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Monday, October 19, 2009

Tutoring dollars harder to come by The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper


Tutoring dollars harder to come by The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper:

"Competition for millions of federal dollars is getting tough among companies that provide tutoring services to low-income children in struggling schools.

State and local school district leaders said that while many tutoring companies are reputable, others try to lure students with offers of bikes, music players and even computers. Federal law prohibits companies from offering incentives to bring in students, but many still try to do it, said Steve Abbott, Title I director for the state Department of Education. And companies are allowed to offer such rewards to students after they enroll or upon completion of the program.

It's a marketing tool to bring in more students the following year, he said. 'So a kid might ask, 'Where's the provider that will give me a bike?' '

It's recruitment time for companies that offer tutoring services to low-income children in struggling schools. Under the No Child Left Behind act, schools that receive federal money because of the large percentage of low-income students enrolled and that fail to meet all of the law's requirements for three consecutive years must offer tutoring services to those students outside the school day. School districts must set aside a portion of their federal money, known as Title I funds, for such services."