As schools return to normal this fall, the pandemic is still presenting educational challenges over a year after it began. Virtual learning shifted many teaching responsibilities onto parents, worsened financial strains and as one might expect, put many students behind.
Prior to the pandemic, many students in the United States were already struggling with education. For instance, 65% of all 4th graders in the US read below grade level. Furthermore, American students ranked 38th out of 71 countries in a comparison of students cited by Pew Research. The shift to online learning only made things worse, disproportionately so for students who were already struggling.
Startups tried to innovate these problems away drawing in over 16 billion dollars worth of venture capital in 2020 and ultimately not making much ground. This raises the question, is the solution as simple as time-tested tutoring? As simple as it may seem, tutoring is perhaps the most customizable and scalable way to help students get back on track. Small group instruction that we recognize as tutoring today has existed long before our modern education system and is one of the best ways to fill in the gaps as cited in a study by the US Department of Education.
Fast Facts on Tutoring from the National Bureau of Economic Research
You can view the study here, which is a meta-analysis of 96 prior studies. A few key findings are below.
- 80% of the 96 included studies reporting statistically significant effects.
- With the help of tutoring, a student at the 50th percentile would improve to the 66th percentile.
- Few things are universally effective, but tutoring has proven to be very widely effective. Even more so with teachers and professional tutors than with other students or parents.
After just seeing these statistics you may be wondering “Why is it that tutoring can make such an impact?”
The Benefits of Tutoring
- Individualized attention – Students who receive tutoring can be shown attention that helps them understand and overcome learning obstacles and in many cases excel vs students only receiving classroom instruction.
- The freedom to ask questions – many students will have questions but hesitate to ask them in a classroom setting whether they don’t want to interrupt instruction or simply feel shy about doing so.
- Improved confidence – students who are more comfortable with their schoolwork can find new confidence that even carries into other aspects of their lives.
- An environment free of distractions – There is an enormous social value to being schooled with other students. However, this presents many opportunities for distractions. Tutoring provides a distraction-free time and place where learning can happen.
- Challenges for students who need it – While some students struggle, others don’t find a challenge in the regular curriculum. Tutoring can provide a place for students to find a challenge and engage deeper in subjects.
Given the benefits tutoring provides and how helpful it’s been proven to be, it can be a highly effective option if your child has faced an educational setback during the pandemic. Before signing up for tutoring, there are a few things to do.
Things to do before signing up for a tutoring Program
- Understand your child’s learning style. Some students are visual learners, others auditory and others still kinesthetic. We’ll help to place them with a tutor who is matched with their needs.
- Set a goal. Get a free assessment from FLS to help understand where your child is and how to achieve their goal.
- Decide on a schedule. Based on the goal you set, you’ll have an idea of how many tutoring hours you need. Then you’ll also have to determine if you want to schedule tutoring that takes place during school hours or after hours.
- Decide on Private or Group tutoring – Will your child learn best on their own or with a few others? On the positive side, you may have friends who can pool together and share resources. However, you might prefer private tutoring to reduce the chances for COVID-19 exposure.
Bottom Line
The pandemic has strained teachers and parents while setting back many students. While many companies took novel and technological approaches to address these issues, getting kids back on track might be as simple as tutoring. Tutoring is proven, time-tested and customizable. Don’t know where to get started? Contact FLS for a free consultation and assessment to match your child with the perfect tutor.