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Published: 27 September 2012

Created: 27 September 2012

Last Updated: 27 September 2012

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The results of the Scarsdale10583 tutoring survey are in …. and what’s more interesting than the tabulated responses are the wealth of comments we received from you. Have tutors become a necessary element of a public education? The parents who responded are torn between the desire to have their children manage their work on their own and the fear that if their kids don’t get additional help they will not excel or even fall behind. Parents are also divided on whether or not tutoring is fair, and if it gives students who can afford extra help a leg up over those who’s parents cannot pay the fees.

One parents captured the entire dilemma with her comment: Tutors are necessary. The stakes are so high these days that the kids need help wherever they can get it. I know they should try hard and all of that, but giving them a couple of hours of one on one time to focus on challenging work really helps. I love my kids and I want what's best for them. I know people thinks it gives the wealthy an unfair advantage, and that may be true, but as a mother I really just want to give them any help and support that I can. If I don't, then someone else is just going to do the same for theirs.

What do you think? Take a look at the survey results and comments we received below and let us know where you stand on this controversial issue.

Who responded: We had a total of 115 respondents, but all respondents did not answer every question, so the results below should be viewed as indicative of trends but not as a conclusive survey of all area parents. Of those who responded, 44% had a child in middle school last year with the balance with students in 9-12 grades.

Here is what we learned:

54.7% of responders said their child received private tutoring last year.

Of those who were tutored for schoolwork, 76.7% received tutoring in math, followed by 32.5% for English. Surprisingly, only 16% got help with science and 66% were tutored in just one subject.

On that topic, one parent wrote: I think tutoring has a place for those kids who struggle a lot with a particular subject. Our math program, for example, is very challenging for many students and I think we (parents) have to realize that our kids won't always be in the advanced classes that we might like for them to be in. Learning about our kids' individual strengths and challenges is one of the most important tasks as a parent - and then honoring and respecting those qualities while trying to encourage our kids to do the best they can. It will always be a delicate balance how much to push a student. But never forget this: It's about your CHILD, not you and any unfulfilled expectations that you might have.

In response to the question about who was hired to do the tutoring, 36% used a teacher in the district, 52% used someone from outside their own school district and another 12% used both!

And how much did they pay – the majority of parents (58%) who used teachers in the district paid between $101 and $150, while those from outside the district had a wider disparity in rates. 56% said that they most they paid any tutor last year was $100 to $150 for a single session.

Respondents were split about whether or not teachers within the district should be permitted to tutor in the school for additional fees with 52% saying yes and 46% replying no.

Here are some comments on this subject:

-I have mixed opinions on this. I don't love that the teachers don't stay after school to help the kids...many tutor/charge those hours instead. But I do think the teachers have the right to tutor in the district as long as the tutored child is not a current student. Where it gets murky is if the tutor later becomes a classroom teacher for that child. During middle school, my child was tutored by a teacher from another house.

-This is a very qualified "yes," though. Teachers shouldn't ever tutor their own students and should not be allowed to collude with other teachers in referencing one another for tutoring. But sometimes kids really do need a different approach and teachers asked to tutor should be paid for their extra work. Still, this should only be done if dept. chair and other admins. are fully aware of what is going on and why. Perhaps the District should be paying the teacher for tutoring, though?

-Outrageous. Creates conflict of interest. We pay them enough. They should be more available to students for extra help and skip the tutoring.

-It creates perverse incentives for teachers, and while there is no evidence of corrupt or sloppy behavior on the part of any teacher, it creates the conditions where these behaviors can easily occur.

-I think a ban on in-district tutoring should be included in teacher and coaches' contracts during the upcoming pay negotiations. It creates a dangerous perception of favoritism at best, and in some cases may influence decisions unfairly.

And do students need outside tutoring to do well in school? The majority of respondents did not feel that students required tutoring to do well in school – 56% said no tutoring was essential.

In response to this question here is what you said:

-There is a big difference in "doing well in school". Some kids are using tutors so they "do well" (get A's) in advanced and honors classes. Other kids (mine and many I know) are getting tutored to get A's, B's or C's in regular level classes.

-My experience is that if (1) the child takes advantage of the resources at the school, including extra help with the teacher and test review sessions and (2) genuinely applies herself by doing homework diligently and carefully, tutoring is not necessary. I found myself getting a tutor to make up for my child's failure to do so.

-Never thought I'd say this but pressure to keep good GPA means this is something I am now considering.

-I didn't start the tutoring process until high school because nobody shared that in order to keep up you need to start in the middle school. B's and A's were okay back then. However, in order to keep up with the rest of the class and maintain at least a Bin high school you need to get a tutor to level the playing field. When half the class is getting tutored to stay ahead of the subject matter and achieve A's, the teachers loose sight of what the class actually knows. My kids aren't geniuses, we needed the extra help.

-As good a school system as Scarsdale is, it is supported by an "underground" system of an enormous amount of tutoring. Students across all levels, from the most challenged to the brightest, are being tutored. Teachers have no idea the extent to which kids are being tutored. It is not only a burden to Scarsdale parents to have to pay for tutoring in order to "level the playing field," it is clearly unfair to those who cannot afford it. Lastly, even some of the brightest students in AP classes are being tutored in order to be in those classes. Thus, the grades many of our students acheive are "bought" for a price.

Others feared that tutors had become a “crutch.”

-Students should learn to rely on themselves, their friends and teachers for extra help. It's becoming a trend to rely on outside tutoring which takes away a child's own ability to own up to the "problem".

-Outside tutoring seems to me most appropriate when a child has some difficulty and the teacher is not available for help or a new way of explaining the material could be helpful. I have the impression that many kids are turning to tutors as a crutch rather than working harder to figure out the material for themselves. Not sure how often the tutor is the kid's idea vs. the parent's.

-If the kids improved after tutoring, it is worth it. However please don't forget that the purpose of tutoring is to get the kids to do their work independently not help them forever.

Parents also commented on tutoring when students have special needs:

I wish this survey had somehow attempted to differentiate between more needs-based tutoring and support for learning disabled children versus tutoring purely for better grades. It also would have been interesting to learn why parents chose to tutor a child - were they getting C's - or B's? If there turns out to be a great deal of private tutoring for non-learning disabled children who would otherwise be getting B's to become A students, that would raise one set of questions (are children accurately assessed for their own ability and personal effort? are more wealthy children able to gain an advantage over their peers?, how good is the education available in the schools, etc.). If tutoring is mostly for children really struggling, then the questions are more along the lines of why these children can't get the support they need within the school or is that an unreasonable expectation? Will these children be prepared to function as adults w/out support?

And one parent commented on SHS Deans counseling students from outside the district to get into college. Here is the comment:

I am okay with the tutoring. What I find offensive is that Deans are involved with counseling high school students from other school districts. These students are paying a 5-digit salary to a dean to help the student get into a university. I believe that causes a conflict of interest.

Clearly many feel passionately about tutors, fairness and the extent to which the school should supply help to those in need. If you have thoughts on this, use the comments section below to share them with our readers.