Does your son need a strong ACT or SAT score to complement his high school grades? Does your daughter want to attend a selective college that requires her to excel in the classroom? Does your teen struggle to keep up with and understand assignments?

Regardless of your teen's circumstance, a qualified tutor or academic coach can offer valuable experience and one-on-one attention. For a struggling student, an academic tutor can find where the problem began and begin to work from there. Some tutors specialize in test preparation and can help students perform better on exams such as the SAT and ACT.

Here are a few considerations to remember if you're thinking about hiring a tutor…

• Explore several options for locating qualified tutors. Use the phone book, ask school personnel for references and check with "learning assistance" companies.
  
  
• Choose two or three potential tutors to interview.
  
  
• Develop a list of questions to ask potential tutors. Questions should be designed to help you learn what their specialties are (math, science, writing, test prep, etc.), what previous tutoring or teaching experience they had, their knowledge of different learning styles and their experience working with teens.
  
  
• Interview each tutor individually and have the tutor meet with your child. Observe their interactions.
  
  
• Include your teen in the selection process and choose the tutor that you feel will make the most positive impact.
  
  
• Discuss details of what services you expect the tutor to provide your teen and when.
  
  
• Arrange a meeting between school personnel, your tutor and yourself to establish an education plan for the tutor to follow.

A tutor, of course, cannot replace the love and attention that your teen needs from you. You should be actively involved in your teen's academic efforts. Continue to check homework assignments, review progress reports and attend parent-teacher conferences. Provide encouragement, and reward your teen for his or her effort.