Explore Horizons, the premier British tutoring club that currently educates more than 100,000 pupils in the U.K., today announced the first Dallas-Fort Worth locations of its planned expansion to the U.S.
The first of two tutoring centers will open in Colleyville March 14 with the second opening in Alliance Town Center later this spring. Explore Horizons will be available for Pre-K to 8th grade students. More centers are planned throughout Texas, with further growth in progress across America and the globe.
Explore was founded in 2001 by Bill Mills, a Cambridge University mathematics graduate with a lifelong passion for education. Mills sought to develop a tutoring service that would be a long-term complement to school. Explore hires qualified, enthusiastic educators and makes studying fun with interactive resources including engaging animation, audio, and video.
“We want children of all ages and abilities to fall in love with learning,” said Belinda Southgate, U.S. head of marketing. “Our reading, writing, and math programs engage every type of learner and are customized for each individual child. Explore offers challenges coupled with regular encouragement and enticing rewards. Kids don’t dread our tutoring, they love it. Teachers and parents notice a huge difference.”
Tutoring centers are open every day, after school, on weekends and during school breaks. Courses designed for Texas meet Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards, the state requirements for what students should know and be able to do.
Results of progress are obvious through kids’ attitudes alone, but true bookworms can find proof of Explore’s effectiveness in an independent research study conducted by the University of Reading in England. The study, which ran from October 2011 to July 2012, tested student members’ progress in math and language arts compared to a control group who did not attend the program. “Explorers” scored better on standardized tests, achieving 30 percent higher on math than the comparison group.
Key findings from Dr. Ellie Francis-Brophy and Dr. Christian Nygaard at the University of Reading proved Explore is beneficial to boys and girls of all abilities across all age ranges, including those living in a wide variety of socio-economic areas. Interviews with parents revealed a huge difference in attitude as well as test scores. Parents noticed children overcame shyness, built confidence, became more independent, and were less reluctant to try new tasks without assistance.
All Explore centers work hand in hand with local schools and often hold free math, reading and writing events to encourage all students to feel more confident and inspired about learning. The company also holds free parent workshops with tips on how to help kids with homework.
The company sponsors special annual contests including the Young Writers’ Award, which includes exciting workshops and competitions and connects upcoming writers with professionals they can look up to. The 2013 competition was judged by Cressida Cowell, best-selling author of the “How to Train Your Dragon” books.
“We believe children are the resources the world should invest in most. These are our problem solvers of the future, and education is paramount. We provide tools and instruction that complement every level of formal education from Pre-K to eighth grade, but most of all, we inspire every Explorer to master what challenges them and tap into the joy of developing their talents. We don’t teach students how to pass, we teach them how to excel,” said Southgate.
For more information, visit http://www.explore-horizons.com.