subject: Will an Increase in Tutoring Revolutionize Education? [print this page] Personalized tutoring, both in person andonline, has been on the rise in the United States. Due to several factors, including a growth in online resources, government policies such as "No Child Left Behind," and an increasingly competitive college application process, tutoring has become an ordinary supplement to the traditional educational trajectory. Furthermore, with rapid advancements taking place on the internet every day, coupled with a rise in globalization, customized online tutoring has broadened the scope of how tutoring takes place, while extending the opportunity to seek tutoring to many new families.
The September 26th New York Times Online Debate featured a discussion about "Why More Students Rely on Tutors," and many knowledgeable sources, including teachers and administrators, contributed their thoughts. Thomas Judson, a mathematics professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, pointed to a rise in students signing up for AP tests, therefore requiring additional help with their studies. Jack Hassard, a science professor at Georgia State University, discussed the No Child Left Behind Act, which emphasizes heavy testing to make sure students stay on track.
Putting the source of the increase aside, other contributors wondered about the implications of this change in the education system. If tutoring is becoming more personalized and accessible, does this phenomenon imply that classroom learning is becoming a thing of the past? Thomas Hatch, a professor at the Teachers College at Columbia University, focused on the issue of whether such an emphasis on tutoring is an efficient use of resources, or whether other methods, like investing money towards "helpingstudents develop interests, expertise, and higher order abilities" will give them the drive to succeed.
Is tutoring simply an after-the-fact solution to the fundamental problem of a less motivated student population? Or is it a response to more challenging conditions in the educational arena? Are there other, more effective ways of spending the time and money that would have gone towards hours upon hours with an after-school tutor? What role will an online education particularlyonline tutoring - play in the future of our education system? What do you think?
