how do you know when the time is right to hire one for your child?
Catch the Problem Early The most compelling reason to hire a tutor is if your child is having trouble in school. In this case, don't delay seeking help. Remedial tutoring can start at any age, but catching the problem as early as possible is best. You'll want to be alert for danger signs. "Signs that a student needs tutoring," explains Sue Wilde, a math tutor in Idaho Falls, Idaho, "may be frustration with a subject or school work that is consistently avoided."
"I know of hundreds of high school students who could have used tutoring earlier and would have benefited, " says Amy Alton Barrios, a tutor and former high school teacher in San Francisco, California. "But no matter what age they are or where they are academically, any student will benefit from tutoring. It's the one-on-one that makes the difference."
Your child may benefit from a tutor if:
  • he seems to be trying, but his grades don't show it.
  • her homework is incomplete or not done well.
  • he shows an increasing lack of confidence and motivation about school.
  • she is very anxious about tests.
  • the teacher says he is misbehaving.
These can be signs of weak skills or serious academic problems. They can also be signs that your child's learning style is not in sync with the teacher's. Your first step should be a talk with the teacher to find out more. You may also want to talk to the school counselor or principal.
Research Your Options There are many different types of tutoring providers, ranging from school-based programs to online services. The possibilities include:
NCLB and Free Tutoring The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires schools that are deemed "in need of improvement" for two or more years in a row to provide free tutoring to children from low-income families. To access this service, parents must choose a tutoring provider from a list approved by the state.
To be eligible for this program, the student must attend a Title I school and be enrolled in the free or reduced-lunch program. If you think your child might qualify, check with your state department of education's Web site to find out what your school's NCLB status is.
Basics to Consider Before Hiring a Tutor Before you begin your quest for the perfect tutor, ask the following questions:
  • What do you want your child to be able to achieve as a result of tutoring?
  • Do you want or need a diagnostic test to determine your child's skill gaps?
  • Are you willing to commute for tutoring? How far?
  • How much can you afford?
  • Do you want flexibility (drop-in services) or a more formal arrangement?
  • Would group tutoring be right for your child?
Rates Vary Widely As a private tutor, Amy Alton Barrios has found that there is great variation in rates among tutors. She notes, "Tutors are pretty independent. Rates seem to vary according to the subject being taught. High school chemistry, calculus and SAT prep are more expensive than other subjects, and high school and college students charge less than a credentialed teacher."

Tutoring rates range from free online homework help (Tutor.com, for example) to $20 an hour for community tutors to packages at franchises for several thousand dollars. At the very high end, premier SAT prep tutors can command as much as several hundred dollars an hour.

Denise Corcoran, a full-time math tutor based in Burlingame, California believes that a good tutor is only half of the equation. "While a tutor can be a huge benefit to any student," says Corcoran, "I also make sure the student knows that she must meet me halfway in order to get the results. For some that means putting in more time each night with extra practice work, making a commitment to break old ineffective habits and replace with them with new ones and showing up consistently to tutoring. Even the greatest of tutors are not magicians and getting results means a mutual commitment and collaboration on both ends to get results. Great tutors are more than tutors. They are coaches who know how to bring out the true potential of a student."
Updated December 2007
More on GreatSchools.net
Related Links
Books
Gordon, Edward E., Tutor Quest: Finding Effective Education for Children and Adults. Bloomington, Indiana: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 2002.
Dr. Gordon examines the varieties of tutoring available. Of particular interest is chapter four, "A Consumer's Guide to Finding a Tutor."
