Academic and Career Pathways

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Delaware explored an interesting benefit linked to kids’ physical activity routines. According to their findings, consistent exercise may help kids develop stronger vocabulary skills; this was particularly true when kids participated in a swimming exercise.

“Motor movement helps in encoding new words,” explained researcher Maddy Pruitt.  

The researchers had nearly 50 children between the ages of six and 12 participate in the study. The kids were divided into three groups: one group went swimming, one group participated in CrossFit, and a third group did a coloring activity. Prior to each group starting their activity, the children were given a series of new words to learn; the researchers assessed their understanding of them afterward. 

The study showed that not all physical activity reaped the same benefits; the children who were swimming in the study retained more words than children from the other two groups. Overall, these kids were also 13% better at defining the new words they had learned prior to the activity. 

Muscle memory helps when learning words

The researchers explained that swimming was more effective at helping kids build their vocabulary than CrossFit because of the muscle memory involved in swimming. The children knew what to expect when swimming, which allowed them to use the other parts of their brains to build on their vocabularies. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings can be beneficial in the classroom and for any consumers who work one-on-one with children in educational settings. While exercise is important for an overall healthy lifestyle, it can also be beneficial from an academic standpoint. 

“We were so excited about this study because it applies to clinicians, caregivers, and educators who can put it into practice,” said researcher Giovanna Morini. “It’s simple stuff, nothing out of the ordinary. But it could really help boost the outcomes.” 

Getting kids interested in reading can lead to several academic and developmental benefits. Now, researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center explored how certain reading programs can better prepare preschoolers for entering kindergarten. 

The team explained that a combination of two early reading programs -- Reach Out and Read and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library -- gave preschoolers the literacy skills they needed to be successful in kindergarten. 

“With this early study, we suggest that when combined and sustained, these two programs have the potential for effectively supporting the development of preliteracy skills of large populations of at-risk children, improving kindergarten readiness, and, ultimately, success in school and life,” said researcher Dr. Greg Szumlas. 

The benefits of reading programs

To understand the benefits of the two reading programs, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 3,200 children in Cincinnati over the course of three separate school years. 

All of the children were involved in both the Reach Out and Read program and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The former program supplies books and reading guidance to children from birth through age 5; the latter also sends books to families during the same timeframe.

The children in the study took the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) prior to starting kindergarten so that their literacy skills and overall kindergarten readiness could be measured. The researchers compared their scores with other students in school districts that weren’t involved in either reading program. 

Ultimately, children enrolled in both reading programs performed better on the KRA than other children in the Cincinnati school districts that weren’t participating in the reading programs. Having the extra reading practice translated to scores that were more than 15 percentage points higher than other students in the districts that hadn’t received reading assistance. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings highlight the benefits associated with early exposure to literacy and books. The team says reading with kids from infancy can result in a big advantage when it comes to getting ready for school.

“I can’t stress enough to parents the importance of reading with your child, starting at birth,” said Dr. Szumlas. “Just a few minutes a day, reading aloud, and interacting with your child over books can make a huge difference in helping them prepare and be ready for kindergarten.” 

While reading may not be every consumer’s favorite hobby, findings from a new study may prompt more people to pick up their favorite books more often. 

According to researchers from Concordia University, reading for fun has even more benefits than previously thought. Findings from a new study showed that reading for pleasure, as opposed to reading to find specific information, was associated with stronger verbal and cognitive skills.

“It’s always very positive and heartening to give people permission to delve into the series that they like,” said researcher Sandra Martin-Chang. “I liken it to research that says chocolate is good for you: the guilty pleasure of reading fiction is associated with positive cognitive benefits and verbal outcomes.” 

Long-term benefits of reading for fun

To determine the benefits associated with reading for fun, the researchers had 200 undergraduate students complete a series of assessments that evaluated their reading habits and their general attitudes toward reading. Afterwards, they answered test-based questions that gauged their verbal and cognitive abilities. The researchers also developed a predictive scale -- Predictors of Leisure Reading (PoLR) -- to see how well they could identify which participants were most interested in reading for fun. 

The researchers found that participants who scored higher on the reading questionnaires also scored higher on the verbal acuity exams. The opposite was also true; participants that scored lower on the general reading questionnaires had poorer scores on the verbal tests. 

