Jan 18, 2018
Clark is excited to launch the only content platform designed specifically to deliver news and resources to tutoring professionals.
Before joining Clark, I was not an expert on the tutoring market. So as a marketer whose job it was now to reach the estimated 2.5M reported tutors in the U.S. (and the thousands more who are unreported), I had my work cut out for me.
I naively thought at first that I could rely on existing professional resources for data, and draw on organizations providing the tools, techniques, and best practices for tutoring. That there were news outlets dedicated to this important profession. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
What I found was that not only are tutors an underserved population in terms of software and technology, they also lack critical professional development materials and content needed to grow as educators and scale profitable businesses. That’s absurd given that they are the urgent solution to America’s education crisis.
So now, nearly a year later, what have I learned about tutors?
I learned that tutors are a diverse population. Tutors are students and recent college graduates helping their peers make it through that tough class. They have advanced degrees and extensive working experience in areas like Finance, English, and Computer Science. Many tutors are part-time or retired teachers. Others are aspiring actors or parents who tutor as a side gig. There are tutors who volunteer their time, and others who have managed to turn tutoring into full-time work. There are even entrepreneurial tutors who have grown businesses, hiring multiple associate tutors to work for them, and sometimes serving entire communities.
Regardless of their unique backgrounds, one thing I’ve learned is universally true: tutors have a meaningful impact on students’ education and, as a result, the power to change the course of their lives.
Why, then, is there an absence of dedicated resources for tutors?
Having sparse resources isn’t unique to tutoring. After all, teachers in classrooms across the U.S. have to hustle each day, spending their own money just to get by. But teachers have organizations, communities, networks, and resources that allow them to collaborate, grow professionally, and even sell lesson plans and classroom material. And companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are working hard to bring tech into the classroom to make teachers’ lives easier and the learning process more effective.
In an age of tight budgets, overcrowded classrooms, and painfully real income inequality, why are the people helping kids succeed academically, get into college, or simply gain self-confidence still not receiving their dues for the major role they play in U.S. education? They sit down with our students at dining room tables and at coffee shops and libraries for hours each week or month and I can count on my hand the number of quality resources that exist specifically tailored to the work tutors do.
I asked myself: what can we do about this?
How do we help tutors, who are providing such an important service to children and adult learners, stay abreast of the latest education policies, changes to standards and testing, and best practices they need to flourish professionally? The answer is: we build it ourselves. That’s why we decided to create the Clark Content Platform.
What is the Clark Content Platform?
Our vision is simple: we provide tutors with targeted information and news sent directly to their inboxes to help them do their jobs better. Think The Skimm, but for tutors.
Our daily newsletter, The Syllabus, and our blog feature timely education news affecting tutors, as well as tutoring and freelance business best practices, tips, and how-to’s. We also publish opinions and perspective from tutors themselves. (Interested in adding your voice to The Syllabus? Let’s chat!)
How can you join the Clark Content Platform?
It’s easy:
That’s it! I told you it was easy.
So what’s next?
We’re counting on you to help us make this the best available resource for tutors. Let us know what kind of news interests you, what tutoring or business-related topics are most important to you, and how we can make the Clark Content Platform something that you want to read every day. After all, this is your platform.
And if you think we’re doing a great job and want to share the Clark Content Platform with your network of tutors, consider becoming a Clark Ambassador. It’s just as easy as signing up to get your daily Syllabus. Clark Ambassadors are VIP tutors who want to help us bring more tutors into our growing community, and who want to spread the word about the content platform. The more hands on you get in helping us develop the content platform, the more valuable it becomes as your one-stop shop for all your tutoring needs and more. (Plus, we reward you with free stuff.)
You can learn more about the program and sign up to become a Clark Ambassador by visiting: https://offers.hiclark.com/ambassador/.
We’re so excited to be able to share this with you, the first-ever dedicated content platform for tutors. We can’t wait to see what we’re able to build together to help hard-working tutors like you grow professionally and continue to transform the lives of the millions of students that you reach every day.
Let’s get to work!
