Schools & Tutors in Park Forest

In the late 1970s career educators Eileen and Raymond Huntington opened the first Huntington Learning Center in Oradell, New Jersey. Their goal was to take an individualized approach to education, adjusting instructional tactics according to each student's set of needs. Their success in helping K–12 students prepare for exams and improve grades and study skills quickly spawned franchises across New York and New Jersey.

Today, the certified Huntington tutoring staff utilizes testing and rubrics for assessing each child's skills, academic needs and potential for growth. The teachers even note the student's behavior in different testing and academic situations to craft a methodology sensitive to each child's learning style. Teachers also adhere to the company's code of ethics that stresses professionalism and confidentiality and encourages pupils to improve their grades honestly through dedicated study rather than shortcuts.

On a trip to Chicago from his native Italy, young Mario Tricoci changed his life forever. The fledgling hairdresser stopped in at a prestigious salon, where he impressed the owner with his impeccable display of skill and landed himself a job. The next six decades brought strings of industry awards and the opening of his very own salon, which soon exploded into 26 locations in four states. With his styling prowess proven both to the industry and to the clients he encountered each day, the coiffeur decided to share his gift with others. In 2004, he established Tricoci University to foster a new generation of cosmetologists and spa technicians trained to thrive in the luxury-spa industry.

Throughout the Midwest, Tricoci protégés study a rigorous curriculum in high-end salon and spa surroundings to learn how to create beautiful hairdos, choose skin-flattering cosmetics, and beautify nails and skin. A team of experienced industry professionals readies pupils for the beauty world with in-depth classes, and outside education arrives via video demonstrations and guest-artist lectures on Vidal Sassoon's Wedge-Bob Postulate. More advanced students get a preview of their career to come by beautifying real people during instructor-supervised treatments, which lend the stylist essential experience as the client enjoys a pampering session at a discounted rate.

A cadre of accomplished students mans hp: the college's three Chicago-area salons, where they learn the beauty trade while enhancing client appearances for less than at standard studios. Founded in 1979, the college instructs fledgling stylists in the latest trends and aesthetic remedies with products from Moroccanoil, Wella, and Dermalogica. At all three locations, sleek black styling chairs contrast with colorful bottles of hair products and OPI nail polish set amid the comfort of plush pedicure chairs. As students ply their skills on ravishing haircuts and clarifying facials, aesthetics pupils use carefully blended botanicals to add aroma, hydration, and palm-sized zen gardens to manicures and pedicures.

Understanding that each child learns differently, the staff members of Sylvan Learning’s numerous study centers design custom lesson programs. Based on the results of standardized testing, diagnostic tools, and one-on-one interviews, the staff works with students to help them firmly grasp basic skills such as reading, writing, math, and how to remember facts without tattooing them to their chests. Programs target students in kindergarten through grade 12 and mold to various learning styles, helping kids feel more comfortable in the classroom. Afterschool or summer classes can ready high-school students for the rigors of the ACT or the SAT, or they can help students wow college-admissions officers with their superior writing skills, exemplary test scores, and willingness to arm-wrestle the school mascot.

Led by linguistic anthropologist Dr. Jill Bishop, Multilingual Chicago’s international staff of instructors immerses 6–10 students at a time in one of more than a dozen foreign languages, including French, Arabic, Spanish, and Mandarin. During each session, classmates master a new vocabulary through a host of activities that transcend rote memorization. They might role-play, or translate snippets of movies. They might read excerpts from a country's great works of literature or unusually lyrical parking signs. The instructors delve even further into each language’s respective culture by always making time to converse about specific foods, holidays, and folk traditions. Students can loosen vocal cords before class with sips of complimentary tea, coffee, and wine in Multilingual Chicago’s café. Check the schedule for available courses—not all languages are offered every session.

Creator of the conversational Cortez Method of Spanish lessons, Juan Guillermo Cortez started the Spanish Language Center in 2001 to expand the lessons he learned as a private Spanish teacher. With a stable of trained instructors, the school guides students of all skill levels through the intricacies of Spanish speaking during conversational group classes. Conversation-focused classes range from introductory courses that lay out Spanish-language basics, such as grammar and how to roll an r with the confidence of an archaeologist playing Operation, to advanced-level lessons on commands and the subjunctive tense. Each class hosts an average of 6–12 students and, like a sturdy soapbox, includes ample opportunity to practice speaking skills. In addition to providing all necessary materials, teachers also unlock access to an online class system full of updates and information.