Dozens Of States Seek Waivers For Tutoring Programs

The AP (10/31, Williams) reports, "Dozens of states intend to apply for waivers that would free their schools from a federal requirement that they set aside hundreds of millions of dollars a year for after-school tutoring, a program many researchers say has been ineffective." Carmel Martin, assistant secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at the US Department of Education, said "the department's own recent research into the program's effectiveness in five large school districts found small benefits in some districts but no effect in others." Martin is quoted as saying in an email, "We think it can be effective for some students in some cases, but it doesn't make sense to require every school that misses targets to do the same thing." The AP notes, "Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have notified the Department of Education they intend to apply for a waiver."

 

A number of local television stations also reported the news. WLTV-TV Jacksonville, FL (10/30, 11:47 pm), for example, reported that "dozens of states intend to apply for waivers to free their schools from a federal mandate requiring that they set aside money for after-school tutoring. The requirement is part of the 9-year-old No Child Left Behind law. Some researchers say students do not take advantage of tutoring, and when they can or when they do, they don't get enough to make a difference. Others say it's working in places such as Florida."