As we approach a full year of online or hybrid learning, parents are more concerned about whether their child is progressing in schools as expected. Perhaps motivated by learning loss or a child struggling academically, parents may consider tutoring. Finding a tutor for a child involves taking a step back and evaluating the student鈥檚 learning landscape.

Talking with a child鈥檚 teacher is a starting point for determining whether a tutor is necessary. There are a variety of things to consider: grade level curriculum, organizational skills, attentiveness, study habits and just general life activities. Classroom success ebbs and flows with each student鈥檚 situation, especially now with so many schedules disrupted. If it is determined a tutor would be beneficial, remember they are a member of the larger educational team. A tutor will usually want a continuing dialogue with parents because, as the parent, you are the link for sharing information between teacher and tutor.

What tutors can address are specific goals and target outcomes. Choosing a tutor is like choosing a school, 鈥淲hat would be a good fit for the child and meet our expectations?鈥� Once the learning objective is defined, finding a tutor with a particular skill or strength, and teaching style compatible with the student鈥檚 learning style is important. If the goal is to build better study habits or processing skills, an executive functioning focused tutor might be a better fit than a traditional subject matter tutor.

When choosing a tutor, much can be learned in a phone interview, but it can be a trial-and-error process to find the best match. It can take time for rapport to be established and the student to become comfortable with the tutor. Tutoring is not an instant fix 鈥� it takes time and patience to build the relationship and to build skills and confidence. Parents need to remain involved in their child鈥檚 progress 鈥� a tutor never replaces that connection.

A few sites to get more ideas about choosing a tutor:

• (Reading Rockets)
• (Parents.com)
• (Read and Spell Blog)

Resources for finding a tutor:

• (U.S. News & World Report)

Finding the right high school can set the stage for the rest of a child鈥檚 academic and professional future.聽 The key to choosing the best high school for your child lies first in understanding your child鈥檚 specific needs, but it also requires both child and parents to learn about the various options available.聽 While at the outset, this can seem like a daunting task, here are some tips we use to assist the and parents as they聽choose the best high school for their family:

DEFINE YOUR CHILD鈥橲 NEEDS: Some children learn and work better in a structured learning environment, while others thrive in classrooms that allow students to guide the process.聽 Look at a school鈥檚 curriculum and disciplinary policies.聽 Does the school stress group projects over individual assignments? What are the homework policies and discipline practices? What services are available to help students learn or provide additional tutoring support?

DETERMINE YOUR CHILD鈥橲 LEARNING STYLE:聽 Is your child a visual or auditory learner, and does he work better in groups or individually? Does your child have any learning disabilities that the school will need to address, and if so does the school offer specific programs for those types of learning issues? If possible, talk to parents of children with similar learning styles to find out how they think the school is performing.

WEIGH YOUR OPTIONS: 聽Today, most parents needn鈥檛 limit their high school choices to the neighborhood high school. Research your options across charter, magnet and signatory public schools, independent day and boarding options, homeschooling networks and online educational opportunities, as well as early college and community college programs for accelerated learners.

CONSIDER DIVERSITY: While diversity may be a significant factor for minority students in particular, a diverse student community benefits all high school students, providing a range of life experiences, points of view and the opportunity to hear, learn from, and work with people different from oneself.

EXAMINE TEST SCORES AND ALUMNI SUCCESS: 聽Test scores are a factor to consider when choosing a high school, although it should never be the only factor. Look at the trend of test scores in recent years: have scores moved up or down? This may indicate whether a school is actively pursuing improvement or declining in terms of academic rigor and quality.聽 Is there an indication of how students with disabilities are performing, as well as the rest of the student body.聽 This may indicate how well the school addresses a diverse range of available test-taking options within its student body.

Beyond test scores, look at college enrollment/matriculation data: Are alumni attending聽the caliber of university that聽you hope for your child?聽 Are their students immersed in rewarding occupations or career options? Do alumni have an ongoing relationship with the school after graduation?

LOOK AT ACADEMIC PROGRAMS: Look for a school where your child鈥檚 brain will be exposed to a wide variety of subjects, cultures and pursuits, both in and out of class. Are you looking for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs that challenge academic achievers with more rigorous curricula? Are there dual-enrollment programs that allow students to earn college credits while still in high school? Are there strong programs in STEM and/or arts/Humanities programs that offer depth in course offerings as well as the potential for acceleration and placement tests?

