Knowledge deficits in cumulative course material like mathematics can have long-lasting negative effects on students’ academic performance and even their future career prospects. This is because subjects like mathematics build upon themselves over time, with each new concept building upon the last. If a student misses key foundational knowledge, it can lead to difficulty in understanding more advanced concepts, which can result in lower grades and lower confidence in the subject.
Furthermore, research has shown that mathematics fluency is strongly linked to annual income for emerging graduates and to lifelong earning potential. According to a report by the Brookings Institution, math skills are a significant predictor of future earnings, with workers who have strong math skills earning significantly more than those who do not. The report notes that the math skills gap has been growing in recent years, with careers in high-skill, high-paying jobs requiring ever-greater levels of mathematical proficiency. According to a report by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, people with strong math skills earn on average $10,000 more per year than those with weak math skills. This earnings differential can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime.
Given the importance of mathematics skills for future success, it is essential that students receive the support they need to remediate any knowledge deficits caused by COVID school closures. Private tutoring can be a particularly effective remedy for these deficits, as it allows students to receive personalized, one-on-one attention from a knowledgeable tutor who can identify their specific areas of weakness and provide targeted instruction to help them catch up. This can be especially important for students who may have missed out on critical foundational knowledge during the disruptions caused by COVID. By investing in private tutoring for students who need it, we can help ensure that they have the tools they need to succeed both in the short-term and in the years to come.
While private tutoring may be an additional expense for families, the long-term benefits of improved academic performance and earning potential make it a wise investment today.
The Covid-19 pandemic left many parents, students, and educators wondering when schools should reopen. The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, was among those who argued in 2020 that reopening schools would be a safety risk for students and staff. She pushed for broader policy changes that the union had long favored. Other education leaders favored a faster reopening of schools. Many schools remained closed for months, even after vaccines became available. 
The closures affected low-income, Black, and Latino students the most, but all children suffered: the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in children’s mental health. Many teachers were understandably frightened to return to work amidst the cloud of public misinformation, and teachers’ unions advocated for their members’ safety. However, despite emerging data that schools were not superspreaders, many U.S. districts remained closed well into 2021.
While teachers and schools worked tirelessly to provide online classes and other resources, the reality is that online learning is no substitute for in-person instruction. As a result, many parents have turned to private tutoring as a means of addressing the educational deficits that their children have experienced due to the school closures.
One of the key advantages of private tutoring is that it provides students with individualized attention and support. This is especially important for students who may have fallen behind during the school closures or who may have struggled with online learning. Private tutors can work with students to identify their strengths and weaknesses, develop a personalized learning plan, and provide one-on-one instruction and support to help them succeed.
In addition, private tutoring can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each student. This means that tutors can focus on areas where students need the most help, whether that be in a particular subject or skill. Private tutors can also adjust their teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles and preferences, making learning more effective for each individual student. It can help students to stay motivated and engaged with their studies.
With the disruptions caused by school closures, many students have struggled with maintaining their focus and motivation. A good tutor can provide students with a sense of accountability and structure, helping them to stay on track and make progress towards their academic goals.
As we continue to navigate the challenges in the wake of the pandemic, it is important to prioritize solutions that will help students recover from the educational deficits caused by school closures. Private tutoring offers an effective way to address these gaps and set students on a path towards long-term success.
The potential overturning of affirmative action by the Supreme Court could have significant implications for college admissions, particularly for students in the Monmouth County area of New Jersey. Affirmative action policies were designed to promote diversity and provide equal opportunities for underrepresented groups, in areas including education and employment. If the Supreme Court overturns affirmative action, it could result in fewer opportunities for these groups, making it more difficult for them to gain admission to colleges and universities.
This blow to diversity is a deficit to the global education of all college students and to society at large as higher education leaves more underrepresented communities behind. And it doesn’t mean there will be a host of newly available seats for middle class white applicants. Many universities themselves will aggressively fight the overturning of affirmative action by transferring their policies to socio-economic factors; this backlash could result in even fewer seats for the middle class white students who will need increasingly competitive SAT scores and grades.
A main criticism of affirmative action has been that it can lead to the use of quotas, which limit the number of students from certain racial or ethnic groups that can be admitted to a college or university. This has historically had negative consequences for Asian American students, who are often held to higher standards in the college admissions process. In fact, some studies have found that Asian American applicants need to score higher on standardized tests and have higher grades than other groups to be admitted to selective colleges and universities. In contrast, the overturning of affirmative action create opportunity for Asian American students. Without affirmative action policies in place, Asian American students may have a better chance of gaining admission based on their academic qualifications.
So, when affirmative action is overturned here’s how things will look:
Progressive universities will create a backlash and actually expand old affirmative action policies under the new label of socio-economic leveling. With the limits of racial quotas removed, above-average qualified Asian American students will flood the freshman classes of selective colleges. And the past three years of Test-Optional torpor will hit the proverbial fan for middle-class white students who have been all too happy to lap up the fantasy that they don’t need to take the SAT/ACT anymore to get into college.
There is hope. Color blind admissions will rely more on standardized test scores and grades. So middle class white students with both average and above average grades must get back to test prep and focus on maximizing their SAT and ACT scores to stay relevant, or be left behind by the current of the post-affirmative action college admission process.
Students had to sacrifice a lot during Covid. Colleges were aware of this and, in response, many adopted “test optional” policies, allowing students to apply without submitting test scores. So should today’s college applicants bother taking the SAT and should they bother to prep for the test? The answer is yes. SAT prep with a small and experienced tutoring staff is still important in today’s climate of “test optional” college admissions for several reasons crucial to students.
Firstly, while some colleges and universities have adopted test-optional policies, many still require standardized test scores as part of the application process. This is particularly true for selective institutions, which often use test scores to assess a student’s academic abilities and potential for success in college. Therefore, students who choose not to take the SAT or ACT may be limiting their options for college admission.
Even for colleges and universities that have adopted test-optional policies, submitting strong test scores can still be beneficial.
Many schools use test scores as a factor in awarding merit-based scholarships, and a high SAT score can also help to offset weaker grades or other areas of a student’s application.
SAT prep with a small and experienced tutoring staff can provide students with valuable skills and knowledge that will benefit them regardless of whether they ultimately choose to take the SAT. Standardized tests like the SAT require critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management skills, which are important for success in college and beyond. By working with a tutor who is experienced in SAT prep, students can develop and hone these skills, improving their academic performance in general.
SAT prep with a small and experienced tutoring staff can also provide students with personalized attention and support. Unlike large test prep companies, which may rely on one-size-fits-all approaches to teaching, small tutoring services can tailor their instruction to meet the unique needs of each student. This can be particularly helpful for students with learning differences or other challenges that may make standardized testing more difficult.
In conclusion, while some colleges and universities have adopted test-optional policies, SAT prep is still important in today’s climate of college admissions. By preparing for the SAT, students can increase their options for college admission, improve their chances of receiving merit-based scholarships, develop valuable skills and knowledge, and receive personalized attention and support.
If you have recently completed a test prep course for testing in March or May, the good news is that the techniques learned there should be conditioned skills that won’t be lost in the short term. To keep yourself fresh we recommend one full-length practice SAT or ACT per month and maintain the golden rule of one full-length practice test the weekend prior to any real test. Practice tests can be found in the official study guides for the SAT or ACT which you should already have from your prep course, as well as online. Remember, not all practice tests are created equal: always use practice tests issued by the test makers themselves for reliable results.
NJ high schools are always open as test centers in August for the national administering of the SAT. That test date is always the third weekend of the month, and, so, may be far enough from now to run without cancellation.
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