ThisWeek Community Newspapers

In 2004-2005, only 10 percent -- 500 of about 5,000 eligible students -- signed up for and received the free tutoring. A district spokesman said $3.4-million was set aside for the tutoring last year, but only $900,000 was spent.

The administrator in charge of SES said CPS follows the steps outlined in the NCLB law.

"We send out letters to let them (parents) know that their children are eligible for SES," said Danny Graves, who was named CPS elementary curriculum director last January and recently took on the added duty of supplemental services director.

"We also invited parents to a provider fair and plan to send our staff to school open houses to give parents information," Graves said. "And we refer parents to the provider list on the state (Ohio Department of Education) Web site."

He said parents contact vendors, sign a contract and take their students to tutoring sessions. Providers then submit their bills for payment from the money set aside for SES.

Other than anecdotally, Graves couldn't explain why such a small percentage of students receive the tutoring.

"We haven't done a study on that; we do know that kids are involved with other things," he said, mentioning that the national participation rate is about 13 percent.

Tutoring providers, however, say transportation, accessibility and not understanding how SES works are the three issues parents bring up.

"We are in libraries in neighborhoods close to our students, so that helps," Charlie Yawn said. "But parents tell us they work and can't drive their kids after school."

Yawn represented Wims Enterprises, a Dayton company that tutored about 30 Columbus students last year, at the Oct. 1 provider fair at St. Stephens Community Center.

Canada, who attended the fair with her niece, said the letter inviting them was unclear about whether the girl would qualify, because two deciding factors are poverty level and test scores.

"We wouldn't have known about the free tutoring if not for the letter," she said, adding that she had been trying to figure out how to pay for tutoring out of her own pocket.

"They (school officials) haven't told us yet if Sheila is eligible," Canada added. "We're just going to apply and see."

Graves said although school principals are following district protocol in referring parents to the supplemental services office, they should also be able to explain the basics.

"As a former principal myself, I feel (they) should know about the provider fair and the letter that is being sent out," he said. "We probably should also print out the provider list and have it available to parents."

Canada made another point.

"We'll figure out the transportation," said. "But I'd love it if the tutoring was right at school."

Lack of access to school buildings is a sore point with some tutoring companies, especially those based out of state who are trying to enter the Columbus market.

"The biggest barriers as to why or why not parents get their children into supplemental services have to do with understanding the process and accessibility," said Earl Martin Phalen, founder and CEO of Building Educated Leaders for Life, an educational services company in Boston, and one that is listed on the Ohio Department of Education list of approved vendors.

"In New York, they allow us to be present in the schools," Phalen said during a phone interview. "We actually have teams in our schools to hand out information to parents to help them understand. Direct mail doesn't always reach them."

His company works with about 13,000 students, most of them in New York City schools, where he said 30 percent of eligible students receive the federally funded tutoring.

It's more complicated than just providing access, said Wanda Stearns, who supervises Title I programs for Columbus schools.

"The reality is, a provider does not necessarily provide the service. They can ... go out and hire someone across the street," she said. "Some of them hire the parents to do the tutoring."

That's not true of all tutoring companies, those at the provider fair said. Many align their sessions to Ohio curriculum and match them to the pace of instruction in Columbus schools. They also use certified teachers, track student progress and regularly meet with parents.

Still, Stearns said, uncertainty about who is actually in the building, along with custodial and other costs connected with keeping buildings open late, adds to the district's hesitation.

"Also, if a vendor has to pay (to use the school), they are deducting that from the money they get to tutor the kids," she said.

It's not clear if access to school space automatically leads to increased enrollment in SES programs.

Cleveland, the largest school district in Ohio, does allow vendors into schools, but student participation there is about the same as in Columbus.

Last year, 9,161 students were eligible and 946 (10.3 percent) actually participated, said Becky Hague, a spokesperson for Cleveland Municipal Schools.

Regardless of the reasons so few students participate, CPS Deputy Superintendent Marvenia Bosley said it appears Columbus might be able to do better.

"We could be more proactive," she said. "SES should be more accessible to parents. They should, minimally, be aware of the provider list and whether their children qualify."

Bosley said it is important to track how the vendor's efforts are making a difference with student achievement.

"It might be early," she said. "This has only been a requirement for three years."

The district does offer other support, she said, citing in-school tutoring programs paid for by other funds.

Saturday proficiency institutes, being offered for the fourth year this winter, prepare students for state tests, and other programs help them make up classes they have failed or missed along the way.

"We also have study tables (for sports teams)," she said. "That's a great incentive: You don't get much playing time if your grades aren't there."

Stearns said even though the school district doesn't use all of its set-aside money for SES, the leftover funds become part of the Title I rollover for the following year; up to 15 percent of all Title I funding can be moved into the next year.

"That's an interesting part of the law," said Joel Rose, general manager of SES for Newton Learning, a division of Edison Schools in New York. His company chose not to tutor in Columbus because it was not allowed to use school buildings.

"If the district can meet the demand and spend less than (the set-aside), they can reallocate the money for other federal programs," he said.

Rose said he believes school districts purposely "make SES available but not accessible; they benefit from that."

But Stearns said the rollover pays for other much-needed services.

"We use that money to support other programs, approved for Title I spending," she said.

Some of it supports parent engagement, English as a Second Language and early childhood education programs, she said.

At many schools, the rollover is being used for in-school tutoring. At Highland Elementary School, for example, students are tutored after school, in their building. Highland is one of the 26 elementaries and 15 middle schools in Columbus that didn't meet federal improvement standards; Highland students qualify for SES.

But principal Jane Leach said she "really doesn't use" the outside companies that offer tutoring and she doesn't broadcast the service to parents.

Instead, she uses her Title I funds to pay her own teachers to provide the service.

"We look at test scores, we know who needs the help," she said.

The school also received a federal 21st Century Learning grant.

"Through that, the Boys and Girls Club also tutors our students. And that grant also pays for transportation home," Leach said.