L.A. Schools Promote Free Tutoring for Some StudentsSeptember 23, 2003|Duke Helfand | Times Staff WriterLos Angeles school officials on Monday urged parents whose children attend chronically underperforming schools to apply for free tutoring in math and English, which begins in November.The Los Angeles Unified School District mailed applications earlier this month to 186,000 students, from 104 schools, who are eligible for the extra assistance.The federal No Child Left Behind education law requires school districts to pay for supplemental tutoring for low-income students whose schools repeatedly fail to meet testing improvement targets. To qualify, students must attend one of the targeted campuses and receive free or reduced-priced lunches because of low family income. Applications must be postmarked by Friday, Sept. 26."We want youngsters who participate in this program to get something that will improve their reading, math or language test scores," said John Liechty, associate superintendent in charge of extended-day programs for the school district.