Has your child ever come to you discouraged, because they could not understand the content learned in class? Were you in a situation where you were not able to help your child, because the work looked foreign? Where was a great private tutor when you needed one, who looked like you and didn’t come from a chain?
Why Private Tutoring
Many students and parents in the African American community go through this every year. It is important to capitalize on a culture that demands academic success, because private tutoring is one of the keys to success in school.
Research shows that there is not only a gap in mathematics performance between Caucasian Americans and African Americans, but there is also a decline in African American students’ performance, as their grade level increases. Fewer and fewer of them are performing at proficient, let alone advanced levels, on state exams.
Currently, only a small percentage of parents outside of the Asian family arena have this competitive mindset. For example, parents in Singapore are really results oriented. They look for tutors that can deliver results for their kids. If a tutor can deliver, parents will sign their kid to the tutoring or class.
What Private Tutoring Can Offer That After School Tutoring Can’t
What practices can private tutoring do, that are not prevalent in after school tutoring at educational campuses throughout the U.S.?
Private tutors can provide a holistic environment of learning that a classroom doesn’t always provide. This means involving the parent, teacher, tutor, and counselor at all times, in constant communication, to foster the student’s success.
Successful tutors build strong, personal relationships with their students. Tutors fill a different role than teachers and parents, which puts them in a unique support role for students. When a tutor listens and spends time building a relationship, the tutor can:
- Truly personalize the learning
- Incorporate connections to the student’s interests and real world applications
- Teach to the student’s strengths
- Minimize the student’s weaknesses
Tutors are able to accelerate learning for students to keep them weeks and sometimes months ahead of their content classes in school.
Students with private tutors are 95% more likely to increase their homework completion and accuracy. In addition, 87% are more likely to set goals, use their weekly agendas, and improve organizational skills and study skills.
What Stakeholders Can Do
Teachers can communicate regularly with the tutor, by checking in to review student strengths and weaknesses, in addition to providing curriculum calendars and maps that align with the student’s learning.
Parents can check in with the tutor and learn things by sitting in on the session at times, so they can help their kids with homework.
Tutors can continue to take advantage of professional development opportunities to enhance tutoring skills. Communicating with teachers and parents also keeps the student plan on track and fosters student goal progress.
Jay Veal, M.Ed. Â is the CEO of INC., Tutoring, the #1 African American owned tutoring company in DFW serving students nationally and dedicated to demystifying STEM subjects for students of all ages. Tw: @INCTutoring Website: http://www.inctutoring.com