No Child Left Behind
FORBES | October 24, 2008 | by TOM VAN RIPER

Don't tell Lisa Jacobson there's a recession underway. Her biggest problem these days is finding a way for her employees to take a breather. As the chief executive of Inspirica, a 25-year-old tutoring and test prep company… business was up 60% in September as her 100 or so tutors flew all over the country preparing thousands of children and young adults for elite high schools, colleges and grad schools--at rates up to $525 an hour plus expenses. Layoffs? Not at Inspirica, where the past month was the company's best in 25 years. "We're hiring; we just can't find enough qualified people," says Jacobson, who is looking to beef up both the tutoring roster and management team of her 150-person company.

A tight economy may mean less spending, but it's also helping parents focus on priorities. So despite the crushed 401(k) statements and credit card debt, parents are still spending to improve the lives of their kids...

If anything, the rough economy is spurring parents to spend even more on bettering their children, Inspirica's Jacobson notes. "They think they can insulate their kids from the future," she says.

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