The same associations emerged when the researchers looked at the PoLR. Participants who reported reading more often, specifically seeking out fiction or other novels, also had the highest test scores. Conversely, participants who reported only reading to seek out specific information scored poorer on the verbal acuity test. 

The researchers explained that these findings are interesting because of the population that they focused on. While most kids have to read for academic purposes, by the time they reach young adulthood, reading becomes voluntary. It’s important to know that picking up a book for enjoyment can leave consumers with long-term benefits. 

“This ingrained interest, wanting to read something over and over again, feeling compelled to read an entire series, feeling connected to characters and authors, these are all good things,” siad Martin-Chang. 

A new study conducted by researchers from Ohio State University has found that kids’ motivation to perform well in school may not be set in stone. 

According to their findings, high school students are particularly susceptible to building motivation as they get older. The researchers also found that students can develop stronger motivational skills if they have a strong sense of belonging at school and within their groups of friends.

“Our results point to a more hopeful picture for students who start out with lower levels of motivation -- they tend to shift toward more adaptive profiles with better motivational characteristics over time,” said researcher Kui Xie. 

Building motivation

For the purposes of the study, the researchers followed more than 1,600 high school students for two school years. Each year of the study, the participants completed surveys that assessed both their motivation and their perceived sense of belonging in school. The researchers compared their results with motivational profiles to see what trends emerged among the participants. 

Ultimately, they learned that many of the students were capable of changing their motivational styles. Although some started out the survey with a very poor motivation to perform academically, changes occurred in 40 and 77 percent of the students over time. It’s also important to note that kids who were inherently motivated at the start of the study were likely to maintain their motivation long-term. 

The team found that more time in high school led to fewer kids in the least motivated category, and the percentage of students who were self-motivated increased over the course of the study. The researchers attribute this to several different factors. They theorized that many students feel motivated by the idea of getting into a good college; others like the feeling of getting good grades and are pushed to keep excelling. Others adopted more motivation as they felt a greater sense of belonging among their peers. 

“This may be one area where we can help students become more motivated,” said Xie. “Belongingness is something schools can change. They can find ways to help students feel like they are a part of the school community.” 

As school officials think about ways to keep kids engaged and focused, the researchers hope that these findings come into play. Motivation doesn’t have to be fixed and rigid, and kids are likely to adapt to several different approaches. 

“When we design interventions, we should think about gradually shifting students to more adaptive profiles,” said Xie. “We need to tailor the motivation strategies to specific profiles. There is no one universal strategy that will work for all groups.” 

Attending preschool has been linked with improvements for kids’ social and academic skills. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia has found that state-funded preschool programs can play an important role in kids’ long-term academic success. 

According to the researchers, kids enrolled in state-funded preschool programs are more likely to develop strong math skills that last through middle school. 

“Pre-K is a critical space where children experience success, and it sets them on a trajectory for being successful as they make the transition to kindergarten,” said researcher Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett. “The hope is that when children are successful early in school, they are more likely to be engaged as they progress and more likely to complete high school.” 

Creating an educational foundation

For the study, the researchers followed nearly 460 students from preschool through middle school. Though not all the children attended a preschool program, the researchers evaluated their school records each year to assess their progress. 

The study revealed that kids who participated in the state-funded preschool program had more math success by the time they were in fourth grade than the students who hadn’t attended preschool. Between fourth and seventh grades, preschool attendees were more than two times as likely to be meeting statewide math standards than non-preschool attendees during those years. 

“School becomes more challenging as one progresses through the grades, and so if in middle school, students are still twice as likely to meet the state standards, it’s clear that something that happened early on was influencing their trajectory,” said Neuharth-Pritchett. 

Providing more learning opportunities

Many of the students involved in the study came from low-socioeconomic households, and opportunities for schooling before kindergarten were very limited. These findings highlight why state-funded preschool programs are so important because they offer educational opportunities for all kids -- regardless of their families’ income level. 

The researchers hope that these findings lead to substantial change in the education landscape. They say expanding these learning opportunities to more kids can only benefit their education down the road. 

