ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 30, 1996 TAG: 9601300083
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
THE PRIVATE TUTORING COMPANY has opened a learning center in Roanoke with a pledge to help students with troubles in math and reading perform better in school.
If schoolchildren are doing poorly in math and reading, Sylvan Learning Centers promises to help them make better grades.
In fact, the private tutoring company is so confident its program works that it offers a guarantee:
If students do not improve one grade level in math and reading after 36 hours of instruction, Sylvan will provide 12 additional free hours.
Sylvan, a Maryland-based firm, recently opened a center in Roanoke, one of the latest in a network of more than 600 neighborhood educational centers in the United States, Canada, Guam and Hong Kong.
Sylvan is part of the private back-to-basics tutoring business, which is booming. Several companies now have hundreds of centers throughout the country.
Sylvan, which was founded 15 years ago, markets itself as a basic skills, fix-it shop for students who have learning gaps.
It also offers enrichment programs, but the bulk of its business is remedial services for children who are having trouble with the basics.It provides help for kindergartners through high school seniors - and even adults who want to improve their math or reading skills. The centers also provide other supplemental educational services such as study skills, algebra and writing programs and Scholastic Assessment Test preparation.
The Roanoke center is Sylvan's second in Western Virginia; it opened one in Christiansburg last year. There are also several local private tutoring and educational service firms in the Roanoke Valley.
The fees for Sylvan's services are $32 to $36 an hour, depending on the payment plan. Some students enroll for 60 to 80 hours of instruction, but the length of the remedial programs can vary and be tailored to a student's needs.
Mike Williams, executive director of the Roanoke center, said Sylvan helps students improve their grades because of its approach and methods. The company does not consider itself to be a competitor or critic of public schools.
"We're not out to say that the schools are doing a bad job," Williams said. "Schools don't have the resources or the time for the individual attention that we do.''
One of the company's main features is a 3-to-1 student-teacher ratio.
Williams said research has shown that students can better transfer skills to the classroom from a ratio of 3-to-1 than from a 1-to-1 setting.
"We can give more attention to each student. Each instruction program is personalized, based on what the diagnostic tests have shown," Williams said.
James Gallion, assistant superintendent for Roanoke County schools, believes private educational centers can help some students.
"I think they can supplement the work of public and private schools. They can teach students how to better organize their studies and teach them a work ethic," he said.
Lewis Romano, director of federal programs and special education for Salem schools, said he believes private educational companies provide a "sophisticated system of remediation," but he doesn't know if they are effective.
"I think some parents take their children because they recognize that they need help in math and reading," Romano said. Doris McElfresh, director of elementary education in Montgomery County, said Sylvan has a good reputation, but she has no data on its success with Montgomery students. The company contacted Montgomery school officials and provided information on its services when it opened its Christiansburg center, she said. "I believe they can be helpful to some students," McElfresh said. "I would think that if they take time to assess a student's skills and develop a program for improving them, it could be beneficial."Nationwide, Williams said, public schools are one of Sylvan's biggest sources of referrals. "We try to adapt to what the schools are doing and try to work with them," he said. "If a student improves here, they do a better job in school.''Students come to Sylvan's center in the Cambridge Professional Building at 2010 Stephenson Ave. S.W. between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays or on Saturday mornings. All teachers have state licenses and have been trained in the Sylvan method, Williams said. Sylvan recruits teachers from a variety of sources: retirees, new teachers who haven't found jobs and full-time teachers who want to earn additional money.
Sylvan uses a reward system that provides praise as well as tokens for students who improve their skills. They can trade the tokens for toys, caps, games and other goodies in the Sylvan Store in the center.
Students can redeem the tokens immediately or save them to trade for larger items, such as albums and compact discs.
Though some educators have complained that the Sylvan system is based on bribing children to learn, but the company says all schools use some kind of reward system - including grades - to motivate students. Williams said Sylvan creates a positive environment by shifting the emphasis from failure to success. "We try to help motivate a child's interest in learning - to change their attitude."
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: KEITH GRAHAM/Staff. Pam Wood, director of education atby CNBthe Roanoke branch of the Sylvan Learning Center, works with Justin
Frazier, 10, on a reading program. The company began offering
education services in Sylvan, Ore., in 1979. color.