By Abdijalil Yusuf
Background
My name is Abdijalil Yusuf, and I grew up in Minnesota, navigating the public school system from kindergarten through high school. In elementary and middle school, I struggled with learning the language, but I overcame my academic challenges and went from being an ESL student to becoming an ESL teacher. My goal was to make it easier for those who experienced the challenges I faced in the past. I wanted to help them so they wouldn’t have to go through the same difficulties, providing them with a simpler and faster path to success.
My academic journey continued here as I earned my bachelor’s degree. With a deep-seated passion for teaching, I dedicated over a decade to the classroom, driven by a desire to empower my students to achieve their dreams and secure a prosperous future.
After graduating from college and becoming a full-time classroom teacher, I dedicated many years to improving student’s academic achievement in Minnesota. We worked hard to help our students succeed academically so they could lead productive lives and be college and career-ready.
Minnesota has one of the most significant achievement gaps in the nation, a challenge I recognized early on. I committed myself to helping students overcome barriers to success, believing that by equipping them with academic skills, they could secure meaningful employment and support their families as high-income earners.
My journey in education took an innovative turn when I initiated Success Tutoring, an after-school program designed to assist students struggling to keep up with the curriculum. It all began in my classroom, where I offered tutoring sessions to those in need.
As word spread about the improvements my students were making, demand for my services increased, prompting me to rent a dedicated center for tutoring and creating a nurturing space for students to thrive.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I faced a pivotal moment. The shift to online learning allowed me to devote myself full-time to tutoring, stepping away from traditional classroom settings. After transitioning from in-person, I began doing full-time tutoring, and the program was well received many families benefited from our program.
I am with one of my students named Omar, and he has made a four-grade level increase in his mathematics and language arts. His mother was very happy and proud of him at this time. We only served 100% of Private pay.
Recently, a group of individuals approached various media outlets, claiming they were unaware of their participation in the Minnesota After School Advance program and alleging they were scammed. This assertion is far from the truth. These individuals were not dissatisfied with the educational services provided but were unhappy with the system itself. They willingly participated, signing multiple documents and undergoing a thorough approval process.
Upon completing the program, families received a green envelope outlining the key steps to claim their credit successfully. While some families did not follow these instructions, others successfully claimed and received their credits. Unfortunately, some were audited afterward, resulting in requests for attendance verification. We complied with all requests, but some families felt overwhelmed by the process and perceived questions—such as household composition, children’s Social Security numbers, and marital status—as intrusive. This frustration led them to blame us for the challenges they encountered.
In reality, this is a legitimate program in place since 1997. We encourage families to adhere to the guidelines, even when they find them challenging. Instead of seeking alternative routes, some individuals have turned to social media influencers to spread a false narrative, labeling us and the entire system as scams. Desperate media outlets and YouTubers have picked up this story to gain views, often without considering its validity or the consequences of spreading misinformation.
It is important to note that these families knew what they signed up for and consented to the program. Many are on video receiving explanations about how the program works, and they have received certificates and progress reports celebrating their children’s achievements. They were satisfied participants until they did not receive the credit from the Department of Revenue, which led to their frustration and subsequent smear campaign.
To illustrate, consider a scenario where a student enrolls in a college class expecting financial aid but later finds themselves responsible for tuition. Would they call the university a scam? No, they would acknowledge their participation in the program and understand that the professor’s role is to teach. Some students pay for the class out-of-pocket, while others receive financial aid, but the professor’s responsibility is solely to educate. A rational person would not accuse their professor of scamming them, especially if financial aid was denied. They willingly chose education, regardless of whether they were approved for government assistance, which is beyond the educator’s control.
While we understand families’ difficulties, our role as educators is limited to providing quality education. Despite any hurdles, we always encourage families to follow the guidelines set by the Minnesota After School Advance and the Department of Revenue.
As of 2023, I have transitioned Success Tutoring back to a 100% private pay model, having ceased operations with the MAA program. Despite the challenges I faced, I remain proud of the positive impact I have made in the lives of countless students and families. The gratitude expressed by many parents and community members reinforces my belief in the power of education.
I plan to continue focusing on private tutoring, which offers a more straightforward path and allows for greater flexibility and personalized attention for my students. I am hopeful that the truth about my program will emerge and that families will find the support they need. Above all, I am dedicated to my role as an educator, committed to fostering success and empowering the next generation to reach their fullest potential.
In March 2023, we successfully advocated for legislation that increased access to education tax credits, raising the limit from $33,500 to $70,000 per household. However, families face numerous legal challenges when claiming education tax credits. As a private organization, our role is only to provide education.