“Equal access to pre-K education has a long history that goes all the way back to the war on poverty,” said Neuharth-Pritchett. “Part of the thinking during the 1960s was that such early learning opportunities would provide the high-quality preschool education that could level the educational playing field between those with economic resources and those without. 

“Our study indicated sustained benefits for children’s early learning experiences that persist into the elementary and middle school years.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the American Psychological Association explored the academic advantages associated with attending preschool versus going straight to kindergarten. According to their findings, preschool is instrumental in developing kids’ skills in a variety of areas, but children who go straight to kindergarten are still able to catch up by the end of their first year.  

“One interesting part of our findings was that children’s classroom experiences in kindergarten had little to do with whether the benefits of pre-K persist over time,” said researcher Arya Ansari. 

“Instead, what our findings appear to suggest is that even though children’s skills are susceptible to improvement as a result of pre-K, their longer-term outcomes are likely to be affected by factors that are outside the scope of early schooling. We need to view pre-K as one of many investments we make to ensure that all children have an equal opportunity to succeed in life.” 

Understanding educational progress

The researchers had over 2,500 kindergarteners involved in the study; over half of the group attended pre-K while the remaining children went straight to kindergarten. For the entirety of the kindergarten school year, the researchers evaluated the students on three primary outcomes: social-emotional skills, literacy and math, and executive functioning, which includes things like memory and self-control. 

The study revealed that pre-K graduates outperformed those who didn’t attend pre-K in the early parts of the kindergarten school year when it came to both academic and executive functioning outcomes. However, by the end of the year, the researchers found that students who hadn’t attended pre-K were able to close that gap. 

In looking at specific academic areas, the researchers noted that pre-K graduates started out the year 80 percent stronger in literacy and 45 percent stronger in general knowledge; however, by the end of the year, those differences were eliminated. 

“We found that pre-K graduates entered Kindergarten demonstrating stronger academic skills than those who did not attend preschool,” Ansari said. “The same was true for executive functioning, but there was no aggregate difference in kindergarten teachers’ reports of their socio-emotional skills. However, we also found that the differences between attenders and nonattenders diminished between the fall and spring of kindergarten, primarily because nonattenders who entered school for the first time in kindergarten made larger learning gains as compared to their classmates with pre-K experiences.” 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that more work can be done on the effects of attending preschool, as understanding these differences in academic performance can be beneficial to both parents and educators. 

“Ensuring that young children enter kindergarten ready to learn has been of great research and policy interest,” said Ansari. “By all accounts, pre-K programs have helped achieve this goal. However, there have been lingering questions as to whether contemporary and scaled-up pre-K programs provide children with enduring benefits as they progress throughout their educational careers.” 

Career changes can occur at any age, and according to a new study, many teachers are opting for a switch after 10 years on the job.

Researchers found that after the decade mark, many teachers are leaving their chosen field to embark on new endeavors, citing the need for a better work/life balance and less pressure on performance.

“It’s not as if they weren’t aware that teaching was going to be demanding,” the authors wrote. “However, they feel that the demands of the job outstrip their capacity to adapt. This raises the questions: what can be done to arrest this trend?”

Deciding to leave

The researchers were most interested in seeing not only what was driving teachers to leave the field, but also what led them to the field in the first place.

To get a better understanding of the thought processes of a large sampling of teachers, the researchers utilized a London school that recruits and trains the majority of teachers in the United Kingdom, known as the UCL Institute of Education (IOE).

There were 1,200 teachers involved in the study, and the researchers developed a six-part survey that asked teachers a variety of questions including:

• Demographic questions

• Motivational themes (Why the participants wanted to become teachers)

• Career goals

• Teacher training path and outcomes

• Current employment and future goals

• Reasons for leaving or reasons to leave the field

At the time of the survey, 18 percent of participants never made it past their initial teacher training, while 13 percent finished their training but left the profession. Of those teachers who quit, over 20 percent were in their third year, while over 30 percent were in their second year.

For those still teaching, many of their initial goals for getting into the field were similar. While half of the participants reported being passionate about their chosen subject, nearly 70 percent had aspirations of making a difference, and over 60 percent wanted to work with kids.

While nearly half of the respondents reported being committed to teaching for the long-haul, 16 percent had plans of leaving within five years, while over 20 percent saw themselves in the profession for another decade. It is important to note that the participants ranged in age from 21 years old to 51 years old, but the majority of the group was between 26 and 30 at the time of the survey, showing that their reasons for leaving weren’t related to retirement.

