What’s Your Tutoring Plan?

Local and virtual educational resources

After a year of normalcy lost to the pandemic, parents and educators have observed how students have fallen behind academic benchmark standards, and they’re coming up with innovative tutoring plans to ensure each student’s success.

The need for tutoring persists throughout both schools and private tutoring companies, such as Kumon and Mathnasium.

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) was proactive in fighting the spread of COVID-19. To minimize contact between students and teachers, GCPS offered Digital Learning Days as well as access to Tutor.com, which offers daily live tutoring support 8 a.m.-10 p.m.

Verywellfamily.com recognizes Tutor.com as a resource that provides the best variety of services. The site offers over 250 subjects ranging from kindergarten to college level, and employs professional, expert tutors to aid students. Their packages are personalized and based on the needs and goals of each individual student.

GCPS also grants students access to “drop-off support” where they can upload a document and receive tutor feedback.

AKS At Home

However, the burden of the pandemic still prevents students from reaching their full potential. Research provided by the U.S. Department of Education suggests COVID-19 “[widened] pre-existing disparities in core subjects like math and reading.”

While some students thrived in the self-paced environment of their homes, others who are more prone to distractions, as well as younger learners, struggled to keep up. To bolster the resources available to their students, GCPS provides parents with Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) At Home, “To empower parents with tools that allow them to help their children at home.”

According to the GCPS website, “The AKS at Home project provides math and language arts resources to support families of children in grades K-5 so that they truly are partners in their children’s learning.”

AKS is designed to suit the needs of each family. Families can “attend virtual meetings, view recorded information at a time that best fits their schedule, and gain tips and suggestions on how to [best] help their children through tip sheets on a wide variety of topics.”

Registration for live AKS Virtual sessions during the month of October is open for students K-12. For more information and to sign up, visit gcpsk12.org/Page/26993.

Kumon

For a more tailored approach, most private tutoring companies have a selective studying method and devise lesson plans around student needs.

Lakshmi Nagamohan, Instructor at the Kumon Math and Reading Center of Peachtree Corners, outlines Kumon’s concentrated methods.

“The Kumon of Peachtree Corners tailors lesson plans specifically for each student. We monitor our students closely and instruct accordingly as they solve worksheets. Students work at their own pace to complete each worksheet and progress through the levels of the program,” Nagamohan said.

With over four million students enrolled around the globe, Kumon is the world’s largest after-school math and reading program. However, they stress that their company isn’t just tutoring. Kumon differentiates itself through their continuous approach to learning and their ability to identify the root cause of why students are struggling.

Kumon parent Anne Lapoire attests to Kumon’s specialized techniques and how it fits into her children’s classwork. “I love that they are accountable and need to complete a packet every day. I feel like it complements their school homework very well and gives them a good routine,” she said.

Mathnasium

Similarly, Mathnasium is a mathematics education franchise that reaches a broad range of students in grades K-12 with 1,000 learning centers in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Mathnasium customizes learning plans based on assessments taken by each student.

According to their website, the Mathnasium assessment “reveals each specific skill area that needs to be mastered so kids aren’t wasting time reviewing concepts they already know.”
Over the course of tutoring with Mathnasium, all teaching occurs during the sessions and students are given assessments to track their progress. The Mathnasium of Berkley Lake currently offers in-person and online instruction and serves the Berkeley Lake, Duluth, Peachtree Corners and Norcross communities. Their team of math experts provides math tutoring, training and homework help so students receive the tools and confidence to go further in school.

Education is not one size fits all. These are confusing times and learning from home can often lead to distractions and growing homework piles, so a helping hand can be much appreciated.
We hope that this information proves useful and helps fuel a fulfilling school year.

Tutoring Resources

Here are links to some of the tutoring services offered in the Peachtree Corners area.

Club Z!
clubztutoring.com/alpharetta

Kumon
kumon.com/peachtree-corners

Mathnasium
mathnasium.com/berkeleylake

The Tutoring Center
duluth.tutoringcenter.com
johnscreek.tutoringcenter.com