Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Why Offer Tutoring Only to ‘Eligible’ Children?

September 20, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

I would like to know why only “eligible” children—low-income students from schools needing improvement—are able to receive free tutoring through their schools (“NCLB Waiver Lets Virginia Offer Tutoring Before Choice,” Sept. 7, 2005) and (“Ed. Dept. Allows Chicago to Provide NCLB Tutoring,” Sept. 7, 2005)

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is quoted as saying that the “point of all of these agreements is to give parents better information and more choices, and to help more children get the extra help they need to succeed in school and beyond.” Shouldn’t this quote read “all children” instead?

My son is considered to be a low-income student because I’m a single mom. But the schools he has attended are all high-achieving, so he does not qualify for any extra tutoring. He is in the 3rd grade now and has struggled every year since kindergarten. He still is reading at a 1st grade level. He needs the extra help.

As a concerned parent, I cannot sit back and hope that he will catch up. My son struggles, gets frustrated, calls himself a “dummy,” and wants to give up. He’s only 8 years old. The anger he displays when he’s frustrated is scary.

This summer, I had my son tested by Huntington Learning Centers. To bring him up to the level he needs to be, and at which he will feel comfortable learning, I have had to take out a student loan for more than $10,000 to pay for tutoring. I would like to ask the government: Shouldn’t all students qualify for free tutoring if they need the extra help they can’t receive in a regular school day?

Lisa Zaboklicki

Milwaukee, Wis.

Related Tags:
Opinion

A version of this article appeared in the September 21, 2005 edition of Education Week as Why Offer Tutoring Only To ‘Eligible’ Children?

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz ICYMI: Moms for Liberty Launched Its Own University And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Education Briefly Stated: April 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz ICYMI: Do You Know What 'High-Quality Curriculum' Really Means?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of curricula.
iStock/Getty
Education Quiz ICYMI: Lawsuits Over Trump's Education Policies And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
DigitalVision Vectors