The researchers had those who left teaching report on why they left, and then also asked those still teaching why they might consider leaving, and found that the responses were very similar.

Seventy-five percent of teachers who left wanted a better work/life balance, while over 70 percent were overwhelmed by the workload. Moreover, nearly 60 percent of former-teachers felt too much pressure for their students to perform well. Those numbers were very similar to the teachers who were just pondering why they’d leave.

“The general response from government is that teaching will be improved by reducing workload, removing unnecessary tasks and increasing pay,” the authors wrote. “This may help, and our study does continue the discourse that workload is key. However, it also indicates that part of the problem lies within the culture of teaching, the constant scrutiny, the need to perform, and hyper-critical management. Reducing workload will not address these cultural issues.”

Consistent findings

This study touches on themes and ideas that have been circulating in the news as of late.

Last year, researchers from the University of Missouri found that over 90 percent of teachers were feeling job-related stress, which was found to have an effect on student outcomes.

Earlier this year, a government survey revealed that teachers are quitting in record numbers -- particularly in public schools.

The survey found that while many teachers are simply getting better offers in other fields, others are looking for better compensation, and others are plagued with disruptive students and a lack of discipline from superiors.

A report by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) raises concerns about the long-term future of many members of the millennial generation.

The report, based on an analysis of an adult competency assessment, shows nearly half of millennials in the U.S. have low literacy skills and even more lack the ability to understand and work with numbers.

“These numbers are sobering because the findings presented in this report show that skills are associated with an array of important outcomes including employment opportunities, wages, and benefits,” the authors write.

The report also makes the point that literacy and numeracy are not only connected with economic returns but play a critical role in uniting society and democracy.

More likely to be unemployed

The report by ETS researchers Anita Sands and Madeline Goodman suggests millennials with low skills are more likely to be unemployed, out of the labor force, working in low-skill occupations, and earning low incomes.

They are also less likely to have health care coverage than those with higher skills. Societally, they are less likely than their higher-skilled peers to have trust in others, be engaged in civic affairs, and feel as though they can influence government.

Rapid and fundamental change

The authors say millennials are more vulnerable than previous generations because they came along at a time when America was undergoing rapid and fundamental changes. A manufacturing economy, which previously supported a broad middle class, was transitioning to a service and information economy, requiring education and skill.

“This shift impacted many facets of American life, not least of which is the nature of work and the need for higher level literacy and numeracy skills,” the authors write.

Unfortunately for millennials, the economy provides fewer sustainable economic opportunities to people who lack higher-level skills. The work that is available to those with lower skills often carries risks without providing benefits, such as retirement plans, health insurance, and sustainable wages.

The report sounds an alarm for a generation entering adulthood that may be ill-equipped to cope with a changing world. It concludes that the millennial generation is not just at risk, but future generations as well.

Students choose their college for a variety of reasons, so personal finance site WalletHub drew up a list of most influential factors and ranked how schools met them.

If you value small classes, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and California Institute of Technology tied for lowest student-to-teacher ratio. Princeton, Yale, Holy Names University in California and Sweet Brier College in Virginia also ranked well in this category.

If graduation rates are an important factor, Pamona College in California graduates the largest percentage of its students each year. Davidson College in North Carolina and Georgetown University also made a strong showing.

Student loan debt

Many students are understandably concerned about graduating with a lot of student loan debt. 

If that is a worry, consider Paul Quinn College in Texas, where students graduate with the least amount of debt, according to the WalletHub report. Lane College in Tennessee and the University of Tennessee-Chatanooga also perform well by that measure.

On the other hand, the WalletHub report found Texas Christian University graduates leave school with the most debt, followed by Graceland University in Iowa.

Measuring by student loan default rate, the California Institute of Technology has the lowest student loan default rate in the nation. Two other California schools -- Claremont McKenna College and Harvey Mudd College -- also excel in that area.

Meanwhile, Central State University in Ohio and Paine College in Georgia have the highest student loan default rate among its students.

Salary after graduation

Harvey Mudd College earned another distinction for delivering the highest return on students’ education dollars, followed by MIT and the California Institute of Technology.

