Tutoring is not only for children who struggle with math in school. As schools are becoming less focused on basic skills, parents are increasingly turning towards tutoring services to teach their children essential math skills. In many schools, students get little practice needed to master these arithmetic and mathematics skills. Modern tutoring services therefore have developed their own curricula which practice these skills. Todays tutors are no longer merely homework helpers. Because the school curriculum and the curriculum of the tutoring center usually do not align, the results of tutoring will not immediately show in the student’s school grades. However, in the longer run, tutoring does have a significant impact on student performance in school math.

Tutoring is increasing rapidly. A survey done in the Mercer Island School District in 2004 showed that 63% of the high school students saw a tutor or attened a tutoring service, either presently or in the past. In the Bellevue School District alone there are more than 30 tutoring services. In 10 years from 1994 to 2004 revenue of tutoring businesses in the state of Washington grew from $44 million to $149, an increase of 239% :

An article in the Seattle Times “Boom times for local tutors” (Feb 2007) reports that nationally, tutoring is a $2.2 billion industry serving 1.9 million students.

Many parents choose to use a tutoring service because they do not feel comfortable teaching their children math. For others, the time commitment or the additional strain on family life may be a problem. The expense can be significant but varies widely, from $50 to $300 per month, or from $25 to $75 per hour. The cost varies with the expertise of the tutor and the number of students in a group. This cost, often $1000-$2000 or more per year, per child is difficult to shoulder for lower income parents. This is a factor in the reported difference in WASL scores of high income school districts versus lower income school districts.

Attending a tutoring center is a major time commitment, comparable to an extra period at school, which for many students conflicts with other activities such as sports, music, homework or social activities. Not only is there the time needed to attend the tutoring center, but also the time to complete the extra homework assignments.

Here are some questions to ask when you are looking for a tutor or tutoring service:

  • How do you evaluate the needs of my child? Do you have a placement test and can my child take the test before committing to tutoring?
  • What is your background or education in this field and how long have you been tutoring?
  • Does the tutor teach the topics that you care about? Ask to see a sample of the instructional material.
  • Will the tutor see your child one on one or in a group of students? How large is the group? Larger groups means that your child will get less attention.
  • How often does your child need to attend, and how much time will the homework take?
  • What can I, the parent, do to assist my child?
  • What are the fees? Is there a enrollment fee and for how long is the commitment? Is there a refund for unused lessons?
  • How do you report on progress of my child?
  • Do you have references and may I contact them?
  • Does your tutoring service do background checks on it’s employees?

Tutoring Centers*

Online Tutoring*

*) These tutoring services are in no way endorsed by Where’s The Math? and are listed for informational purposes only.