FACILITIES: 聽An excellent private school should offer many kinds of enrichment from study abroad programs to a diversity of foreign languages and in-depth subject area curricula.聽 Libraries, computer labs and facilities for art, music and drama should be well-equipped and staffed with specialist teachers.

ITS ABOUT THE TEACHERS: Many aspects of a school are fundamental, others are luxuries, but teachers can make or break a child鈥檚 natural curiosity. Their passion for the subject they teach can鈥攁nd should鈥攊gnite a young mind. If your child attends a shadow visit to a school, find out from him what he experienced during his class time:聽 how did the students engage with the teacher? What was the class size? Ask your child if she would want to be in this class with this teacher? Look for teaching staff who can be inspiring mentors.

IN EDUCATION, SMALLER TENDS TO BE BETTER: 聽Educational research has shown that working in small groups fosters closer relationships between students and teachers, and also that a smaller student-to-teacher ratio leads to greater success in college. But numbers can be misleading. In their published student-to-teacher ratios, some schools count every adult and coach as a teacher. If you want to forecast the amount of attention your child will potentially get from classroom teachers, multiply the number of sections a teacher has in a day by the average class size. This will give you a sense of how much individualized contact a teacher is likely to have with each child. Also inquire about extra 鈥渟upport鈥� hours a teacher makes available and if the teacher maintains an online presence via an e-mail where students can reach him/her off hours if necessary.

WORK WITH THE TEENAGE BRAIN, NOT AGAINST IT: 聽The teenage brain is wired for risk taking, and when it comes to harmful or unhealthy behaviors, this can be a negative. High schools that understand this inherent issue try to channel this drive by challenging students to travel, try out for a play or team or something they鈥檝e never done before, take initiative on a school project, perform in front of the student body, participate in a class retreat, or tutor other students. Risk taking is a necessary part of identity formation, so investigate the opportunities your child will have to test himself and grow in positive ways.

LIST EXTRACURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES: These run the gamut from sports and specific subject teams to drama and technology clubs, music offerings such as band or orchestra, robotics, debate, Model UN, and regional/national competitive options such as science fairs, Olympiads, etc. Larger schools tend to have a wider selection of extracurricular options, but if the smaller private school offers specific programs your child is looking for, this could end up as a better fit. Find out what programs the school offers, which programs get the most attention and funding, and whether participation in extracurricular activities is required at the high school.

THE BEST WAY TO LEARN LEADERSHIP IS TO PRACTICE IT: 聽Rather than only looking at a list of clubs and government positions at school, find out if a particular school provides opportunities to practice leadership by creating a club, teaching a noncredit course, initiating a fundraising effort, starting a new chapter of a national organization or assembling a team for competitive participation in an area of interest鈥攔obotics, science fair, Math Olympiad for example.

CONSIDER PRACTICAL FACTORS: In addition to the various options offered to students, practical factors must come into play for parents as well.聽 What is the commute like?聽 Does the school provide transportation? Are there buses or metro services the student will have to rely upon on a twice-daily basis?聽 If the school is far from home, how will this impact the time for the student鈥檚 commute and wake-up time?聽 How feasible will it be for the student to attend afterschool and weekend activities at the school? Do most of the student community live far from your child鈥檚 home, and if so, how will this affect get-together opportunities like group projects and socializing?

OBSERVE THE SCHOOL IN ACTION:聽Plan visits to see the school environment in action鈥攏ot just at specified Open House dates which are usually held during non-school hours.聽 If possible, schedule a shadow day or half day for your child where she can actually attend classes, meet other enrolled students and be an active participant in a typical school day to see firsthand how classes are taught and the makeup of the student body and faculty. If your child wants to participate in sports, attend a sporting event at the school, or a play or musical performance.聽 How do the participants perform individually and as a team or group? What is the audience behavior like? Are there parents and other students in attendance to support the program?

TALK TO YOUR CHILD:聽Maintain an ongoing dialogue with your child concerning pros and cons of each school he is considering. While parents have significant say and sway in the final decision, by the time a child is considering high school, she should be able to define and identify that school best suited for her optimal high school experience academically, extracurricularly and socially.

AFTER SELECTION AND ENROLLMENT: The following are signs that I use with the CDB Scholar community to review and assess fit:

• Your child is eager to go to school.
• Your child acts energized and engaged at the end of the school day.
• The pace of learning in core subjects is, overall, about right for your child: challenging but achievable.
• You see progress in your child鈥檚 overall development- academic, physical, social and聽emotional–聽 throughout each school year.
• Your child feels that her abilities and interests are appreciated and addressed at school.
• Your child is achieving and performing academically at the level of which he is capable.
• Your child has friends and acquaintances who like and accept him at school.
• School work and friends are important but not all-consuming aspects of your child鈥檚 life.

