Adam Caller, independent education consultant and founder of Tutors International, issued a statement this week after new research concluded that one-to-one academic mentoring is the key to fixing education.

Amid rising concerns in the US over educational performance, the study, published in April by Harvard economist, Roland Fryer [1], found contrary to previous research, concluding that smaller class sizes and high intensity one-to-one tutoring were not only beneficial to students' academic progress, but also promoted integration among other students.

Adam Caller commented: "There is now sound, quantifiable evidence of the benefits of individualised, one-to-one tutoring that isn't purely anecdotal. Since Tutors International was founded in 1999 we have consistently observed students that have struggled in a traditional classroom environment setting thriving under specialist, one-to-one attention from our tutors. In the past, educational research hasn't always been reflective of this."

This echoes comments made by Fryer, who criticised the methods of past studies into educational performance for being unverifiable and non-experiential. Following a rise in field studies in the education sector, Fryer was finally able to correlate findings and effectively apply them to educational policy. His most significant finding was that high-intensity one-to-one tutoring was the most effective tool in improving academic performance, in both children and adolescents.

Mr Caller added: "While it might not be realistic or cost-effective for every family to invest in full-time private tuition for their child, Tutors International has placed tutors with families in a variety of different situations and circumstances, full and part-time, and found that any amount of regular time spent with an experienced tutor has been hugely beneficial to both student and family. A tutor allows a child to express themselves individually and learn according to their own needs and interests. This is invaluable for confidence building and instilling crucial study habits and skills. We've seen children who were previously disinterested in academia rediscover a love of learning through one-to-one attention provided by our tutors."

For more information and advice about private tutoring, wherever you are in the world, visit tutors-international.com. For more information about Adam Caller, visit www.adamcaller.com.

References

[1] Want to fix education? Give a kid a tutor. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-04-19/want-to-fix-education-just-give-a-kid-a-tutor Noah Smith. Bloomberg. April 2016