During the pandemic educational modalities have proliferated in great variety across the US, and the rest of the world. Learning offsite was necessarily rushed into existence with little or no time to develop “best solutions”. Learning was structured and enacted ad hoc in school districts across the US, including charter schools and in private schools as well, but the upside was that experiments in how learning can be done, in millions of iterations, occurred.
At Home Learning Tips from an Educator Mom.
As learning needed to transition to the new forms of communication and media that are enveloping us, and as the path forward to that goal was obscured at best, and opaque at worst, the pandemic challenges to education have brought forth opportunities to discover what that path might look like. Surely some of the experiments have discovered new modalities that can be applied to benefit the nation as a whole. (we should also be researching experiments outside the US for “winning approaches”)
Recently the Chinese Government decided to bring tutoring services/ academic coaching services under the Party’s full control. This because of the burgeoning popularity of such services in China, and the apparent threat to the established educational system. The takeaway for educational policy in general, is that such approaches can be tremendously effective, and allow for more direct parental involvement. They are very adaptable to “learn from home ” modalities as well.
NMPED recently renewed a $2M contract for Academic Coaches with a company in Utah said to service 16K students in NM.
Below is another academic coaching service based in Albuquerque, which lists two staff members as “the team”; one is left to wondering if there are more “staff” who perhaps work as contract hires? Regardless of how comprehensive this company is at present, the description of what they do, sketches out some Academic Coaching possibilities. and attempts to appeal to parents who might, in this case, be the ones to choose how Johnny and Janey learn.
Staff: Mark and Danny as shown on the website.
Mark Ayers is the Founder and Executive Director of A+ Academic Coaching. He is a former high school educator who is dedicated to helping students of all ages thrive. In his final year as a teacher, Mark received the Distinguished Teacher Award. Since arriving in New Mexico in 2005, he has been growing and expanding A+ in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos, as well as long-distance tutoring via Skype nationally and internationally. Mark is also the co-author of a recently published ACT textbook entitled Acing the ACT.
A+ Academic Coaching provides tutoring in a wide variety of subjects for students of all ages. Our coaches are patient, friendly and enthusiastic about the subjects they teach.
- Our coaches are highly qualified professionals with a demonstrated passion for helping students excel.
- We value communication with students, parents, and teachers.
- We are affordable; we provide a flexible rate scale.
- The first session is always free; we are confident in our ability to address your students’ needs.
- We work with students of all ages, grades, and ability levels.
- Our meeting places are at your convenience. Please note that if we work in clients’ homes, an adult over age 18 must be present at all times.
- We provide long-distance learning via phone, Internet, and online whiteboards.
The array of services A+ provides is broad and our expertise lies in many different academic disciplines. We work with a wide range of students, from the top scholars in their classes to those who have learning disabilities or are in special education.
Moreover, we work with all ages of students. This includes pre-elementary students who want to get a head start on their reading and math skills. We also work with middle-school students who need to improve their performance in a wide variety of subjects, as well as those individuals who will be taking entrance exams at competitive private schools. We also work with college students and adult learners to satisfy their particular needs