When your child鈥檚 and family鈥檚 needs fit well with what a school offers, I call that a GREAT FIT.

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Mark Erlandson, the parent of a gifted student who presently attends a boarding school out East, is a former lawyer and public high school English teacher from Wisconsin starting a new business as a legal writing consultant.

Sad as it may be for some (including teachers), the summer is over, and a new school year looms. To make sure you start off the year right, here is some advice for students from a veteran teacher, although parents would do well to follow most of it too.

1. Reserve judgement.

Reserve judgment – about the teacher, about the class, about the curriculum. Things rarely turn out to be as bad as they seem at the beginning. For example, generations of teachers have been taught to start the year off being strict and then loosen up over time. It鈥檚 a lot easier to keep control doing it that way.

2. Give me a chance.

Wait a couple weeks before approaching me about changing my curriculum or policies. First of all, there is so much work for me to do to start the year – from filling out forms to making seating charts to decorating my room to learning names of students – that I am overwhelmed and stressed out. Let me settle in. (Also see #1 above.)

3. Do your homework.

No, I don鈥檛 mean the daily or weekly assignments that you are already doing. You know that. What I mean is that if you want me to let you out of an assignment or give you an opportunity to complete an alternative assignment, know the following before you approach me:

• Is it practice or evidence? Practice means you are doing it to prepare to master a subject or skill; evidence means I am using it to assess whether you have mastered it (and then putting a grade in the gradebook). I have much more leeway with practice than I do with evidence;
• What is the goal or objective of that part of my curriculum? Nowadays, that usually is tied in some way to a . Often it is explained as a 鈥渓earning intention鈥� or 鈥渓earning target鈥� at the beginning of a unit or a daily lesson. Ironically, the standardization of the curriculum through the CCSS actually allows me more freedom to personalize assignments as long as the standard鈥檚 content or skill is covered;
• What you would suggest as the lesson鈥檚 alternative? Don鈥檛 leave it up to me to brainstorm another way of meeting the standard. I already did, and what I came up with is what you are trying to get away from doing. I may know some alternative suggestions to give you, but you are much more likely to get what you want if you already have a plan when you approach me;
• What would you suggest as a rubric? Most assignments/assessments require that I use a scoring guide to grade. Can we use the same one that is being used for the original assignment/assessment? Tweak it somehow? Think about this ahead of time and be prepared to offer a new one if necessary.

4. Try to look at it from my side.

Unfortunately, this world is not ideal. I have a boss (actually bosses), and whether the assistant principal, the principal, the school superintendent or the school board, they all make various demands of me that limit what I can do for you. Also I have limited time and resources. I have a life. In a perfect world, I would be able to meet all of your demands and expectations. Unfortunately we live in this one. Try not to take it personally.

5. Don鈥檛 hate me.

It is very possible that we may not get along together. Sometimes personalities clash. It doesn鈥檛 mean I don鈥檛 like you or will grade you harder than someone else. Before you try to get out of my class or give up trying in class because you don鈥檛 like me, realize that life, or the real world, will require you to work with peers, bosses, clients, or customers who you may not like but have to deal with anyway. Start working on those skills. Try some of the following:

• Talk to your classmates about your feelings and ask them for tips on how they get along with the teacher;
• Meet with the teacher and voice your feelings, e.g., 鈥淚 feel like you are annoyed when I ask extra questions. Is there another way you want me to do that?鈥�;
• Meet with a guidance counselor. He/she may be able to offer advice and tips on how to get along with that particular teacher or how to get along with teachers in general;
• Focus on the subject, not the teacher. We can learn a lot about a subject from a knowledgeable teacher we dislike. Pay attention to the message and not the messenger.
• Finally, if all else fails, and you still think your learning is being negatively affected by your relationship with the teacher, then let your parents take the next step and contact the teacher.

6. Be a person, not just a student.

By that, I mean say 鈥淗i鈥� to me, make eye contact with me whether in the classroom or in the hallway when we pass, maybe ask me about my weekend some time before class or how I am doing today. I am a person too, and sometimes it鈥檚 lonely being a teacher.

Have any of these tips been particularly helpful? What other tips do you have to help students start the school year off right? Please share in the comment section below.

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