The answer to first question – Is Free Tutoring Over? – For all intents and purposes is yes…for now. Will students still receiving tutoring free of charge? Some will. Will parents have a choice with respect to who their child tutors with? The answer is no.

The answer to the question, “Now What?”, depends on who is asking the question. For parents, now you have to decide how you will approach your child’s education. Will you seek alternatives, like charter or choice schools? Will you look for other free or low cost tutoring options for your student? Will you demand your school use some of the intervention funds they receive for free tutoring? Will you look toward 21st century programs for your child’s supplemental education?

For SES (Supplemental Education Services) providers, the answer is a little more complicated and nuanced. To determine, “now what?” an SES provider must answer four questions:

1. Was your SES tutoring company successful?
2. Did you enjoy direct contact with children?
3. Did you enjoy direct contact with parents?
4. DO YOU WANT TO STAY IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION?

Most SES tutoring companies will define their success in terms of financial success, however, a successful SES company is one that is not only financially successful but one that achieved operational success. Operational success is defined as maintaining 100% compliance with all government regulation, documenting verifiable academic gains, and maintaining an excellent reputation with parents, students and school districts. If your company can be described as successful, the answers those four questions will determine your path going forward. Did you seek direct contact with students and parents? Does the field of education offer you personal and financial satisfaction?

If the field of direct education continues to interest you, you have several options with a few listed below:

1. Open a charter school;
2. Focus on private tutoring; or
3. Focus on grant based intervention models like drop out prevention.

If you want to remain in the business of education but do not want direct contact with parents and students, there are some other options:

1. Start a professional development company;
2. Start a teacher evaluation company; or
3. Develop an education software program.

The third option is to leave the business of education all together. Depending on your level of financial success with SES, the choices in this category are limitless.

For all intents and purposes, government funded free tutoring is over and both parents and tutoring companies have to plot their next course of action.

S K Tilton Author
SES Finally Made Easy
SES Financially Made Easy
(How to start and run an afterschool tutoring business)