Press Release: Great Lakes Education Group Embracing Fully Online Tutoring Model

(This press release is from Great Lakes Educational Group)

Great Lakes Educational Group has been serving the students and families of Saline and the surrounding areas for over 20 years – and we have no plans to end our tutoring services any time soon.

For nearly two decades, GLEG has offered tutoring services, ACT and SAT Prep, study skills programs, summer camps, and more. We have helped thousands of students study for their finals and increase their grades, supported honor roll students, instilled confidence in and out of the classroom, and assisted students in staying organized and on track. Our mission has been to create a positive learning experience for all students that will allow them to excel socially, emotionally, and academically within all aspects of their education.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, GLEG had to find a way to keep our students safe while also providing them consistency during a time filled with unknowns. Our team worked tirelessly to flip our entire business model to an online platform in a matter of weeks, ensuring our students wouldn’t go without tutoring during a time that they needed extra support. Although we initially believed that this online model would be temporary, we came to discover its permanence.

During the process of changing our business model, one important element was maintaining our high standards for tutors and quality programming for our students. We continued to offer services for both small groups and individuals, and we modeled our virtual sessions exactly like our in-person sessions; as collaborative tutor-student sessions with real-time, interactive work.

Students have the same tutor and session time each week, helping them to develop a relationship with their tutor and to maintain a consistent schedule. Additionally, communication between our tutors and students’ families remained a priority for us in our virtual programming.

We chose a scheduling system that gives our tutors the ability to email the family detailed notes after each session. After some time, the GLEG team made the decision to move forward with our online tutoring platform. Through positive client feedback, we found that our online sessions were both successful and convenient for busy families who prioritize education. Not only did our consistent programming and scheduling prove to be a perk of going online; we discovered that the online option bradened our range of tutor possibilities. It’s no secret that there is a teacher shortage in Michigan, like many states. We hold a high expectation for our tutors, and being online has allowed us to hire qualified and professional tutors from all areas.

In all honesty, the past two years have been the most challenging years that GLEG has faced.

On March 13th, 2020, we were at an all-time high for enrollment. In a matter of one month we were faced with the reality that we might not survive as a business as our enrollment dropped over 75%. Providing exceptional tutoring sessions is so near and dear to us that we put everything into it. There were times we questioned our survival as a business, but with the support of our dedicated staff and our community we were able to push forward. By April of 2021, we were operating at 60% lower enrollment compared to the previous year. Today, we continue to operate at around 50% of our pre-pandemic enrollment rate.

Although we are still not where we need to be, we continue to adjust and make changes to offer the best services we can for our students. Online programming has offered us some flexibility and opportunity to help us move forward, and we remain committed to our mission. As of this summer, we are saying goodbye to our in-person space and fully embracing our online tutoring model. While we are sad to say goodbye to a space filled with decades of fond memories, we are optimistic about the future of Great Lakes Educational Group and the possibilities that will be found within our online platform. We hope our students, families, friends, schools, and communities will continue to support us, and furthermore, support every student on their journey to success.

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