Are All Learning Centers the Same? (as published in Charlotte Parent Magazine, January 2002)

Faced with so many academic learning centers in the Charlotte area, how does a parent make a wise

decision about which on will be best for her child? Learning Centers have sprung up on dozens of

corners in Charlotte in the past five years. How do you decide where to go? As a parent, how can you

decide what to do prior to spending hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on an inappropriate service?

This is a dilemma faced by dozens of Charlotte parents each day.

Twenty years ago the concept of “learning center” had just begun to surface. At that time, when a

student needed academic help, his parents would take him to a tutoring center or to a private tutor’s

home. The tutor would open the child’s textbook and would help him understand his assignment.

The tutor’s job was to make the subject make sense to the child. Private tutors still exist in Charlotte,

but another type of tutoring, the “learning center,” has emerged as an alternative to private tutoring.

Typically learning centers use their own textbooks to teach students how to study but expect the

students to do their schoolwork at home on their own time. The cost per session is usually

comparable to private tutoring but the focus is different. Students enrolled in a learning center such

as Huntington Learning Center will work on their skills: reading, writing, math or general study skills.

Educational professionals at the center will even help the student’s parents establish better study

rules at home. The goal is that at the conclusion of the program the students will become

independent learners and will not need professional tutoring in the future.

Unfortunately, the phenomenal growth of learning centers in this area has left parents confused about

whether they have chosen the right facility. So how does a parent decide what to do? The first step is

to ask questions. No question should be left unanswered. If the center seems evasive about

responding, that is a clear sign of a problem. If, after calling different centers, you as a parent are still

confused, ask for an appointment to tour the centers. There should be no charge for this visit. There

is nothing better than a first-hand look at the center and its staff to help you make a good decision.

Finally ask teachers at your child’s school if they have heard of the center and if they have good

feelings about the quality of instruction. Ask neighbors also; they will usually either quickly

recommend or dismiss your choice.

When you call the center to get information, what questions should you ask? Find out how the center

is different from a tutoring center. If the directors can’t explain this difference to you, it is possible

that they are really a tutoring center in disguise. Does the center do a thorough academic evaluation?

Who analyzes the results and how are they reported to you? Be skeptical of centers that will accept

test results from other sources because evaluations involve much more than a set of scores. A

thorough evaluation involves analyzing types of questions that are missed and connecting those

questions to other parts of the evaluation. Are their testing and instructional materials constantly

evaluated and reviewed to make sure that the best available materials are available to help your child?

Centers that have national ties have the benefit of constantly being updated. How are the results

reported to you? Will you be given the opportunity to look at your child’s mistakes or will you just be

given scores?

Enrolling your child in a learning center is an investment in his future and you want to make sure it is

a wise investment. Be sure to ask how long the center has been in business. Many centers have

sprung up in Charlotte in the past eighteen months. While newness is not necessarily a liability, it

would present a problem for you if the center were to run into financial difficulties and decide to

quickly close. As a consumer, you should be looking for longevity and stability.

Be sure also to ask about the administrative staff: who are they, what are their qualifications, how

long have they been running the center, who interprets the test results? Are all their directors college

graduates? Since the directors run the center and will be consistently interacting with your child, feel

free to question them about their backgrounds. Then of course ask about their teachers. What are

their teachers’ qualifications? Do they train their teachers their methods? How long have their

teachers been working at the center? Ask if the center is accredited. If it is not, ask why. At this time

there is no central group that accredits all learning centers, but accreditation by a well known agency

such as SACS affirms the center’s credibility. Accreditation means that the center has done an

extensive self-study and has been visited and approved by an outside agency. If you enroll your child

and decide to withdraw, will you be allowed to do so without being penalized? Ask questions!

If, after speaking with the director on the phone you would like to visit the center, just ask to do so.

When you walk in the door the day of your visit, the person at the front desk should greet you warmly

and know your name. As you sit and wait for your appointment with the director, observe the parents

and students who are walking through the doors. How is everyone treated? How do the students act?

If you have the opportunity to do so, speak with these parents and students. Ask them how they like

the center; ask them if they have seen any progress. When you meet with the director, ask for a quick

tour of the center. Most parents have no concept of what to expect. Each center is arranged

differently; the director should be prepared to explain what you are seeing and how instruction takes

place. Ask the director how progress will be measured; ask her their success rate and ask her how

many students they currently have. Ask the director why she works at the center. You should be

looking for smiling upbeat people who love what they do and it shows. The center should be organized

and have a healthy busy look. Your final questions will be about cost. A high quality center may

appear to be slightly more expensive in the short run but ultimately will be the best educational buy in

the long run. As you leave the center, ask yourself whether you personally felt good about the

integrity of the staff and whether you were comfortable with the setting. This process is similar to that

in which high school seniors are encouraged to visit college campuses. If the senior does not feel good

about the environment, the college is not appropriate for the senior. If you do not feel good about the

learning center environment, the center is not appropriate for your child.

Finally, talk with the teachers, counselors, pediatricians, neighbors, relatives, etc. Realize that you

may speak with five people, three of whom love the center and two who don’t love it. What you’re

looking for is the reason why they love it or why they have had a bad experience. No one can please

everyone! Feel free to call the center again to clarify your concerns. In many cases teachers and

principals are not allowed to actually recommend that students receive outside help; however, after

you have already made the decision, they will generally tell you whether they approve of your choice.

The learning center must be one that has an open and receptive relationship with your child’s school.

If that situation does not exist, find out why.

Through thirteen years of experience at the Huntington Learning Center on Highway 51, we have seen

dozens of parents who had previously chosen a closer, more convenient, or cheaper learning center

because they thought all learning centers were equal. They always say that they had no idea there

would be these huge differences. Just remember that “learning center” does not equal “learning

center.” No two learning centers can possibly be the same. Even national centers with identical

materials will differ from site to site because the staffs will be different. Be a wise consumer and your

child will reap the benefits!

Jackie Pace

Executive Director

Huntington Learning Centers on Highway 51 and in Huntersville