Since ceased operations with the MAA program in 2023, we have become a 100% private pay program. It is now 2025, and some families are still grappling with issues from 2022. We do not have any influence over the approval of tax credits; our role, like that of other providers such as Sylvan and Mathnasium, is solely to deliver educational services.
It is disheartening that some families have resorted to slandering our name in the media, accusing us of deceit and trickery. Unfortunately, when media outlets are eager for a story without thoroughly fact-checking, they can perpetuate harm.
Despite the success of the program and the positive feedback from many families, a few participants expressed dissatisfaction. Frustrated with the broader system, some families turned to media outlets to voice their grievances. Unfortunately, these stories often overshadowed the hard work and dedication my team and I put into our educational services.
I want to emphasize that, like other educational service providers such as Sylvan and Mathnasium, Success Tutoring is not responsible for approving or denying the education tax credit. Our role was solely to provide high-quality academic services, a fact that sensationalized narratives have often overshadowed. The approval process lies with the Minnesota Department of Revenue, and we consistently encourage families to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the MAA program.
One particularly noteworthy incident involved Abdiwahab Awke, whose children attended Success Tutoring and received certificates for significant academic progress—full grade levels increase in mathematics and language arts. Despite this success, his wife, Ms. Ijaabo Gayre, approached local media outlets and claimed we had not delivered quality services despite their children’s apparent growth and recognition.
While I understand that these families may be frustrated with the process established by the Department of Revenue, we must note that our responsibility as educators was to provide academic support. When individuals turn to media outlets to voice grievances without considering the broader context, it can create misleading narratives undermining our hard work.
Success Tutoring has always strived to deliver the highest quality education. In the past, we have implemented both in-person and online lessons.
Our In-person virtual teachers worked very hard to provide the best educational service for our students, and we have data and records to prove that all of our students received weekly progress reports and they all made progress. This is something that we were very proud of as an educational program.
In June 2023, after noticing the challenges many families faced with the education tax credit program, we sought to raise awareness about these issues at a community gathering. We expressed our support for the recently passed education tax credit bill while highlighting families’ ongoing struggles in getting their credits approved.
A photo of a group of people in TikTok making defamatory comments spreading a rumor, which, unfortunately, some media outlets use TikTok as a source to get their stories, and they use those rumors to write their articles.
Despite our dedication to helping families, some individuals continue to spread false narratives and tarnish our reputation across various platforms—from TikTok to YouTube to journalistic outlets hungry for sensational stories. Unfortunately, some of these media personalities, who are not particularly concerned about the truth, will listen to any rumor they hear from TikTok and present it to their readers as fact. It’s like a bad game of telephone, he said, she said a gossip.
I have participated in TikTok live sessions where numerous individuals have accused us of being responsible for their difficulties in obtaining tax credits. We have consistently maintained that, like other service providers, we are educators, and the credit approval and denial process rests solely with the DOR.
In conclusion, as educators dedicated to fostering academic success for students in Minnesota, we take great pride in the achievements and growth of those we serve despite currently only catering to privately paying students. We have not participated in educational tax credit programs for the past year and a half. However, if the system operated as intended, free from excessive barriers and bureaucratic hurdles, it could significantly benefit underprivileged families across the state. Minnesota faces one of the most significant achievement gaps between Black and White students, and these institutional obstacles only exacerbate the divide, causing confusion and frustration among families.
I urge all of Minnesota to exhibit responsible leadership by focusing on the core issues that hinder the effectiveness of our educational system. Questions regarding why families must resort to educational tax credit loans instead of receiving direct funding or why an outdated system from 1997 is still in use deserve serious consideration. Just as we would not rely on a phone from 1997 for modern communication, it is clear that our educational processes require modernization. Other states, like Virginia, demonstrate the benefits of investing in efficient systems that effectively support educational programs, having successfully educated 400,000 children through innovative partnerships.
Therefore, we call for a commitment to rational dialogue and a collective effort to address the systemic issues. We must ask ourselves why the system fails to function properly and identify existing barriers. While I prefer to abstain from government programs now, I encourage those passionate about bridging the achievement gap to consider solutions such as a digital wallet system and working to bring about meaningful change. In the words of Martin Luther King, the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat is that a thermometer reads the temperature, and the thermostat changes it. Let’s be the change that we need. Thank you.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Abdijalil Yusuf, the founder of Success Tutoring, and do not necessarily reflect the Somali Media of MN’s official stance or editorial policy.
