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Saturday, February 25, 2006

Only a Fraction of Eligible City Students Received Help Guaranteed by Law

By Amy Miller
Journal Staff Writer
    Thousands of Albuquerque students did not receive free tutoring guaranteed to them under the federal No Child Left Behind Act due to limited funding and the difficulty of notifying parents, school officials said.
    The district received only enough federal money to cover tutoring for 2,500 students, although 11,000 students at 18 city schools qualified.
    Another 16 schools may be required to offer tutoring next year if they fail to meet federal testing standards this year. But federal money for supplemental tutoring in Albuquerque will likely remain the same at about $3.5 million, said Gregg McMann, instructional manager of Title I services for APS.
    "So the pie is the same size, but more people want to eat it," McMann said.
    Under the federal act, students attending Title I schools that fail to meet academic performance goals three years in a row are eligible for free tutoring from public or private providers. Title I schools are those in which at least 50 percent of students qualify for free and reduced meals.
    Sixteen companies offered tutoring services in New Mexico schools in 2004-2005.
    Regardless of the limited funding, the district was not able to fill all available tutoring slots. That's because reaching parents to let them know their children qualify for the program remains a challenge, McMann said.
    About 2,400 students signed up for free tutoring this year.
    Often students don't take notices home to their families. Sometimes, teachers are not aware tutoring is available.
    Or parents don't realize their child needs extra help until it's too late in the school year to sign up. Parents can sign up their children in August and October.
    According to state and federal law, 75 percent of the federally funded tutoring must be completed before testing starts in late February or March.
    "Two years ago, we tried mailing that information to the families," McMann said. "This was a huge expense and cut into available funds for tutoring, and the sign-up response was not that much greater."
    School districts across the country face similar problems. The Washington-based Center on Education Policy found that only about 18 percent of all eligible students nationwide received free tutoring in the 2004-05 school year.
    A recent evaluation of New Mexico's federal tutoring program found problems with parent communication and tracking how many students actually participate.
    But McMann said New Mexico schools are in better shape than some districts elsewhere that don't offer any supplemental tutoring, despite the federal law.
    James Lujan, principal of Eugene Field Elementary, said low enrollment is not just due to a lack of money; schools must do a better job of recruiting.
    About 100 of the 360 students at Eugene Field participated in the program this year, a jump from 60 last year, Lujan said. To increase the number, he invited tutoring companies to parent nights so they could talk about their programs.
    "It was a showcase showdown of what they have to offer," Lujan said.
    He personally contacted parents to let them know their children were eligible. When federal money for tutoring ran out in February, he continued to pay for it through his school's operational budget.
    The extra attention for students is working, he says. Yellow and red graphs hanging in hallways show student improvement in math or reading.
    "Tutoring is one huge element that's helped us close the achievement gap," Lujan said.
    Parent Linda Archuleta agrees. Her 8-year-old son's reading and math grades have improved dramatically, she said. Her son's tutor regularly gives her data showing his progress.
    "It's very helpful when you can actually see a graph," she said. "I really appreciate that."