Benefits of Private Tutoring: Statistical and Analytical

by Bri Girardot

By 2018, the global private tutoring market will exceed $102.8 billion. According to Global Industry

Analysts, Inc, a well renowned market research firm, the failure of standard education systems is the

catalyst responsible for the exponential growth. Even the notorious No Child Left Behind Act mimics the

projection: the U.S. federal government's investment of $134 million in 2011 was used to fund private

enrichment programs aimed at low-income students.

With budget cuts eliminating in-school tutoring and the rise of a global initiative for greater academic

success throughout the country, private tutoring has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. While

guilty of being scrutinized for its effectiveness in the past, the introduction of modern technology and a

richer, more intimate understanding of students’ learning development have altered the playing field.

The advantages of a private tutor versus other curriculum enrichment programs extend beyond the

average improvement of the 0.79 standard deviations students experience. In the analyzing of over 100

academic studies, a professor at Arizona University, Kurt VanLehn, found that students receiving tutoring

increased their grades, on average, by one and a half point. From the stress of a low D up to the comfort

of a good C or, likewise, from a low B to a secure A.

There are many causes that can be attributed to the positive impact on students’ grades after receiving

private tutoring. These include, but are not limited to:

Working in conjunction to rectifying specific obstacles in learning.

Much needed and sought after one-on-one attention.

Provides confidence and self-esteem alternative methods may not foster properly.

The private tutoring market wouldn’t surpass $102.8 billion on the premise of only providing an increase

in school grades. Its benefits and applications are tremendous, as seen by the impact long after primary

and secondary school have ended.

“[…] offering the opportunity to supplement public education with private tutoring increases welfare for

households and society as a whole,” The Growing Phenomenon of Private Tutoring, a 2008 peer-

reviewed study co-authored by Hai-Anh Dang and Halsey Rogers, suggests.

Needless to say, parents who enroll their students in private tutoring are oftentimes looking beyond the

next test score at the bigger picture: their kids’ future. “[…] enhanced economic return is among the chief

reasons why pupils and their parents invest in it,” says Mark Bray in The shadow education system.

Dang and Rogers are posed to agree, but take it one step further: “If tutoring were contributing only to

productive human capital, it would not likely raise scores on an aptitude test.” While it’s obvious to see

that a higher economic status is the drive behind many private tutoring decisions, it’s imperative to

understand that the benefits of private tutoring yield far greater return than a good raise a few decades

down the line. It alters the success of a student’s life for the better.