It's no surprise, then, that MIT leads all schools with the highest median salary after graduation, followed by Harvard and Georgetown.

The WalletHub reports concludes Livingston College in North Carolina provides the lowest return on investment, followed by Wheelock College in Massachusetts and the University of Pikeville, in Kentucky.

College enrollment is down but majors in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math – the so-called STEM fields – are on the rise.

The trend is unsurprising, as businesses have reported a shortage in qualified candidates for specialized jobs–spurring a response by elementary and high schools of emphasizing STEM in their curricula. 

This trend has accelerated since the financial crisis and Great Recession, when businesses suddenly downsized and recent graduates found they were unprepared for a harsh new job market that favored specific fields. A recent CareerBuilder study found degrees in science technologies and technical fields surged 49 percent between 2010 and 2014.

Degrees in mathematics and statistics rose 35 percent over the same period. Computer sciences saw a 32 percent gain while there was a 26 percent increase in students pursuing engineering degrees.

Humanities falling out of favor

Degrees in the humanities, meanwhile, have subsequently waned. Emsi, a company focused on the student-to-employment path, recently reported that majors in the humanities declined by almost a half percent between 2010 and 2016 while STEM majors grew 43 percent.

But other research suggests that favoring STEM degrees might not solve all of employers' workforce problems, and could even leave some gaps. A report by the World Economic Forum and LinkedIn notes that many of these STEM majors are highly specialized – maybe too specialized.

While a specialized STEM field of study can prepare students for a specific job, these jobs can quickly change with technological advances. The study authors note that employers increasingly value the broad knowledge and critical thinking skills that the humanities can provide.

Need for critical thinking skills

Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder, says it's encouraging to see the increased participation in STEM-related studies; at the same time, he's expressed concern over what he sees as a slowdown in overall degree completions tied to development of strong communications and critical-thinking skills.

“Nearly half of employers say they currently have job vacancies but can't find skilled candidates to fill them,” Ferguson said at the time of the CareerBuilder study. “We need to do a better job informing students and workers about which fields are in demand and growing, and provide them with access to affordable education and training, so the journey to a high-skill job is an achievable one regardless of their socioeconomic situation."

Meanwhile, employers are pointing out that not everyone needs a college degree. There is a growing need for personnel with skills in the building trades.

A recent report by Klein Tools found that many older electricians are leaving the industry, citing the physical demands of the job. Meanwhile, not enough new electricians are taking up the trade, indicating there may be an electrician shortage in the next five to 10 years.

To help revive interest in the vocational trades, California is investing millions of dollars to promote vocational education and to make it more accessible for interested students.

The statistics suggest a large number of students enter college with no idea about what they will do when they get out.

As a result, they end up choosing majors that are unrelated to their ultimate careers. Majorfit, a company that says it can help students choose the right major, points to a Washington Post report showing only 27% of college graduates are working in a career related to their major.

It also cites a report from CareerBuilder that found 51% of college grads confessed they worked in fields that have little to do with their college majors.

Majorfit says it relies on Big Data to help students select the right major before they spend years and thousands of dollars pursuing the wrong one.

Self-administered assessments

The company, which publishes student assessment tools, has launched a new program that it says can help students make a more informed decision. The program is made up of self-administered assessments, with the goal of guiding students to a career that fits their strengths and aspirations.

"Many high school students work relentlessly for the 4.0-plus GPA, yet most of them do not know what major they want to choose, and very few take the time to explore the viable career options," said Sara Park, the company co-founder. "Consequently, the college dropout rate has reached 38% and a greater percentage change their majors before finishing their college programs."

So the idea is to save students time and money, guiding them away from fields of study that won't help them in their future careers. How do they do it? Co-founder Steven Choi says Big Data plays a big role. It's used to match students' strength and suitability with a potential major.

"That's a totally different approach than any traditional personality test," he said.

Based on brain research

Choi says using the program is simple. Students only need access to a computer and internet connection to take the tests online. Results are administered instantly upon completion.

Choi says the Majorfit aptitude test (MAT) is the product of Big Data analysis, based on recent brain research. He says that's one thing that sets it apart from most psychological theorized tests such as the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

It costs $300 to take the MAT. The company charges $200 for an optional consultation after students have taken the test. You can register for and purchase the test here.

