Examines the scale and nature of supplementary tutoring around the world including its cultural, educational, and economic factors and the far-reaching implications for academic achievement, social inequalities, and economic development. Contends that the multiple dimensions of supplementary tutoring should be explored more fully, as well as its…

Private tutoring is a phenomenon that has escaped the attention of researchers, educational planners, and decision makers. Very little is known about its scope, scale, and effects on pupils' achievement and equality of opportunities. Because of its size in a number of countries, and due to it nature--that of a private service oriented at improving…