A harder look at after-school help

It's a system that actually provides districts with a financial disincentive to inform parents of their rights to these services, say some critics.

"The districts, which are theoretically being punished for having done this ineffectively, are also providing the remedial tutoring," says Dr. Hess. "There's obvious conflicts."

A majority of schools that should provide the services do so, says Hess, with some allowing parents to choose among as many as 30 possible providers.

But a legion of choices is no guarantee of quality, he adds, particularly because the providers will not be as familiar with the children or the curriculum as their classroom teachers. "It's hard to tell at this point whether time spent with folks outside of the traditional operation will be as effective," he says.

At Trotter, Harris embraces the program because it saves parents money. Her school of about 600 students has 150 slots for after-school tutoring and almost as many students are enrolled.

"You never know if it will be enough or not," says Harris, "but right now, at least we're not grappling with children who are in need of tutoring and we can't give it to them."

But some districts struggle instead with low participation. According to the US Department of Education, only 12.5 percent of the nearly 250,000 eligible students in New York City in 2002-03 signed up. In Louisville, Ky., only 12 percent of the 2,100 eligible students in Jefferson County enrolled in after-school tutoring.

"There's a stigma attached to tutoring," says Ms. Rees. "Most people think it's something you have to pay for, so in order to sell this to parents, community groups have to focus on the 'free' aspect of it."

Some schools have moved aggressively to recruit students for their after-school programs. One principal in East Baton Rouge, La., rode a bicycle through the halls of his school to spread the word.

But frustration remains. "There is a huge awareness gap," says Jeff Cohen, president of Sylvan Learning, one of the nation's largest private tutoring companies. "There are instances where there are thousands of eligible children and not that many parents are taking advantage of it."

Despite all the challenges swirling around supplemental services, says policy analyst Kathy Christie of the Education Commission of the States in Denver, says the positive potential far outweighs the negatives of such programs.

"The more structure and the more qualified staff, the more rigorous planning you put into it, it all adds up to impact," says Ms. Christie.

But the bottom line for most parents will probably be their children's report cards.

Lucy Johnson says her son, Brandon, a fourth-grader enrolled at Chittick Elementary in a low-income section of Boston, at first didn't want anything to do with tutoring.

But she says, "When I talked to him about the program, we pretty much agreed that we would try it together."

The result: "Before, his comprehension of a book was awful. Now he's able to tell me what he's reading about."

Page: 1 | 2