Ohio schools chief orders overhaul of tutoring program

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio

Ohio’s school superintendent has ordered the state to overhaul its tutoring system after a study of a Columbus program that found hundreds of students being tutored in ineffective or unsafe operations.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that Superintendent Stan Heffner wants to impose tougher standards on tutors, shed light on their performance and help school districts oversee those who participate in the federally-funded program. The changes will begin next year.

“It’s important to make sure the tutoring program works as well as possible,” Heffner said in a statement. “If ODE’s (Ohio Department of Education’s) oversight has not been tough enough, then we’ll change that. I’ve ordered a review of our process to begin immediately.”

The 270 tutoring groups that receive money in Ohio will have to reapply before the 2012-13 school year in order to continue to receive the cash, Heffner said. The groups must prove that they’re able to help children and able to accurately charge for their services.

In addition, the Education Department will help parents make decisions about which groups are best for their children by providing information about the quality of tutoring groups.

The tutoring program was enacted by Congress in 2001 as part of No Child Left Behind. University of Akron education professor Sharon Kruse told the newspaper that the idea was to let market forces operate — parents would make informed decisions and the market would push bad programs out of business.