Participants Needed for Brief, Anonymous Tutoring Survey

Supporting and Sustaining Scalable, High Impact Tutoring

Research Study Seeking School District and Tutoring Provider Participation

The Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE) at Johns Hopkins University, with funding from Accelerate, has launched a research initiative broadly focused on high-impact tutoring and how to improve the adoption, implementation, and scaling of highly effective tutoring models. Our objective is to understand the decision-making process used by districts and schools to select and adopt a tutoring model and to identify the barriers for providers in terms of scaling tutoring models.

WE NEED TO LEARN ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES OF SCHOOLS AND TUTORING PROVIDERS. PLEASE JOIN THE STUDY. Participation will require only brief surveys with the possibility of optional follow-up interviews with: (a) school and/or district administrators and (b) tutoring providers.

If you have any questions, please email Cynthia Lake, clake5@jhu.edu, or Dr. Amanda Neitzel, aneitzel@jhu.edu

Begin Survey

An Evidence-Based Pivot

With the school year winding down and plans for the next year being finalized, many educators are taking stock of their high-impact tutoring efforts. The end goal for this intervention should be to get students to grade-level, so two questions are crucial for this reflection:

Did the tutoring efforts implemented actually reach the students with urgent needs in reading and math?
Did their achievement improve to grade level?

These two questions seem simple, but until they are both answered with a yes, there is more work to do. Here are some thoughts about how to build on this year’s efforts to accelerate success:

Don’t give the money back.

Schools received funds—government and/or philanthropic--because of a pressing need, and the funds are a resource to address that need. If this year’s tutoring plan was not launched or the plan that was implemented did not produce the intended impacts, don’t give up. It is better to work with the granting agency to modify the plan than return unspent funds. Reduce the scope of the plan, if needed. Rather than attempting to provide K-12 with tutoring, use student data to determine the most pressing educational needs. Early literacy and secondary mathematics are high priority areas for many districts. With a focused plan, you are addressing the most urgent needs..

Choose a proven model.

A proven model with a human tutor is the best bet for producing meaningful gains. In early literacy, there are numerous options—there is no need to reinvent the wheel. If your existing tutoring program did not work as intended, opt for something road-tested. Providers of proven models make great partners to schools because of their tremendous expertise with implementation. They have worked through the logistical challenges and can ensure consistent program delivery and tutor support. Explore providers and their programs on ProvenTutoring.org, a free resource offering in-depth information on 19 rigorously researched models for reading and mathematics (K-3, 4-8, 9-10).

Explore alternative sources of tutors.

Finding tutors has been tough for schools across the country, rural and urban settings alike. A consistent human tutor is key to establishing a connection that motivates and engages students. The good news is that evidence-based tutoring models source their tutors in a variety of ways. A number of evidence-based tutoring models prepare school staff--interventionists, paraprofessionals, and teachers—to deliver a short-term, high-impact intervention. Many of these folks are invested community members that may or may not have a college degree, and with training and support, make terrific tutors. Literacy First at UT Austin and its school partners, for example, prepare community members who speak English and Spanish to serve as reading tutors. Jason Buckingham from Literacy First explains, “Because the vast majority of the Literacy First tutors are community members with experience in the school, they bring an impressive level of commitment, cultural awareness, behavior management and native language skills to their work.”

Some evidence-based models supply and support external staff. Reading Rescue, in partnership with New York City Public Schools and City University of New York (CUNY), trains and supports pre-service university students in delivering its early literacy model to K-2 students. Saga Education, Reading Corps, and Math Corps are three proven models that provide tutors to schools through an AmeriCorps partnership. AARP Foundation Experience Corps and its school partners engage experienced adults in the community over 50 years old to serve as 1:1 literacy tutors.

There is a learning curve to scaling tutoring. Through rigorous research, we are learning what advances student learning. In order to provide students with the highest quality of intervention, it is imperative we ground decisions and plans in evidence, commit to program fidelity, evaluate what we implement, and pivot when plans are not having the intended impact. ProvenTutoring at JHU can support you along the way. Contact info@proventutoring.org for a free consultation.

More High-Dosage Programs

Explore proven, high-dosage models in reading and mathematics on our website, proventutoring.org, or connect with us directly at info@proventutoring.org.

ProvenTutoring | Info@proventutoring.org

Evidence Viewpoint

Advancing a Cultural of Evidence in Education Research-proven tutoring will be a powerful tool for the long-term, but the role regular classroom curriculum and instruction play in reducing the need for intervention is also critical.

By Jen Krajewski

Participants Needed for Brief, Anonymous Tutoring Survey﻿

An Evidence-Based Pivot

More High-Dosage Programs

Participants Needed for Brief, Anonymous Tutoring Survey