Free Tutoring Available for BPS Students!

The Massachusetts Parent Information and Resource Center (Mass PIRC) is very happy to share with you this Bulletin alerting low-income families to a free resource called “Supplemental Educational Services,” or SES. This Bulletin has already been mailed to you this week. Mass PIRC would like to make this information available to you electronically as well.

Although SES – worth up to $2,000 or more a year per child – is required by the national education law “No Child Left Behind,” many families are not aware of it. The problem is that even children who are eligible will not receive SES unless their families ask for it. These services must be offered to low-income students attending Title I schools that have been identified for improvement for at least two years in a row. Exact timelines for signing up vary from district to district.

Free tutoring under SES is a vastly underutilized resource in Massachusetts and across the nation. According to the most recent figures posted by the U.S. Department of Education, only 6.4% of eligible Massachusetts students participated in the SES program. The national SES participation rate is 14.5% of eligible students.

This Bulletin outlines — in family-friendly language — critical aspects of the SES program and what parents must do to make sure their eligible children benefit from it. This Bulletin is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The Bulletin may be freely downloaded and copied.

Mass PIRC is most eager to get the word out to low-income families across the state. Please help us by spreading the word to families in your community.

Please call Mass PIRC or visit our website if you would like paper copies or need further information:

1-877-471-0980

www.masspirc.org