Few in Metro use free tutoring

By NATALIA MIELCZAREK • Staff Writer • July 27, 2008 Only a fraction of Metro students eligible for free, private tutoring are getting it, six years after the federally mandated program first came to Tennessee. For students who do get it, results are negligible, a University of Memphis study and a state comptroller's report reveal. But for many families who sent their children to about 40 contracted providers in the state — some offering hourlong sessions for $70 — the program was the only way past educational challenges. "If it wasn't for A to Z (In-Home Tutoring), he would have never been able to show what he could do; he wouldn't have graduated with a regular diploma," Shirley Percle said of her son, Tommy. "He's more outgoing now. All his shyness is gone; he doesn't feel ashamed." Tommy Percle has a learning disability... [read full story]