|
KnowledgePoints - Teamed for Success
By Jean West Rudnicki
"The parent is desperate," says Brenda Moulton, president of Clear Lake KnowledgePoints describing her typical client. "They see their child struggling in school and they know the child has ability. They are hoping for another resource," she says. "We are potentially a solution. We have a system that works."
Designed to be affordable, with measurable and proven results, KnowledgePoints offers a comprehensive tutoring program without the need for contracts or long-term commitments. The decision to keep the child in the program is based strictly on the results the parent sees. There is even a written guarantee of success. "Integrity is the heart of it," says Moulton, a point of pride for the former NASA engineer and now small business owner.
"No one that works here is a salesperson," she explains of the KnowledgePoints staff. They are all educators - state-certified teachers, she adds. In fact, Doris Melling, the Clear Lake Center's Director of Learning, is a 31-year veteran Houston area educator, and winner of multiple awards including Principal of the Year, Administrator of the Year and the Texas' Best School Award.
Melling researched KnowledgePoints extensively before signing on with Moulton, she admits. There were three aspects that attracted her to the company: its strong emphasis on partnership with parent and classroom teacher; its insistence on utilizing certified teachers; and finally, its quality curriculum.
"We work very closely with the classroom teacher," Melling says, explaining a key feature, which distinguishes KnowledgePoints from other tutoring programs. "We are a support system to the teacher," she adds, providing the kind of help Melling wishes she had during her public school classroom-teaching days. "I rarely received feedback," she reflects. "It's so much more beneficial to a student when we all work together as a team."
Before enrolling in the program, the student is given an extensive series of tests to pinpoint his or her specific needs. This testing identifies gaps in the student's learning such as reading comprehension, vocabulary or basic skills in math and algebra. When the initial testing is completed the KnowledgePoints staff, with the parents' permission, meets with the classroom teacher to review and confirm that the test results reflect what the teacher is also seeing in the classroom. Thus begins a unique partnership between parent, teacher and instructor. "We gather round the child as a team," says Moulton, supporting the parent and working with the teacher. "We provide continued support beyond the classroom," Melling adds.
|
