In 2015, the Fraser Institute released a "Report Card" on Ontario’s Elementary Schools. The document collects and rates objective indicators of school performance. The overall top rating is 10, which is a relative rating that can still be further improved. However, Richmond Hill schools demonstrated a general downward trend, mainly due to lower scores in math, followed by reading.

Relatedly, some studies reveal the benefits of hiring a tutor to enhance struggling academic performance. These findings indicate that parents should seriously consider a tutor for any of their children who are wrestling with math or any other subject.

The Report Card on Ontario’s Elementary Schools

Many Richmond Hill schools received lower ratings from Fraser for the past five years, especially in math. For instance, in the Académie de la Moraine, Grade 3 math ratings dropped from 3.2 in 2011 to 2.9 in 2014. This score is part of the rating only as it refers to Grade 3 students.

Charles Howitt School showed a decline in the same subject, from 3.0 to 2.9. Most schools exhibited lower ratings in math, followed by reading, although some schools showed drops across all subjects. Schools with high ratings, on the contrary, tended to do well in math, reading, and writing. The Fraser Report Card points to difficulties that students in general experience with math.

Studies Show that Tutors Can Help Improve Grades

A couple of studies reveal that tutors can help students attain better grades. Jaekyung Lee compared private tutoring practices and school effects between South Korea and the United States. She learned that private tutoring can produce positive academic results at individual student levels.

Cultural and social factors matter, too. It is possible that supportive families may result in higher grades than those where support is low. Another study from Fuchs, et al, analyzed the impacts of preventative tutoring for third-grade students with reading and math problems. Preventive tutoring pertains to at-risk students needing intervention as early as possible to prevent grades from worsening.

This study learned that tutoring was effective in addressing math and reading problems. These tutors proved to be possibly more effective than school teachers because they identified learning problems and focused on exact concepts and domains in which students were struggling.

Focused and dedicated tutoring can help students who suffer low grades. Instead of leaving them to become more discouraged, by hiring a tutor you are effectively intervening in a positive way. A tutor can model studying techniques and promptly address learning problems that school teachers may not have the capacity to address due to time or focus constraints.

Sources:

“Effects of Preventative Tutoring on the Mathematical Problem Solving of Third-Grade Students With Math and Reading Difficulties,” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

“Report Card on Ontario's Elementary Schools 2015,” fraserinstitute.org