High-Impact Tutoring: District Playbook

Research shows that High-Impact Tutoring is unusually effective for accelerating student learning. In fact it is more effective than other interventions that have been tested and is effective across grade and content levels.

This Playbook and the accompanying District Playbook Workbook is designed for school district staff interested in implementing High-Impact Tutoring programs in their districts. While district staff members are the primary audience, state educational officials and school administrators will also be able to leverage many of the resources in the Playbook.

The Playbook draws from research and from the deep knowledge of districts, tutoring providers and other experts across the country and is one of several interrelated research-backed tools provided by the National Student Support Accelerator (Accelerator) to make it easier for states, districts, schools and nonprofits to develop and implement high-impact tutoring programs with quality. You will find references in this Playbook to these additional Accelerator tools:

  • Research Agenda — synthesis of tutoring research highlighting the drivers of impact.
  • Toolkit for Tutoring Programs — extensive set of practical tools for practitioners and districts that want to develop or improve a high-impact tutoring program.
  • Tutoring Database — searchable database of over 175 tutoring programs that allows districts and schools to identify potential tutoring providers.

Design of the Playbook

Who is the intended audience for the Playbook?

This Playbook is designed for school district staff interested in implementing High-Impact Tutoring in their districts. While district staff members are the primary audience, state educational officials and school administrators will also be able to leverage many of the resources in the Playbook.

How was the Playbook designed?

This Playbook draws on a large body of tutoring research and interviews with tutoring providers and district leaders who are implementing high-impact tutoring. It aims to help Districts understand and prioritize what is most critical to the design, planning and implementation of High-Impact Tutoring programs through a set of research-informed and practical tools.

Why are the Playbook’s tools and resources in this specific order?

Designing and implementing a new High-Impact Tutoring program can be broken into four specific phases of work that provide the framework for this Playbook as outlined in the figure below:

 

Developing and Implementing High-Impact Tutoring
Lay the Foundation
Lay the Foundation

Identify a focus area, determine your program’s scale, set initial goals, and select an implementation strategy.

Plan for Effective Operations
Plan for Effective Operations

Develop timelines, plan small-scale pilot programs, ensure staff capacity, determine budget and funding sources, and build key stakeholders’ investment in tutoring.

Design for Impact
Design for Impact: Partner with a Provider or Grow Your Own?

Ensure program design aligns with the elements of High-Impact Tutoring and establish regular data collection, reflection, and continuous improvement strategies.

Implement High-Impact Tutoring
Implement High-Impact Tutoring

Identify school sites, select students, schedule tutoring sessions, and communicate regularly with students and caregivers to ensure enrollment and attendance.