Laurel, MD. October 5, 2009. It was an idea that took shape while she was staying after school to tutor her students. Why not provide a platform for educators to help students at any location, at times that are the most convenient for them and their students?

‘Several of my students who really needed extra help were not able to stay after school because of transportation issues,’ says Chandra, science teacher, and now entrepreneur. ‘I knew that I didn’t want that to hinder them from getting the help that they needed. I made weekly home visits for a while, but the reality was, I could not make visits for all of my students who were unable to receive extra help outside of class.’

So, she created Advantage Learning Tutorials, LLC, an online tutoring service also known as ‘ALT.’

But this is not your typical online tutoring environment. ‘I am so proud of the fact that ALT matches students with tutors quickly,’ Chandra says, ‘but unlike many online tutoring companies, ALT puts an emphasis on equipping students for long-term success. We communicate with families to establish learning goals, match each student with their own tutor, provide them with virtual classroom space, and bring teachers into what we are doing by sharing ‘recap reports’–summaries of what was covered in each session and how the session directly addresses the child’s learning goals. We want students to begin tutoring with a goal in mind so that they can see how much they are progressing to reach that goal.’

Advantage Learning Tutorials serves students in grades 3-college, and covers subjects in reading, science, math, ESL, social sciences, foreign language, and Advanced Placement courses. The company also offers proofreading services for college and scholarship applications, resumes, papers, lab reports and written projects.

When asked why she wants to help students solve their academic challenges through tutoring, Chandra replies, ‘I believe that my first love has always been tutoring because of the mentor-mentee relationship that it creates. Students are inundated with lots of information on a daily basis, and many are unable to hone in on the most important themes and learn them effectively. I wanted to start a tutoring company that would address that need.’