sylvan learning center?

Question

is it worth it?how much does it cost

Answer 1

I've been teaching at a Sylvan in the Austin area for over 8 years and it is absolutely worth it for most students. In all honesty, it's too expensive for students are rebellious and resistant -- they are wasting their parents' money. Also, kids with severe learning disabilities are better off with doctors and/or teachers with specialized training in that.

However, if your student just needs some skill gaps filled in and a confidence boost, it's worth every penny. The tuition varies between corporate and franchised centers, but I'd say a pretty safe estimate is between $40-50 per hour. For that money, you're not just getting a tutor. You're getting a program that is designed individually for your student from diagnostive, prescriptive data taken from hours of testing. You're getting professionals constantly looking that program over and tweaking it to keep up with your child's changing needs. You're getting regular progress checks and face-to-face communication about that progress.

Answer 2

I worked at Sylvan for a summer teaching kids. I find that any exposure, assistance, or tutoring that kids can get when they need help is good. In that capacity, Sylvan is great because the information and assistance is very good for all. The kids do learn and use what they learn. They also told me that it has helped them during their testings.
However, as a teacher, I found the pace of teaching a bit too fast. If the child doesn't get it, there's a lot of incentive for the teacher to keep moving along, leaving a lot of questions unanswered and undiscovered.
As for the price, I never asked. I do know that it's very expensive. But the place does show improvement in test scores. If that's all you're worried about, then by all means. But if you are really serious about what your children actually LEARN, then I would look around for other solutions that are not so, shall we say, bottom-line obsessed.

Answer 3

I am a teacher and many parents have asked my opinion (not all of them in my classes) about Sylvian b/c there happens to be one nearby our school. I always try and talk parents out of it. I don't know what it costs exactly but I've heard from parents who have done it that it is very very expensive. I say, talk to your guidance counselor and see if there are any teachers that tutor on their own time. Better to pay someone who actually teaches the material you are struggling with. The way I see it, Sylvain is a business. They will tell parents that the child is low so you'll pay for more tutoring! When a parent signs a kid up for their services, the teacher gets a fax survey to complete. The survey asks how the child is doing in the areas of concern expressed by the parent, current grades, teacher comments, etc. I have put on there that the child doesn't have a "deficiency" in any area and yet they tell the parent the child is low and needs more tutoring. It's a waste.

Answer 4

I worked there for a few weeks recently just after I retired from teaching elem school. I had a feeling that you must remember it is still a money making issue for them, just as it retail marketing. What I saw was them giving too many answers to the kids and I couldn't figure out why until I found out they charge $40 an hour. In public school, I did not give out answers. My goal was to teach the children to learn. In your situation, go and watch while they teach, they usually only have 3 kids per tutor, so "drop by" and watch. See if it is what you want, see the real product in action, maybe it will be good for you.

Answer 5

You might want to check with your child's school first and see how much for a private tutor. Sylvan is expensive...$45 an hour