Schools

Tutoring tops school choice

More parents prefer tutoring programs over transferring kids from low-performing schools.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published July 19, 2007

LAND O'LAKES - The parents of almost 9,000 Pasco schoolchildren have two weeks left to decide whether they want to transfer out of their low-performing schools.

So far, few families have shown interest. Just 30 have returned paperwork choosing to leave one of the 14 schools that have not made adequate yearly progress at least two consecutive years and that receive Title I funding for low-income students.

The numbers were similar last year.

More enticing to many families are the tutoring programs that districts must provide if a school misses the federal progress mark at least three years in a row. Last year, about 860 children took advantage of the program, but this year 2,155 more - 7,200 total - are eligible.

Elena Garcia, who oversees Title I programs locally, guesses the program will be more popular this year than last.

"I firmly believe that this year we are going to bust our numbers," Garcia says.

The issue is this: The district's share of Title I money for choice with transportation and tutoring is about $2.4-million, essentially unchanged from a year ago. The amount allocated by the state per student for tutoring is $1,195.

If the district sets aside a quarter of the pot for choice, it can afford tutoring for just 956 children. If choice participation remains low, it might have enough cash to tutor 1,435 kids, or about one in every five.

With eligibility up and about a dozen more tutoring providers marketing themselves in the county, Garcia says, it's more than likely the spots will fill up in this, the second full year of the tutoring program.

The district would set priorities, most likely based on students' FCAT scores, to determine who gets tutoring in the event that too many children sign up.

Already, 35 firms are angling for the work. They've won approval to tutor from the state, and have begun negotiating contracts with the district.

Their charge per student ranges from $20 per hour a school district initiative to $80 per hour (several private firms). That means that students could receive anywhere from 15 to 60 hours of tutoring, depending on which firm their parents choose.

The firms also offer a range of services including in-home, on-campus and online course work. Some are based out of state. At least two are run by Pasco County schoolteachers. And one is operated by the school district itself, at Sand Pine Elementary.

Last year - the first that the county offered the federally-funded tutoring - the district ran into a few problems. Some firms did not send tutors to attend scheduled sessions, leaving some children stranded, for instance.

Others did not provide tutors with any sort of teaching background. While not required, it bothered some educators nonetheless.

Cox Elementary principal Leila Mizer, who had about 80 students receive tutoring last year, said she did not see any discernible difference in those children's FCAT performance afterward. Some of the families also experienced language problems with the tutors, Mizer related.

Cox serves a high number of families where English is not the first language.

School Board chairwoman Marge Whaley expressed hope that some of the changes the district implemented this year, such as requiring tutors to attend open houses to demonstrate they can show up for tutoring sessions, will lead to improvements.

She was especially pleased that the district is able to provide tutoring this year.

"If I were picking a tutor for my child, I would definitely want someone from the county who knows the curriculum as opposed to someone from outside the district where who knows what you're getting?" Whaley said.

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at solochek@sptimes.com or (813) 909-4614. For more education news, visit the Gradebook at blogs.tampabay.com/schools.

Fast Facts:

Participating schools

Schools where choice with transportation and tutoring are available:

Chasco Elementary

Cox Elementary

Hudson Elementary

Lacoochee Elementary

Mittye P. Locke Elementary

Marlowe Elementary

Moon Lake Elementary

Northwest Elementary

Pasco Elementary

Richey Elementary

Schrader Elementary

Shady Elementary

Sunray Elementary

West Zephyrhills Elementary

[Last modified July 19, 2007, 06:55:22]