Feeding off parental anxieties and academic competition, Forum Education has turned tutoring into an elite talent agency for scholars. : Feeding off parental anxieties and academic competition, Forum Education has turned tutoring into an elite talent agency for scholars. Thomas Howell cofounded Forum Education in 2014 after spending several years as a tutor for New York City private school kids. A few years into his finance career and working as an equities trader in New York City, Steven Menking was unfulfilled.