However, there are less expensive ways to narrow your search. Many colleges have online quizzes designed to identify potential fields of study. Here's a short quiz on Marquette University's website.

Higher education is under the gun. For years, students have paid astronomical tuition, usually requiring massive student loans.

All well and good if you come out of college with a six-figure salary. But unless you are a quarterback taken in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, that doesn't happen that often.

So is all college a waste of money? Not at all, but just like with all consumer products, some can deliver on their promises and some fall short. The problem is telling the former from the latter.

The Princeton Review says it can help, releasing its 2017 annual guide to "colleges that pay you back." In other words, colleges where a degree can quickly pay for itself. The Princeton Review has identified 200 schools that fit that description.

Return on investment

The review judged schools for their return on investment (ROI). It looked at academic strength, cost of attending, financial aid, graduation rates, and student debt.

"College is a major financial investment and we want to help students and their families get the biggest return on that investment," said Robert Franek, the Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief and lead author of Colleges That Pay You Back.

Franek says the colleges that made the cut offer great value. Students get a great education but also benefit from generous financial aid, helpful career services programs, alumni connections, and career opportunities like internships.

So what are the colleges that "pay you back?" According to The Princeton Review, here are the top five:

Top five

1. Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.)
2. Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.)
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Mass.)
4. Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, Calif.)
5. California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, Calif.)

In specific categories, Massachusetts Institute of Technology stands out in career placement; Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., wins points for financial aid; and Bentley University in Walthan, Mass., was praised for its internships.

The project is an expansion of the Review's annual list of best college values, first published in 2004. It's designed to help students make the best decision for their selected field and financial resources.

"While 100% of our respondents viewed college as 'worth it,' worries about college costs and job prospects ran deep," Franek said. "Ninety percent reported financial aid would be 'very necessary' to pay for college, and 40% said their college choice would be the school 'best for my (my child's) career interests.'"

The Review's editors found the average grant to students with need is $25,150 and the median starting salary of graduates is $51,200, with a median mid-career salary of $94,377.

As important as STEM careers are, the notable dropout rate in STEM focused college programs and the growing segregation of students into STEM versus non-stem categories shows our broad misunderstanding of what STEM really is at its core.

Every career is a STEM career. The only difference is the amount of education required for a specific field and the financial compensation received.

From bug exterminator to aerospace engineer, STEM skills are required on a daily basis. This can only call into question our approach to filling career field shortages and how STEM is understood and incorporated into every curriculum.

A corrected understanding of STEM in our daily lives can only provide less resistance to STEM discussions and career considerations from an early age as well as clarify the hardwired STEM characteristics inherent in our brains from birth.

When teachers and students are aware of their use of science, technology, the engineering method and mathematics in their personal, non-professional lives, the application to careers and their required skill set become very clear.

Engineering method

By definition, we all use the engineering method (a decision making process) several times per day without realizing it. The same can be said when defining science, which is the “intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experimentation”. When we truly understand our daily use of “systematic study” and “decision making” we quickly see that we are engineers and scientists in practice well before a career choice is made.

Regarding math and technology use, those two are fairly easy to see, from cooking recipes and simple measurements (math) to smart phone and computer use (technology).

The creation of STEM schools, degrees and specialized pathways could make one question our STEM understanding and solution planning in light of a one third college STEM degree dropout rate, not to say they don’t have an important role to play.

Out of focus?

Could we be focused in the wrong direction regarding STEM in America and world-wide? It wouldn’t be the first time we made an education miscalculation.

The incorporation of STEM understanding in grades K-12 is easily accomplished without increasing the budget or creating a new curriculum, both of which the typical school is unwilling to embrace to say nothing of the teachers already overwhelming time constraints.

An early start to a clear and comprehensive knowledge of STEM use in our daily lives can only increase our curiosity and interest in career possibilities that would have otherwise been ignored or deemed unattainable by many if not most students and their families. That simple curiosity is the foundation of all student exploration into fields of interest. When clearly understood, no career choice is unreachable, and its STEM applications no longer scary and unattainable.

“I use STEM every day, no matter my future career choice,” are the words we should be hearing from students in all grades. For those who drop out of college level STEM paths, they will soon discover that they still need and will use STEM skills anyway, everyday.

