T E S T I M O N I A L S   F R O M   A R O U N D   T H E   W O R L D

F R O M   F E L L O W   E D U C A T O R S :

"Organizing SAT courses in Amman, Jordan has never been an easy feat, but working with Higher Ground Learning this past year has made it so much easier. Professionals through and through, Higher Ground and their remarkable staff members were most accommodating. They catered to our students' needs by offering tuition in the areas which our students required more assistance and made sure the classes were interactive as well as entertaining! The one-on-one sessions were extremely beneficial and the small class size that Higher Ground insisted upon enabled students to get the most out of the course. We continuously received positive feedback from both our students and their parents throughout the course, and although their school days and SAT hours were long - our students thoroughly enjoyed the learning process. Those who sat for the SAT this past spring did so with confidence, as they felt that they were fully prepared and equipped to meet the challenges of the exam. We look forward to working with Higher Ground on an annual basis and hope for continued success, both for our students and Higher Ground. "
Hala Yaish | University Advisor, Amman Baccalaureate School, Amman, Jordan

"It is important to note that in spite of the challenges, which were initially numerous, I felt strongly that bringing this quality SAT prep program to Moscow was very worthwhile. Many parents really wanted it, students needed it to be competitive, and our staff could not sufficiently provide it. Now that the footwork is done, I have a solid program in place that people can depend on."
Tara Dowling | College Counselor, Anglo-American School of Moscow, Moscow, Russia

"Higher Ground has worked closely with many of our students, and they are the test preparation company of choice with highly motivated students in the Salt Lake area. Rowland Hall-St. Mark's students relate very well to the Higher Ground staff, and the instructors' energy and enthusiasm, as well as their small group and individual work, have helped many of our students improve both their test results and their self confidence."
Bruce Hunter | Director of College Counseling, Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School, Salt Lake City, Utah

"I often recommend Higher Ground Learning over other test prep organizations to our students because they provide smaller classes with more personalized diagnosis and instruction, and they operate on a sliding scale for cost, which appeals to my sense of justice. In my experience as the college counselor working with juniors and seniors in a high school where 95% of the seniors go on to college, I have never had a dissatisfied student. Our students who use Higher Ground Learning for tutoring and test preparation invariably reach their goals in increasing their test scores."
Ramira Alamilla | College Counselor, Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah

"We pride ourselves on dealing with multiple learning styles, but there are instances when we rely on Higher Ground Learning to take that concept a step further. They are able to dial in to students in a way that we can't. And it's not just about one-on-one teaching. HGL has a knack for hiring a unique brand of educators who truly connect with students and who ultimately make this whole learning thing fun for a wide variety of personalities."
Ron Collier | Teacher at Realms of Inquiry,  Salt Lake City, Utah  

F R O M   P A R E N T S :

"In the 'old days' when the clock struck 3:00 pm I could feel the knot in my stomach tighten as I braced myself for yet another round of Mom vs. Keyten in the boxing arena known as homework! School had become the wedge that was completely threatening the sanity of our relationship and our entire [family's] well being. Having tried tutors, computerized courses, education therapy, special education, changes in the IEP ad-nauseum, all with limited success, we were at our wits end. Then we saw the brochure with the by-line that we had repeated frequently - "Tired of pushing a round peg through a square hole?" How could they know about our situation? We were cautiously optimistic to have discovered another potential solution! Six months later, I cannot describe the life-changing experience that Keyten is having at Higher Ground. His success has spilled over into the public education arena and I am happy to report home life couldn't be better! The transformation truly has been miraculous - For the first time in his life Keyten is no longer overwhelmed, acting out or angry since he is no longer beating his head against the proverbial public education 'wall.' I no longer ask about homework, I no longer help with homework, and I am thrilled to send a boy out the door to an accepting, individualized out of the box environment. His success has been a result of increased confidence, individualized teaching to HIS learning style, (what a novel concept) consistent accountability, and a tender relationship and respect for his tutor. Higher Ground has become his safe place where success is the expectation and the result. I cannot thank the staff at Higher Ground enough for allowing Keyten to finally break free from 16 years of education failure messages and to embrace his potential and allow him to finally believe that he is not only capable of learning, but successful at learning! They say you may only be one in the world, but you can be the world to one- and Higher Ground indeed means the world to Keyten! Thank you!"
Janie Ford | Parent

I cannot thank the staff at Higher Ground enough for allowing Keyten to finally break free from 16 years of education failure messages and to embrace his potential and allow him to finally believe that he is not only capable of learning, but successful at learning!

"Higher Ground Learning (HGL) has been a wonderful experience for my son and I during the last year. My son has attended HGL for private math and science classes, and in less than a year, is performing at grade level expectations, after years of struggling inside a larger classroom. The quality of the tutors is exceptional, and individualized to the students. The new director demonstrates vision, dedication to excellence and commitment to every individual involved in the program. The HGL site is a perfect blend of "planned funkiness" and a comfortable environment, well equipped with essential classroom tools. Students of all ages enjoy HGL as a place full of energy and acceptance. Knowing facts is not the most important end point- it is being able to manipulate the facts, and to be able to generalize that makes the facts intriguing and in context. We are grateful for the presence of HGL in the Salt Lake community, and especially so for our son.""Suzi: I saw a quote at the university recently that might reflect your mission more eloquently than I have!""You can know the name of a bird in all of the languages of the world, but when you are finished, you will know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird, so …let's look at the bird and see what it is doing -that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something."  -Richard Feynman (1918-1988)
Holly Webster | Parent

The HGL site is a perfect blend of "planned funkiness" and a comfortable environment, well equipped with essential classroom tools. Students of all ages enjoy HGL as a place full of energy and acceptance.

