Over the last 20 years, husband and wife team Evan Brooker (CEO) and Ruth Rumack (Executive Director of Education) have grown a private tutoring practice into a full service educational support, licensing, and publishing company. They have transformed the practice that originated at their dining room table into a company that today provides individualized academic and special education support, going well beyond the role of a standard tutor.
Rumack defines traditional tutoring as providing homework help to students, whereas RRLS’s academic support model is a much more holistic view of the student as a person. It also includes charging for teacher support hours, allowing teachers to advocate for each student, plan individualized, kinesthetic lesson plans, and guide students—and their parents—through the often-daunting education system. In addition to creating and licensing unique preschool and school-aged curriculum, RRLS has now entered the publishing realm.
The most unique aspect of RRLS is its commitment to recognizing learning differences not as disabilities, but as a reflection of the fact that every individual learns differently. Early on, Rumack recognized that many students were in need of something different, something more than what traditional education could offer.
“I saw an opportunity to provide children with unique learning experiences outside of the classroom,” Rumack stated.
Her initial vision, one that the company continues to uphold two decades later, was to help students gain the confidence needed to become productive learners who recognize that they have something valuable to contribute to the classroom and society.
Despite all of the success and positive impact that RRLS had on its students in the early days, Brooker identified the need to diversify streams of revenue in order to strengthen the company’s ability to reach more students.
“There was no way that we could build the type of team that we wanted or create the programs and products we envisioned using the tutoring model,” explains Brooker.
This prompted an important shift from hiring tutors by the hour to creating a team of full-time, salaried teachers. It was a real turning point for the company. Having access to a team of like-minded, creative professionals who are passionate about education has allowed RRLS to not only deepen the value it provides to their 1-to-1 students, but also offers opportunities for its staff to develop innovative programs.
This change has had a significant impact on RRLS, as revenue has grown 10 times in 10 years, as has the size of the team. Teachers are now given the opportunity to tap into their creative talents and collaborate with one another. This has led to the creation of invaluable proprietary programs and group classes, including Alpha-Mania and Mini Masters, preschool programs licensed to daycares across North America, as well as Alpha-Mania Adventures, a storybook series based on phonological awareness, an important predictor of future reading success. Additional RRLS programs and publications include Power Writing, Essay Coach, QWERTY Kids, and Rumack’s SSAT preparation workbook.
RRLS’s management style is akin to many technology start-ups, as they encourage their employees to generate ideas organically and to take initiative, rather than being micro-managed.
“When someone has a great idea, we go with it,” says Brooker.
Looking to the future, the company executives plan to continue pursuing licensing opportunities both in North America and internationally. The RRLS team intends to expand the Alpha-Mania brand so that they can boost the pre-reading skills of children everywhere.
Their vision continues to be to provide unique and unparalleled educational opportunities that inspire students to find the greatness within themselves. RRLS aims to provide education in a way that is accessible and motivating for all learners, and to inspire them to do great things in the world.
For more information, connect with Ruth Rumack on her website and the series’ site, as well as Rumack’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
Alpha-Mania Adventures is now available on Amazon, alpha-mania.com, and Ruth Rumack’s Learning Space.
