Shadi Tayarani, M. Ed.

A tutor can be an invaluable resource in helping your child gain new skills or maintain old ones. However, with the many tutoring options available, ranging from private tutors to tutoring centers, the process of choosing one can be daunting. The idea that a tutor should help your student become more independent, self-confident, and successful in school is obvious, but how can you tell whether a tutor can deliver? In order to help you narrow down the field and determine the answer to this critical question, you should ask the following questions.

What are the tutor's credentials?
In the field of medicine, a doctor without certification is unacceptable (and, in fact, not a doctor). The same should hold true for education - there is no reason to accept a tutor without certification. Someone who has studied education has knowledge of assessment, varied methods of teaching a skill, and, most importantly, experience.

How will the tutor know "where to start"?
The best teaching is diagnostic and prescriptive. In other words, it gauges what a student's areas of need are and develops lessons around those. The tutor should use a diagnostic test, existing testing, anecdotal information from you and your child, and his own observations to determine what type of support your child needs.

What methods or programs will the tutor use?
An effective tutor is trained in a variety of programs that correlate with existing research on best teaching practices. These programs are proven successful with students.

Is the tutoring one-to-one or in a small group?
Obviously, in a one-to-one setting, your child receives the most attention and the tutor gears all of his instruction toward him. However, small group (two to three children) tutoring may be effective if the children are working on the same objectives and are experiencing similar difficulties.

How will the tutor report progress?
Given the expectation of diagnostic and prescriptive teaching, your child should make noticeable progress after a month or less of tutoring. In order for you to maintain records and serve as an effective liaison between school and tutor, the tutor should give a written progress report monthly.

Can I observe?
You should be welcome to observe a tutoring session at any time. During the session, you should see the student engaged in relevant work. A lesson cycle generally includes time for the tutor to instruct, time for the student and tutor to practice together, and an opportunity for the student to practice skills independently.

Keeping the above questions in mind, begin your search by asking other parents for referrals. Set up interviews and have your child meet the prospective tutor for a few minutes at the interview. A strong personality match is a crucial element in the success of the tutoring experience.

Shadi Tayarani, M. Ed. is the director of the Commonwealth Learning Center in Danvers, Massachusetts.