"Dear HGL, Lynn and I want to thank you for your help for our son, Nick, and maybe pass on a little of his story. By second grade Nick could still not read or write. We had him tested and found he had a form of dyslexia. Anything oral or aural that he was tested on he came out on the very top of the charts. But anything that involved reading or writing he scored on the very bottom. Given conventional school's focus on the later, he was not succeeding in school and was starting to think of himself as a dumb kid. We tried a conventional outside tutor, but after a while my slender wife literally could not drag the kicking and crying Nick to a session. Lynn knew we were at a fork in the road where Nick would learn to fail, with the resulting lack of promise that life would offer, or we could find some way to teach him that synched with how his brain worked. Through friends we learned about the inspired people at HGL. HGL started out gently with Nick and through kindness, empathy, patience, an atmosphere of fun and respect, maybe a little tough love and an alternative learning approach to rote reading and writing, Nick found a place he wanted to be, a place where he enjoyed thinking and learning. With afternoon tutoring several times a week, Nick got through grade school. With more extensive HGL support during Jr. High Nick successfully got up to grade level with his reading and writing. He is now succeeding on his own as a freshman at Judge Memorial High School, and we are very, very grateful.Thank you Higher Ground Learning. Sincerely, Mark"
Mark E. Bailey | Parent

HGL started out gently with Nick and through kindness, empathy, patience, an atmosphere of fun and respect, maybe a little tough love and an alternative learning approach to rote reading and writing, Nick found a place he wanted to be, a place where he enjoyed thinking and learning.

"Our son was not interested in large classes. Even private school seemed loud and confusing. At Higher Ground Learning, he can move rapidly through a course of study in a quiet, disciplined atmosphere. He is enjoying some college level courses mixed with regular high school level classes as he earns credits to finish high school. Higher Ground Learning fits our needs perfectly."
Marilyn Heinrich | Parent

"It is said that higher ground is the best place to build your house and we agree. Chase and his tutor Spencer have discovered together how Chase learns and Spencer has integrated all types of "book learning" into an overall educational experience that has greatly enhanced Chase's life and his performance at school. Chase loves keeping Spencer abreast of his activities and wants to see just what Spencer has planned for him. Higher Ground celebrates individual learners and takes the time to find how and why learning takes place in each student and then implements strategies that enhance this strategy. Higher Ground is a nurturing space that indeed helps individual students to find the higher ground to build their foundations on. We highly endorse Higher Ground's teaching philosophy and every week we all wait to see just what Spencer has up his sleeve."
April Hanrath | Parent

"I just wanted to let you know that we are thrilled with our son's score on the ACT. Adam Love was a great tutor for our son and we want you to know what a excellent job Adam did. Our son dramatically improved his score from the initial diagnostic test. This is exactly the outcome we were hoping for and appreciate your efforts and Adam's. We are recommending Higher Ground to others who are interested in help with college testing."
Jeanene Patterson | Parent

"Hi Suzi,FYI, we just learned that Matias received a 30 composite score on the ACT, definitely an improvement over last year's score of 26 which he took "cold". His scores improved significantly in English (22 to 26), math (28 to 33), and science (22 to 31).So glad the prep paid off! Please share this info with Scarlett and Jon. Cheers to the New Year!"
Susan Eyzaguirre | Parent

"Our son, now a freshman in college, did not do as well as he had hoped on his first ACT college entrance test. His math and science scores were very good, but his language arts scores lagged behind. In September 2005 he attended 6 one-hour tutoring sessions at HGL, focusing on the mechanics of language and test-taking skills. The following month he took the ACT a second time and scored considerably higher on the language portion of the test, which boosted his ACT composite 4 points. They focused on his specific needs, and he learned more in those 6 hours than he did in many months of class work. An added plus was the fact that the setting was nothing like a school, so the hour at HGL did not seem like tutoring but rather time spent with an older, smarter friend."
Katie Voytovich | Parent 

F R O M   S T U D E N T S :

"For the last three years my academic career has been housed in an absolutely remarkable atmosphere. Every day I would take two two-hour classes under direct tutelage. While this is only half the usual amount of class hours, each was more than twice as full than those received in a more ordinary setting. I had no chance of distraction from classmates, as I had none, nor did I have the slightest hope of being able to take an occasional class period off by hiding in the back of the room as I was seldom more than five feet from my tutor, and constantly engaged in discussion. These didactic interrogators were college alumni or young graduate students who all had two things in common: intelligence and the desire to help me achieve my potential. At the slightest provocation, meaning a rushed thought or impetuous remark on my part, they would challenge me to defend my position with such vigor that I was forced to see the crack, or yawning fissure as it sometimes was, in the chain of logic that I had too hastily assembled. While I was taught a multitude of facts while studying there I also learned something much more important; taking the time to develop a thought fully bears far fewer, and less serious, consequences than racing through mental work and committing a blunder."
Glen Heinrich-Wallace | Student

These didactic interrogators were college alumni or young graduate students who all had two things in common: intelligence and the desire to help me achieve my potential.

"Hey Spencer (Instructor at Higher Ground),
I just wanted to say thank you for your help with my SAT’s at higher ground. I made my goal of breaking 1000 and got a 1040. So thank you very much - have a great year."
Katie Pedersen | Student

"Billy! My man! my SAT scores came back! I got 780 in math! and a total of 2030-"
Adib Ghawi | Student

"I just finished checking my ACT score and my score was an amazing 33!I am really happy. Thank you and HGL so much for everything you've done for me."
Sami Safiullah | Student