Aurini and Davies, pt.

II
(Stephen Petrina)
Janice Aurini and Scott Davies have been researching the tutoring industry in Canada and the
U.S. for a decade. Their articles include:

2004: The Transformation of Private Tutoring: Education in a Franchise Form

2004: Educational Entrepreneurialism in the Private Tutoring Industry: Balancing

Profitability with the Humanistic Face of Schooling

2004: School Choice by Default? Understanding the Demand for Private Tutoring in
Canada

2005: Choice without Markets: Homeschooling in the Context of Private Education

2006: Crafting Legitimation Projects: An Institutional Analysis of Private Education

Businesses

Aurini and Davies are mapping, tracking, and framing the tutoring industry, noting that
>over the past decade the tutoring industry has undergone a staggering transformation. The
number of formal businesses that offer fuller tutoring services has grown between 200%–
500% in major Canadian cities over the past 30 years, a growth that is independent of public
school enrolments or economic trends. In Ontario these businesses
grew by 60% in the few short years between 1996 and 2000, from 245 to just under 400
locations. (p. 420)

They define tutoring as "a form of supplementary education that does not compete directly
with public schools. Rather, tutors have carved a niche market at the fringes of the public
system, giving students extra assistance that is difficult to obtain in regular schools" (p. 422).

One popular tutoring company or franchise is Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. (renamed
Laureate Education, Inc. in 2004), which was founded in 1979 and works in competition with
and directly in the public school systems. Sylvan's franchised "learning centres" have been
immensely profitable. By the mid 1990s, Sylvan was in the top ten of the Top 200 Franchises,
a list that includes McDonald's and General Nutrition Centers. Publicly traded, this companies
stock soared in the 1990s.
As Aurini and Davies point out,
>learning centre schools resemble regular public schools, but find a niche by offering small
classes. Priding themselves on classes of about 8 students, they maximize their appeal to
parents. They distinguish themselves from the school system by developing their own
materials and methods of assessment, yet gain legitimacy by resembling that system. (p. 432)

The educational technology of these franchises is completely integrated within the business /
educational model.
>learning centre programs are designed by the franchiser, and thus are independent of the
school system. Their programs, workbooks, lesson plans and diagnostic materials, are
created by professionals at a central office, as is the protocol for engaging with clients. (p.
430)
Hence there is no question about whether or not certain technologies are deployed. The
franchises will adopt the materials and technologies designed for the company.

So, what are the implications for what we call "teacher-driven innovation" or academic
freedom or course oversight by teachers? What are the implications here for educational
technologists?
Posted 47 minutes ago