TUTORS GIVE KIDS A BOOST STUDENTS AT FAILING SCHOOLS GET HELP FROM PRIVATE SECTOR.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

At Vickie Lee's Kumon Math and Reading Centers in the San Fernando Valley, many students are learning material several years ahead of their grade levels.

Her clientele typically comes from middle- and upper-middle-class families who want to give their children an edge in life. But these days, about 10 percent of Lee's enrollment consists of low-income children who are behind in school and whose parents cannot afford private tutors.

Help for these children came in the form of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which President George W. Bush signed into law last year, enabling the most needy children to access tutorial services of their choice. As a result, private education companies across the nation are catering to underprivileged students on an unprecedented scale.

``I think this is the first time the federal government has recognized the private industry can make a positive contribution to public education in the United States,'' said Matthew Lupsha, Kumon's vice president.

``This is probably the most conspicuous, systematic and widespread collaboration.''

The No Child Left Behind Act mandates school districts to set aside 20 percent of so-called Title I federal funding to provide supplementary education to poor students trapped in failing schools. Title I funding historically has been given to high-poverty schools to reduce class sizes, hire additional staff and buy extra books and materials.

``If you have a lot of mediocrity in a district, in our view, it's a good idea to inject some competition in the system and attract individuals and entrepreneurs in raising student achievement - to get creative juices going, rather than invest in things that don't work,'' said Nina Rees, deputy undersecretary for innovation and improvement at the U.S. Department of Education.

``This is the first time a federal law is placing more authority into parents' hands.''

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, $57 million was set aside in the 2002-03 school year to provide each eligible student with $950 in tutorial services.

Nationwide, it's estimated that hundreds of millions of dollars in Title I funds have been appropriated for supplementary education, but an official number is not available from the U.S. Department of Education.

Even so, only a small percentage of those eligible are taking advantage of the opportunity because the program is new and in many instances poorly advertised.

Just 4,000 of 165,000 eligible LAUSD students signed up for private tutorial services, while an additional 7,000 opted for the district's Saturday school program. Low participation rates have been reported elsewhere in the country also. LAUSD officials vow to double participation next year through better outreach.

Students are eligible for supplementary education if their school has not made sufficient academic improvement two years in a row and the district is unable to provide them with the option of transferring to higher-performing schools.

At first, parent Ana De Jesus of North Hollywood could not believe her children were being offered private tutoring for free. Three of her seven children who attend Sun Valley Middle School were approved to attend Kumon.

``When they said you are approved, I said, Are you Sure? Three times I asked them the question. I saw it's a lot of money,'' she said, noting Kumon charges $95 per subject per child per month.

De Jesus said her husband, a tree trimmer, is the sole bread winner for the family, and on his salary alone, the family could not afford any extras, although they want to provide the best educational opportunity for their children.

``We don't have a high education. Many times we don't think we can do anything for our children,'' she said recently while waiting for two daughters and a son to complete their assignments at a Kumon Center in Sherman Oaks.

Lee said 30 students have signed up with her, and they have been coming faithfully twice a week to her centers.

``They are easier to work with. Their attitude is better. They feel it's a privilege to be here, rather than their parents dragging them here,'' said Lee, who owns three Kumon centers. ``Most of them have never had any tutoring of any kind. They are very eager.''

At Kumon centers, students are first assessed on their skills, then a plan is devised to help them raise their achievement. They get homework daily to reinforce concepts they have learned. After a unit is completed, they get tested. If they answer 95 percent of the questions correctly, they advance to the next level.

De Jesus, whose children are getting help in math, said the program is working for them, helping them to increase both speed and accuracy in solving math problems.

``They feel more confident because they can progress more and more,'' she said. ``It's practice, practice, practice. They don't feel the oppression, that you are pushing them. They feel like they are learning themselves.''

Alicia Fletes of Sylmar said her son, Adam, is showing progress because of the help he's receiving in math and reading at a SCORE! Educational Center in Granada Hills.

``I think it's a good thing. A lot of the kids need the extra help,'' said Fletes, a mother of five who struggles to find time to help her children with homework. ``It's hard to know where to go and how to pay for it. It's made it a lot easier.''

Parents who picked the district-run Saturday school also gave the program high marks. The district program consists of 30 hours spread over 10 Saturdays. Classes are restricted to a 1-to-5 ratio of teachers to students.

Private education companies offer varying amounts of service for the $950 allotted to each child, depending on their rates. They don't offer transportation, while the district does.

At a recent Saturday morning at Mulholland Middle School in Van Nuys, three girls and two boys sat in a small circle with teacher Alex Koberger, practicing reading comprehension.

Koberger said the small class size makes a world of difference, enabling him to zoom in on each child.

``I get to every child on every lesson, every concept and every skill,'' he said. ``They are totally on task from the minute they start to the minute they leave.''

In contrast, during the regular school year, Koberger said his classes average as many as 38 students.

The one-on-one attention paid off for Vicky Rivera's son, Cesar, who did not enjoy reading and had trouble sitting still.

``I've seen a lot of improvement at home. He loves to read. He's reading harder books now,'' said Rivera, who chose the district program because it's offered closer to home. ``Before, his weekends would be fighting over the PlayStation. I would force him to read. It's not like that any more.''

It's too early yet to tell whether the district's program or private education companies are more effective at raising student achievement.

John Liechty, who administers supplementary education for the LAUSD, is confident the district is doing a superior job.

``We know our kids. We know where they live, their curriculum, their needs,'' he said, adding he welcomes competition from the private sector.

``My approach to this is, be open-armed. If people want to come down and help us and kids and they produce results, so be it. If they are coming down to put their hands in our pocket, with no results for kids, we need to stand up and fight.''

Private-sector providers say they bring a customer-centered approach that is sorely missing in public education.

``We take our customers very seriously,'' said Marny Sumrall, regional director for Kaplan Inc.'s SCORE! Educational Centers. ``We are very focused on making sure we know what the parents want, where the kids are, and deliver against those expectations every day, every time they come in.''

BEYOND THE BELL

The Los Angeles Unified School District expects 194,000 students will qualify next year for tutorial services. The list of students and schools eligible is still being compiled. Mailers notifying parents of their children's eligibility are expected to be sent out later this month. Individual schools will also hold meetings to inform parents of their rights.

For more information about tutorial services, contact the LAUSD's Beyond the Bell Branch at [phone].

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Photo:

Brothers Armen, left, and Hambik Tchapanian study at a Kumon learning center in West Hills. About 10 percent of the centers' enrollment consists of low-income children receiving help through the federal No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law last year.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

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BEYOND THE BELL (see text)