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Schools

Tutoring leaves some kids behind

Some students are missing out because their schools or family incomes don't qualify.

By RON MATUS
Published October 31, 2005

Debbie Fontanetta's grandson is getting F's in spelling. He's also on the free lunch program at Mildred Helms Elementary School in Largo. That would seem to make him a good candidate for free tutoring under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

But his school isn't eligible because it doesn't have enough kids on free or reduced price lunch.

Right income. Wrong school.

"It makes no sense," Fontanetta said.

Beverly Ciampa's sons would seem to be perfect candidates, too. Both are struggling at Rio Vista Elementary in St. Petersburg, which is eligible for the tutoring program.

But neither child is on free or reduced price lunch.

Right school. Wrong income.

"Do I need to quit my job to get tutoring for my children?" asked Ciampa, a nurse who said she and her husband, also a nurse, can't afford $40-an-hour tutors. "The law is No Child Left Behind. It's not No Child Except Those Whose Parents Are Making an Average Amount of Money."

Parents all over Florida are echoing the same complaint this fall as the massive federal tutoring program unfolds.

In an effort to boost student achievement, No Child offers some parents a sweet deal: private tutoring at taxpayer expense. Across the nation, hundreds of thousands of parents are taking advantage.

But the program is limited to schools with high percentages of students on free or reduced-price lunch - commonly called Title I schools - and only those Title I schools that have failed to meet federal standards three years in a row. It also is limited to students who themselves are on free or reduced-price lunch.

The result: Lots of parents with failing kids can't get the free help.

"The rules are the rules," said Walt Bartlett, who oversees federal programs for Hillsborough schools. "We have no authority to override federal law."

No Child requires school districts to redirect up to 20 percent of their federal Title I dollars to pay for private tutors. Federal officials say their influence can extend only to where federal dollars go - in this case, Title I schools.

If some children are not being served, that's not No Child's fault, said Nina Rees, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement at the U.S. Education Department.

"This is an issue (parents) should really take up with their school districts," Rees said. "Ideally, you want to be putting some pressure on the school districts so these services are available to any child who needs them."

In many cases, parents don't know where to turn. But as they spin their wheels in frustration, some take it out on district officials who serve as brokers between parents and tutoring companies.

Nancy Noel, who coordinates the No Child tutoring program for Pinellas schools, said she received four or five angry calls every day for weeks last month. Many parents saw the program as the last, best hope for their children.

"Boy, they're ready to tear me apart," she said. "It's heartbreaking."

Noel said she tells parents to call their representative, because No Child is a federal law.

Adding to their grumpiness: the lack of response from parents who are eligible.

Many districts in Florida, including Pinellas and Hillsborough, are reporting huge gaps between the number of tutoring slots they can afford with federal money and the number of parents who have signed up. As of Friday, Pinellas had about 1,600 of 3,800 slots filled, while Hillsborough had about 2,200 of 4,800.

"If the tutors are available and there are few takers, why not let all the children take advantage of it?" asked Judy Highlands, whose grandchildren attend Bardmoor Elementary in Seminole.

One of her grandchildren is repeating third grade, while the other, a fifth-grader, is "way below average" in reading and math, Highlands said. But Bardmoor isn't eligible for federal tutoring.

The No Child program isn't the only extra-help program for struggling students.

Many districts, including Pinellas and Hillsborough, offer extended learning programs that target some struggling students, often before or after school. Pinellas also offers a wide network of volunteers who serve as after-school mentors and tutors, though the vast majority are not trained educators.

District officials suggest parents ineligible for No Child tutoring contact their schools to see what other help is available.

Meanwhile, Pinellas and Hillsborough officials say eligible parents will continue to have opportunities to sign up, even as tutoring is expected to crank up in coming weeks.

Hillsborough officials are discussing plans to mail another notice to eligible parents before the holiday break. Enrollment there is ongoing.

"The children that need help need help now, not a year from now," Bartlett said.

In Pinellas, some community groups remain critical of district outreach efforts, saying many parents still don't know about the free tutoring or how to take advantage of it. One group, backed by the NAACP, wants to hold more provider fairs like the one that drew 70 parents to south St. Petersburg this month.

For now, the district's first priority is to wait to hear from some of the 2,700 eligible parents who said they were interested in No Child tutoring, but never signed up. "I'm going to give them another two weeks," Noel said.

After that, she said, another round of parental notification is likely, though when and how remains unclear.

"There probably are some kids who are eligible who aren't aware of the free tutoring, although I can't imagine how," she said. "We'll contact them some way."

--Ron Matus can be reached at 727 893-8873 or matus@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 31, 2005, 03:00:27]