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Our Policy Position

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Tutor Our Children was created to give a voice to the parents and children who benefit from Federally Funded Tutoring Services and the providers, community organizations and faith-based groups across the country dedicated to extending support to the most vulnerable students.

Our coalition is focused on ensuring that Federally Funded Tutoring Services are included during the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and we urge Congress to adhere to the following core principles:

  • High quality services must be provided. A robust and rigorous accountability system will ensure that students receive high quality support from a wide range of national and community based providers.
  • Current law must be enforced. Parents of eligible students have a right to tutoring under current federal law. The US Department of Education should be enforcing this right rather than eliminating it through waivers that ignore parental rights and student needs.
  • Tutoring must be available to the students who need it. To protect the rights of parents and to promote the achievement of children in our lowest performing schools, this important lifeline must continue.
  • Tutoring must be funded and the mission of Title I must be preserved. Under current federal law, 20% of federal “Title 1” funds are intended to be set-aside for Federally Funded Tutoring.  These funds should be used for their intended purpose: to preserve the educational safety net by providing targeted assistance to the most vulnerable students.
  • Parent choice is essential. When parents are more engaged in their children’s education, their children do better in school. Parents who choose tutoring are more involved and more committed to their child’s education. Parent choice also is critical for holding tutoring programs accountable for results.