We need to redefine our misconception of STEM by definition, career category, and curriculum development. A 60 second STEM activity a few times per week in every subject is the foundation of a corrected understanding of how we think, what we can accomplish, a new encouragement to be curious and a welcome embrace of all things STEM without fear or discouragement.

Young man or women….all are born hard wired for STEM and destined to use STEM daily as a plumber, teacher, auto mechanic, politician, aerospace engineer or geochemist.

---

Wayne Carley is the publisher of STEM Magazine

The concept of a tutor to provide extra help to a student is centuries old. In recent years however, it has taken on added significance as more parents try to improve their children's academic performance.

Once looked upon as a tool to help struggling students catch up to their peers, tutors are now employed to give students an advantage – to help them tackle more challenging courses and turn B's into A's. Parents are willing to spend big money for the services of a good tutor who achieves results.

A tutor, after all, can mean the deciding factor in getting accepted at an elite college, if that is a goal. More importantly, a tutor can help a student master the material, laying a solid foundation for future learning.

The New York Timesreports in-demand private tutors can command $400 an hour or more but the average rate is considerably lower – usually around $50. Private in-home tutors are the most costly while tutoring centers, where instructors work in a classroom setting, helping several students at once, are a fast-growing business.

Here are 5 national and international tutoring companies, reviewed by ConsumerAffairs readers, that you might consider.

Sylvan Learning 

Of the national tutoring franchises and chains, Sylvan Learning is probably the largest and most well known, thanks to an extensive marketing campaign.

Sylvan got its start in the Pacific Northwest in 1979 when a former teacher, W. Berry Fowler, decided there was a market for helping children keep up, and get ahead, in their school work. By 1986 there were over 500 Sylvan Learning Center franchises around the country and shortly thereafter, Sylvan became a publicly traded company.

Today Sylvan focuses on instruction in reading, writing, math and study skills. Like many tutoring operations, the company in recent years has emphasized instruction in science and the so-called STEM areas – science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“The fastest growing areas of our economy are the STEM-related sectors,” said Jeffrey Cohen, president and CEO of Sylvan Learning. “We have to provide more opportunities for our students, especially girls, to explore STEM subjects at an early age. We want to engage every elementary student, ignite their passion for discovery and put them on a path for fulfilling and successful careers. Waiting until high school is too late."

Sylvan's Math Edge program is open to children in grades 1-5 and is aimed at increasing a student's math proficiency. Children attend two one-hour sessions per week at their local Sylvan Learning center.

Sessions consist of math activities that grow progressively more challenging. The system is based on learning, practicing, problem solving, engaging and reinforcing.

For students already firmly grounded in STEM subjects Sylvan offers courses in robotics and code-writing. In the code-writing program, kids not only learn how to write computer programs, they also design video games. The coding program is open to students in grades 3-8 and is one hour a week for six weeks.

For older students Sylvan places an emphasis on getting them ready for college, with placement test prep courses and advanced reading and writing courses.

In the SAT Exam Prep course, Sylvan says students are taught strategies for dealing with every type of exam question, including the essay portion of the test.

Tutor Doctor

Instead of students going to a central, retail location for instruction, Tutor Doctor offers in-home tutoring, and has done so for the last 10 years. It has grown into an international franchise, giving students extra help in countries all over the world.

The process starts with a consultation, the basis of a proposed learning program for the student. The company says it then matches the student with one of its tutors, based on area of specialty and personalities.

Because everything is tailored to the individual student, Tutor Doctor says the curriculum revolves around the child. The tutor provides homework help and encourages the student to expand his or her capabilities. Parents get written weekly status reports from the tutor.

“Students work at their own pace, free from any peer pressure they may feel in traditional learning environments,” The company says. “Whether your student’s needs are immediate – like passing the next exam – or long- term, we build them a tailor-made plan that gets results.”

Kids might like Tutor Doctor because it doesn't create extra work for them. Rather, the tutor focuses on students' current homework assignments and helps them master it.

The tutor also works with classroom teachers, even holding one-on-one meetings on a regular basis to make sure they are addressing the child's needs.

In addition to children, Tutor Doctor has programs for college students and adults who are seeking extra academic assistances.

