A list of ‘best practices’ for a site typically is a list of their conditions fashioned to accomplish their goal, i.e. tutoring, that are available for your viewing. Part of the problem in looking for the right tutoring program is not knowing what ‘best practices’ to look for. Here are a few guidelines to help you get started. First, what types of individuals are doing the tutoring? Are they professional teachers or could anyone teach on their site? Second, is there a structure to the program such as a weekly tutoring schedule, having termed goals in mind, and is in keeping with the specific classroom focus? Concerns may be raised if the site in question does not have these answers or are vague in their answers. The more specific a program is regarding their tutoring procedure the more assessable it is for monitoring purposes. Are parents and teachers of the students able to evaluate the program’s effectiveness during the course of tutoring? This monitoring availability will offer immediate feedback enabling changes to be made if necessary, instead of the old “wait and see” policy. Starting with these basic inquiries, and looking into more specific questions over time, should help you in determining if the tutoring program is a great tutoring program and if it is the right one for you.
