How to Choose the Right Academic Tutor in Denver

As the school year kicks off across the Denver metro, many families will soon begin to consider finding an academic tutor to help support their child, especially after the first month of tests and grades start to come in. Below are some tips to help you find the right tutor for your child.

Three Tips to Find the Right Academic Tutor for Your Child

1. Ask Clarifying Questions to Ensure a Good Fit

Anyone can call themselves a tutor, regardless of their education or experience. There’s a world of difference between the academic support a student would receive from an Orton-Gillingham trained tutor and that of a college student.

To ensure they are receiving high-quality support, encourage families to ask questions such as:

• How do you assess a student’s strengths and weaknesses?
• How has your background prepared you to work with a student like mine?
• How do you collaborate with your student’s parents and teachers?
• How do you balance academic growth vs holistic growth?

2. Know the Signs of a High-Quality Tutor

How do you separate a tutor from an expert educator? Here are five signs of a high-quality tutor.

• Expertise: Has extensive experience and education working with a specific learning need, subject, or age group.
• Personalization: Tailors instruction to a child’s goals, needs, and interests.
• Structure: Has a clear plan of action for how they’ll support a student
• Collaboration: Consistent progress updates, shared with both parents and their teachers.
• Appropriately Priced: Knows they provide a valuable service and charges as such (If the first four signs are met, expect to see prices greater than $80 per hour for general tutoring and $100 per hour for specialized tutoring).

3. For Neurodivergent Students: Prescriptive Tutoring > General Tutoring

Neurodivergent students benefit most from prescriptive, data-driven tutoring, not general academic help. The best tutors are data-driven: they use a handful of assessments to identify specific learning gaps and create personalized plans to close them and build up their confidence. They track progress with student data and create a clear outline of the skills they need to focus on to help their students continue to thrive.

For neurotypical students, general tutoring may be sufficient, especially if they are looking for more basic homework help.

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Are You Looking for an Academic Tutor?

Strive Learning Solutions partners with families to provide personalized tutoring for K-12 students, especially neurodivergent learners, including those with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences.

Inquire today to get your child the academic support they deserve!

Brian Allender is the founder of Strive Learning Solutions, a tutoring practice specializing in dyslexia, ADHD, and executive functioning for K-12 students in Denver and online.