Tutor Doctor also offers a money-back guarantee. It says if you aren't happy with the tutor assigned to your child, a better match will be found. If you still aren't happy, any unused tutoring hours you have purchased are refundable, up to 60 days from the date of purchase.

e-Tutor

e-Tutor is a virtual classroom that can be used for tutoring as well as for supplementing children's primary classroom experience. It has offered tutoring services to students K-12 since 1997.

Because all instruction is online, e-Tutor can be accessed from even the most remote location. That might make it practical in rural areas where brick-and-mortar tutor franchises don't exist.

e-Tutor says students become part of an “online learning community,” and promotes its services as ideal for homeschoolers, international students, student athletes and performers, health-impaired, gifted-talented students and those who want to increase or refresh their educational skills.

Lessons are presented in modules and include the areas of language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Subscribers choose the level where they want to work.

The company says its programs can increase basic academic skills such as reading, spelling, history, science and mathematics and assists in the process of evaluating and processing information.

Lesson modules come in nine parts and include a study guide, lesson problem, activities, extended learning, resources, vocabulary and self-correcting quizzes and exams.

The Guided One-2-One Program provides students with an online tutor to work with the student, providing both advice and support. The student has direct contact with a tutor one hour each week and can send and receive emails at any time. Tutors stay in touch with parents by e-mail or phone on a monthly basis.

Children have a say in the lesson modules they pursue but educational counselors will offer advice to both parent and child, helping to design an educational program that meets academic needs.

e-Tutor also offers programs for adults, who may find the online format more convenient. There are programs for adults studying to pass a GED, preparing to enter the military or boning up for a return to college.

Club Z!

Like Tutor Doctor, Club Z! provides in-home tutoring services. The company was founded in 1994 and offers a variety of academic services to students from pre-kindergarten through high school.

Club Z! says it provides tutors in every major city in the U.S. and Canada, matching tutors with students based on where the student needs help.

“Through our proprietary Z! Tutor Match system, we go to great lengths to match them with students based on personality, learning preferences, and academic strengths and weaknesses,” the company says on its website.

For example, the company says if a child needs help with algebra, he or she is matched up with an tutor who specializes in that subject. If a parent isn't satisfied with the match, the company says it will find a more suitable one.

Club Z! is heavy on math and science support. Its math offerings include algebra, geometry, calculus and trigonometry. Science tutoring specializes in biology, chemistry and physics.

In addition to support for regular academic course work, Club Z! also has a proprietary curriculum for college test prep courses. Special programs emphasize writing skills and reading comprehension. It also offers general study skills to help students who are struggling to keep up with their class.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act, the company is eligible to contract with under-performing schools to provide tutoring for all students. It also contracts to provide academic support to hospital or home-bound students, veterans and homeless students.

Eduboard

Eduboard rounds out our review of national tutoring services. Like e-Tutor, Eduboard is an online tutoring service that helps students get answers to their academic problems online. But its business model is a bit different.

“At Eduboard, you only pay for 1-on-1 tutoring help and nothing else,” the company says.

Let's stay you are stuck on a science assignment. You can register at Eduboard and post your question.

Tutors look at your question and, if they think they can help, they apply for it and offer their price and various tutoring options they are ready to provide. You can choose the tutor whose price and qualifications suit your needs best.

“With us, you can get a fast and precise answer to any question at a very competitive price, which starts from $2,” the company said.

You can also schedule an online session with a tutor. The company says the average price for a 30 minute session is $20. You can view a video tutorial on a wide range of subjects for $15.

Students pay for the services on an a la carte basis using PayPal.

In addition to standard academic subjects Eduboard provides prep courses for college entrance exams and advanced placement (AP) courses.

Growth business

With the increased importance of education the private tutoring industry is expected to continue rapid growth. Fierce competition to get into college is one reason. Filling in the gaps left by public education is another.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development estimates up to 20% of the U.S. population has a reading or language-based deficiency.

In their book “The Tutoring Revolution,” a group of education consultants say that despite its rapid growth, tutoring is still pretty much a cottage industry with varying standards. Their book includes practical guidelines for selecting a tutor and proposes ethical and regulatory tutoring standards for use by tutors and state agencies.