Is Johnny struggling with math? Does Suzy need extra help with reading? One of several tutoring programs around the Miss-Lou may be able to help. As schools get into full swing this year, many are offering free tutoring to their students.

Natchez-Adams Superintendent Dr. Carl Davis said each school can offer some type of tutoring this year.

Some examples include Morgantown Elementary School’s Tobacco Awareness Buddies Outreach Organization, a tutoring, tobacco education and recreation program for 6- to 17-year-olds, and a ninth-grade tutoring program at Natchez High School.

Davis said he thinks giving students extra help and more time on their work will help them learn.

&uot;You may not see it right off, but in the long run it’s going to make a difference,&uot; he said.

Dr. Charlotte Franklin, principal of McLaurin Elementary, said her school will also begin a tutoring program this year. Students will be placed into morning tutoring sessions based on teacher recommendations, Franklin said.

Sessions will focus on reading and facilitate learning &uot;because children get a lot of one-on-one help,&uot; Franklin said.

To reach more students, the district is working on a grant to fund more tutoring.

The grant will include transportation and snacks for students who spend extra hours at school for tutoring, Davis said.

Vidalia Junior High School began offering after-school tutoring last week with the help of extra federal funds.

VJHS Principal Fred Marsalis said the school decided to use the extra dollars for afternoon tutoring because it would be an asset to the students.

The sessions are open to all seventh- and eighth-graders, but &uot;we are targeting the students who might have low scores on the standardized tests,&uot; Marsalis said.

Monday through Thursday, students can attend the session from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m.

The session focuses on a different subject each afternoon. And to help with classroom test scores, the day after students are tutored in a subject is a designated test day in that subject.

For example, students take math tests on Thursdays because math is the focus of tutoring on Wednesday afternoons, Marsalis said.

This gives students a boost the day before the test and also keeps students from having all their tests on one days — something VJHS has been doing for the past three years. &uot;(We) tried to spread it out so a child would not have more than two tests a day,&uot; Marsalis said.

The school offered tutoring last year but not on such a wide scale, he said. Last year &uot;faculty did a lot of volunteer tutoring,&uot; Marsalis said.

Marsalis said it is too early to tell if the tutoring is going to be successful. &uot;I always judge effectiveness with results,&uot; he said.

But school officials will be looking at next weeks report cards and studying standardized test scores to assess improvement, he said.

Concordia&160;Parish Superintendent Lester &uot;Pete&uot; Peterman said because of federal funds and the Reading Excellence Act program, all parish schools offer some type of tutoring program this year. Some schools offer tutoring in the afternoons, while others are before or during school, he said. Many parish schools offered tutoring last year, but &uot;we just expanded it this year,&uot; Peterman said.

Now, schools can probably tutor more students — many of whom just need a little reinforcement, he said.

The tutoring targets at-risk students, but &uot;all students are technically eligible,&uot; Peterman said.

Some organizations not sponsored by Miss-Lou school districts also offer tutoring.

Families First Resource Center, at 323 Market&160;St. in Natchez, is a grant-funded center that will offer free tutoring at several locations this year.

It already has started a program at McLaurin Elementary that takes place during the day.

And on Oct. 3, Families First will begin afternoon programs at Sadie V.&160;Thompson School, Holiday Apartments, the Natchez Children’s Home and at its location on Market Street.

In Concordia Parish, Windell Millicks, president of the Concord Youth and Adult Community Association, said his organization will offer tutoring after it works out a location.

Concord Youth has offered tutoring in Vidalia schools for the past two years but has not begun it’s program this year.

Concord Youth is waiting to see if the Concordia Parish School District will donate two unwanted trailers for its use, Millicks said.