It can happen at any time: the parent teacher communication that sends your stomach into a tailspin. The conference where you hear, "Your child is falling behind in reading" or "Your child is having trouble with comprehension and grades are falling."
Like many parents who hear these words, you feel responsible. You also want to know what the school will do to help your child read better. How does the school system explain your child's reading problem? How does it plan to make things right? Does it offer an elementary reading program for kids who are struggling?
Based on dozens of parents' stories, this is what you might expect to hear:
- Your child is having trouble with reading because of personal failings or vague disorders. (In other words, they blame the victim.)
- The school will do the best it can to bring about improvement at an often unspecified, but typically minimum level.
- Things may still work out in some unpredictable way and your child might eventually "get it," so "be patient."
If this describes your situation, it's time to take matters into your own hands and look outside the school for help.
There is nothing magical about private tutors when it comes to improving reading skills. In Michigan, clinics are non-regulated and non-licensed. The buyer must definitely beware.
Learn what's available in your area, but bear in mind that you might have to look outside your hometown. Check the Yellow Pages under Reading Improvement Instruction and under Tutoring. Ask your child's doctor for a referral. Ask friends.
As you call promising-looking services and read their information, use the following questions as a guide to choosing a clinic.
- Who is in charge? Does that person have any professional credentials in the field? Has s/he taught reading? Eye doctors or chiropractors, for example, are not qualified to direct a reading clinic.
- Who does the teaching? What qualifications do they have? Nonprofessionals don't have the knowledge about delivering instruction that classroom experience provides.
- Does the clinic label children? Labels don't teach. Professional teachers trained in delivering a proven curriculum do.
- What is the cost? Don't be lured by low hourly rates or be put off by rates that sound high. Four months at a higher rate can be a lot cheaper than 18 months at a rate that seems like a bargain.
- Does the tutor provide a diagnosis? Does it set goals for the future? An appropriate diagnosis should describe how things are now, how they will be after instruction, and how the two will be connected. For example, if your third-grader begins at a second-grade level, the diagnosis should explicitly state the grade level at which your child will exit after a stated amount of time.
- Does the center provide one-on-one instruction? Small-group instruction is more profitable for private clinics, but it does not allow for the intense diagnostic teaching that moves an individual forward quickly.
- How long do students typically attend and what is the average documented result for that time? Expect specific answers. For example, "students gain an average of two years in reading level after three months in the program." Don't accept vague statements like, "It depends on each child." A professional, operating with a clear-cut curriculum and documented results across time, knows to within a matter of weeks how long it will take 95 percent of students to reach their diagnostic goals.
- Do parents play a part in the program? You should be strongly urged to observe part of every session so you know how to handle home assignments most effectively to insure progress.
- Does the center provide a final report that documents the changes brought by instruction? Accountability is important. Expect a written document that outlines where your child started, where he ended, and what tests were used to measure change.
- Does the center offer parent conferences to discuss the diagnosis and final report? Parents should be part of the scene from beginning to end.
Annette Weinshank, Ph.D., owns and directs The Reading Clinic in East Lansing, Michigan. The clinic has been in operation since 1989.