The Supplemental Services You Deserve

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, parents are responsible for selecting supplemental services (such as tutoring) for their children. But that does not mean they're on their own: the law requires school districts to help in the selection. In addition, the law requires the district to do all the work of contracting with the provider. After all, the actual business arrangement is between the district and the provider, not the provider and the parent. But in the end, what parents need to know is that they - not the school, district, state, or service providers - are in the driver's seat when it comes to demanding supplemental services. They must make school districts deliver the services. Here we show you how to make that happen.

Your Homework

Doing the homework required to select an appropriate provider is an excellent opportunity for parents to get involved in improving their child's education. The steps, fortunately, are not complicated:

1. Secure the list of approved providers from your state's web site (see "Resources" below). Your school may also have a copy of this list.
    
2. Ask your child's teacher to give you specific information about the areas in which your child is struggling.
    
3. Interview providers about their success teaching those skills. Encourage the PTA or other community organizations like the Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club to provide forums for providers to meet with parents to present their programs and for parents to exchange information about their experience with any of the programs. In the absence of such a forum don't hesitate to go it alone - contact information for all providers should be on the approved state list.
   

Demand Proven Results

1. Make the provider show you proof of their success at improving student performance.
    
2. Find out in which academic areas the provider specializes.
    
3. Ask how the provider will determine which academic intervention is best for each student. Next, ask if after several weeks there is little improvement in the child's performance, what will be the provider's next steps.
    
4. Determine if your child will receive tutoring one-on-one or in a class setting. If the latter, ask if classes will consist of students in need of remediation in the same content area. You must feel assured that the class instruction will be focused on your child's specific needs.
    
5. Finally, request a list of parent references you can contact whose children have benefited from a provider's service.

The Answers You Want

1. The law requires providers to have a track record of success; if a provider is on the state list, they had better have some results to demonstrate their effectiveness. Even with results, however, parents should be wary. In the future the US Department of Education will try to help parents select providers by establishing a "What Works Clearinghouse" listing programs and methods that are scientifically proven to be effective in raising student performance. Until that time comes, though, you've got to ask, and be prepared to evaluate for yourself the accuracy of the information they provide.
   
   Also, be aware that in some states school districts themselves are being approved as providers. While this may be appropriate in certain instances (like in rural communities where other providers are scarce), parents should carefully scrutinize districts approved as providers; asking officials what track record their program has of raising student performance. Ideally, a district will demonstrate its success just like a private provider: by showing you gains in test scores that their students have made since beginning the specific tutoring they are offering.
    
2. State lists will indicate the districts for which a particular provider is approved. When dealing with non-local providers, make sure they intend to customize their instruction for your particular district. Ask providers how they have modified their program to address the district's specific standards and curricular objectives.
    
3. Since the goal is to find an academic match between a provider and your child, you will want to select an organization with a proven track record of remediating the learning difficulties your child is experiencing, and which will require occasional feedback between your child's teacher and the tutor. Ask the provider about their plans for continuing communication with your child's teacher or school.
    
4. Talking to other parents who have had children in the provider's program is always a good idea. Naturally, you'll want to find out whether the parent generally had a good impression of the provider. It's also extremely important to confirm, with parents who have experienced the program first hand, the information the provider has told you about its success.

Conclusion

Arranging for tutoring by an approved supplemental service provider can be a fine alternative for parents whose children are in "needing improvement" schools but who don't want to exercise their right - for whatever reason - to transfer out of the school. Parents should be encouraged that such tutoring can result in some real gains in student achievement. But, to get those results, they must also be diligent in selecting the right provider for their child and monitoring their progress closely.