Truth in Advertising

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education has been surveying Ontario parents for 19 years now, and they have just released this year's report. There's lots of interest in the report, but I found most surprising the issue of private tutoring (page 12). In 2002, only 24% of parents had paid for private tutoring for their children, versus 35% this year. 

It you think about it, it's really quite staggering that 35% of children receive paid tutoring. Furthermore, it must also follow that another significant percentage of Ontario children are benefiting from unpaid tutoring above and beyond the expected level of parental assistance with homework.

The provincial tests are still reporting student results without reference to outside tutoring. But the provincial tests scores are clearly the result of a combination of the teaching in the publicly-funded schools and the paid and unpaid tutoring being given to up to half of the students.

Since the provincial test body (the Education Quality and Accountability Office) is tasked with determining "how well Ontario’s public education system is developing students’ reading, writing and math skills", it should disaggregate the effects of outside tutoring in its reporting.

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