Statement by Antonia Cortese, Executive Vice President,
American Federation of Teachers, on the Aug. 4 GAO Report Calling for Improvements to Supplemental Educational Services Under NCLB 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This report serves as an important springboard for strengthening the accountability of tutoring services to students in underperforming schools, as required under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Sustained, intensive, one-on-one or small-group tutoring that is linked to a school’s curriculum and provided by well-qualified educators can help struggling students boost their achievement. Yet, as the GAO report unfortunately highlights, tutoring services under NCLB often fail to meet this standard.

It is a waste of time and tax dollars when tutoring bears no relationship to a school’s curriculum, fails to reach the students who need it most, and lacks any reliable evidence of success.  Yet, as the GAO report uncovered, these are common problems hampering the delivery of SES services, the vast majority of which are provided by private, for-profit groups.

It will be important for Congress to address the shortcomings of SES services that are revealed in the GAO report. These efforts should build on what experience and research show: Tutoring is most effective when it is early, intensive, equally and easily accessible to all students, provided by highly qualified educators and directly linked to students’ everyday schoolwork. Tutoring must also be partof a comprehensive system of supports for struggling schools that includes smaller classes, intensive professional development for teachers, a rigorous curriculum aligned with standards and other research-based strategies.

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