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Comments From GreatSchools.net Users
07/10/2008:
"My son is entering 11th grade. He is on an IEP as he is dyslexic and ADD. The school will not call him dyslexic. they put him under the ADHD 'umbrella'. He is currently doing the Wilson Reading Program at the school. Reading is slow for him and he does not test well at all. My concern are his grades. He did poorly this past year. I believe that he does not know how to study for tests and does not know how to accomplish his homework, although he is working on this with his special ed teacher. I would like to find someone who can teach my son how to study for exams and how to effectively do his homework. I was thinking of the Sylvan Learning Center or the Huntington Learning Center. Does anyone have any feedback regarding these two franchises? I was thinking of either getting a student tutor from the high school or going to one of the many colleges in our area. Thanks in advance for you input. gayle "
02/27/2008:
"Good Morning- I am a single parent of a 6 year old. She is currently having a hard time excelling in reading. It was recommended that she gets tutored to insure she excels to the next grade. I have tried different outlets to get her tutored, unfortunately the cost is more than I can handle. I even tried to take a loan out to pay for tutoring, but I have not yet been able to find a company to give me a loan. I currently am attending college courses and have loans out for my school. Here is the problem- I can not afford a tutor, but my child needs one. The more I inquire to try to get help for her, people give me options…but I am not eligible for any of them due to my pay scale. I can not afford a tutor, but I make too much to get help for a tutor. I have requested to cash in my 401k to at least get her a couple of months of tutoring, but beyond that I do not know what to do. I inquired about the tutoring program through the “No Child Left Behind Act” but apparently, the program does leave children behind. Here is the response I received: The “No Child Left Behind Act” is not a program or a campaign—it is comprehensive federal legislation that spells out requirements for states and school districts and holds them accountable for teaching each student in an attempt to bring them up to high standards—thus the title of the legislation. However, the legislation does not promise free tutoring to each student. There are programs funded by dollars the district receives through the “No Child Left Behind Act”, and one of them is the tutoring program you mention in your email. The program is known as “Supplemental Educational Services” or SES, and the “No Child Left Behind Act” allows us to provide it only to students who qualify for free or reduced meals. There are no provisions in the law allowing us to provide it to other students, and doing so would cause us to be non-compliant with the federal legislation, which is not an option. The “No Child Left Behind Act” requires schools to report student achievement for all students, and they are expected to assist each student to improve and meet high expectations—plus, it’s their job even without the “No Child Left Behind Act” and is the right thing to do. But, as for free tutoring, there is only one program in our district that offers it; that program is SES under the “No Child Left Behind Act” and only eligible students may participate. Below is an excerpt from the federal guidance document that is used by states and school districts to ensure compliance with the Supplemental Educational Services (SES) tutoring requirements. The phrase “students from low-income families” refers to students who qualify for free or reduced meals. A-5. Who is eligible to receive supplemental educational services? Eligible students are all students from low-income families who attend Title I schools that are in their second year of school improvement, in corrective action, or in restructuring. After reading this I was very disappointed. No child left behind is only for qualifying families of LOW INCOME. How can there be an “Act” for children not being left behind, when really children are left to fall between the cracks. To me as a single parent looking to help my child excel in school, it would appear that only the very wealthy or the very poor are able to get tutoring. The wealthy can afford the tutoring tuition (my quote for tutoring tuition is $9750), and the low income families get help from government. What about the people in the middle? Who helps are children? Please contact me with any suggestions or assistance. Bridget K. Loring,"
02/27/2008:
"My daughter is in fourth grade & she needs help with math and AR score. I noticed that there is a tutoring service offered to children that get free lunches. What I want to know is how do I go about getting the necessary help for her after school? Please, let me know what I can do to help her. Thank you."
02/11/2008:
"Thank you for an informative article on tutoring. I've just started my son seeing a tutor twice a week. He's starting to understand how important it is to organize himself in order to make the most of homework time. Regarding NCLB and tutoring, on its face, it sounds great, however, for those of us whose children aren't English learners and who don't qualify as 'low income,' tutoring under NCLB doesn't help. My son's middle school offers Saturday academy, but it is mainly geared toward those children who are English learners. I still have to pay for private tutoring services, which can be costly. If so many children need tutors, then it's time for schools and teachers to possibly reevaluate their teaching methods."
06/28/2007:
"I do have to agree with the comments of the parents below. NCLB Act only applies to Title 1 schools (in need of improvement)and/or reduced price lunch. I just don't understand why the system is broken. I do have to say for the children that are having a hard time should recieve some sort of support from the district or the schools--- or at least hold them accountable-just like parents are."
06/1/2007:
"Many options for tutoring may be available to your student. You might want to ask the school about after school homework clubs, peer tutoring, homework hotlines,or forming a parent volunteer group to tutor students. These are free options that may exist at your school. "
11/29/2006:
"I second the emotions of the Connecticut and California parents all the way from the East Coast... the criterion is very discriminating! No Child Left Behind is a hypocritical slogan.... My child does not fall into the catergories mentioned either. So I guess we have to turn to franchised tutoring or be left behind. >From Maryland "
11/27/2006:
"No Child Left Behind Act is pretty darned tough on the list of requirements needed to be elegible for a free tutor, don't you think? They require schools to be “in need of improvement” for two or more years in a row, the child has to be from a low-income household, the student must attend a Title I school and coincidentally must be enrolled in the free or reduced-lunch program. "
10/10/2006:
"How can they call it 'NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND' when they only give free tutoring to kids that get free lunch? what about the kids that have parents that don't qualify for free lunch and that just pay their bills. the saying is 'NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND' maybe it should be changed. My son's class has 37 students, that's alot of kids for 1 teacher, not much extra help for the kids that seem to be having difficulty with the math and other issues, then he has to bring home work that I thoroughly cannot understand and cannot help him with. 'NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, EXCEPT FOR MINE'. Thanks for the help!"
09/27/2006:
"Great! Parents are often want me to tutor thier children, I often do but in some cases it is not an academic problem. It is good to have a 'when to..' list to determine what they really need."
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