Back-to-School Success with Paraprofessionals, Family Engagement, and Inspiring Tools
National Student Support Accelerator
Equalizing access to high-quality tutoring in our schools via research, tools, and news. Within Stanford University GSE.
Dear High-Impact Tutoring Community,
As Back to School time begins, it’s a key moment to provide school districts with tools and research that advance educational equity through effective tutoring. We hope these three new resources inspire great ideas and action in your high-impact tutoring efforts for students:
Thank you for your dedication to student success. We wish you the best as you start a new school year!
Warm regards,?
Susanna Loeb
Latest Resources and Research
Engagement between schools and families/caregivers drives educational success and fosters positive change within our communities. With 46% of public schools offering high-dosage tutoring in 2023-24 , more school districts than ever have the opportunity to intentionally partner with families to maximize the effectiveness of their high-impact tutoring.?
This toolkit offers practical strategies for working with families, actionable ideas on involving families in the planning and implementation of tutoring programs, and guidance on communicating opportunities and academic progress effectively.?
Paraprofessionals, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. educator workforce, are uniquely positioned to be highly effective tutors. Research underscores that well-trained paraprofessionals can not only significantly boost student achievement, particularly in lower grades, but paraprofessionals as tutors also often outperform nonprofessional and volunteer tutors.
This new brief and corresponding one-pager provides actionable guidance for implementing paraprofessional-led tutoring programs. For example, it provides information on how to:
This report , along with the accompanying one-pager , provides a detailed analysis of? the inaugural year (2022-2023) of Washington, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) Initiative including the program’s impact on educational outcomes for “at-risk” students.
BRIEF: How to Build It and Ensure They Will Come: Educators’ Advice on High-Dosage Tutoring Programs , Marissa Strassberger & Barbara Condliffe , MDRC
This brief from MDRC elevates the perspectives of school staff members and tutors at schools that are part of an initiative that seeks to understand how school districts can expand the benefits of high-dosage tutoring. Hearing from people who are directly involved in the delivery of tutoring programs can bring to the surface new and innovative ideas and can help to ensure that those ideas are feasible for school staff members to implement.
For schools considering tutoring, early literacy tutoring is a strong place to start. Early elementary school is when students make the biggest leaps in their reading abilities, and learning to read strongly predicts later life outcomes, including high school test scores and high school graduation. As many fourth graders are not meeting proficiency on reading assessments, schools have turned to early literacy tutoring to catch students up.?
Read this article by NSSA’s Susanna Loeb and Sarah Novicoff and see this one-pager for more information on Early Literacy Tutoring.
News
Articles on High-Impact Tutoring
Although most online tutoring solutions claim to provide high-impact tutoring, less than one-third follow the design principles for identifying high-impact tutoring, according to a new report analyzing the effectiveness and credibility of online tutoring programs.
Recent data shows that elementary and middle school students have made significant strides since 2020, but still have a long way to go. Only one state—Alabama—has returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels in math, and only three have returned to pre-pandemic levels in reading. State and district education leaders should prioritize proven solutions like high-dosage tutoring programs to continue closing learning gaps.
State & Local Updates
D.C. kids in regular tutoring do better in school, attend more, report says , Lauren L. , The Washington Post
A new Stanford University report examines the first year of D.C.’s multimillion-dollar effort to get students back on track. D.C. students who got frequent, small group tutoring improved their reading and math scores after the return to in-person classes, attended more classes and had a stronger sense of belonging at school, according to new research into the city’s multimillion-dollar tutoring program.
With $8.5M Investment, New Mexico Tries Once Again to Get Tutoring Right , Linda Jacobson , The 74 Media
领英推荐
New Mexico, ranked last in 4th grade testing, hopes to succeed after recent federally funded efforts reached just a fraction of students. At our May high-impact tutoring conference at Stanford University, Education Secretary Dr. Arsenio Romero spoke candidly about the state’s false starts. To him, the state’s multiple tutoring efforts reinforced that offering services outside the school day doesn’t benefit “kids who need it the most.”
Column: Build resilient schools locally through high-impact tutoring , Robert Nomberg, Ed.D. , The Virginian-Pilot
From the founding president and CEO of Virginia Learns , “School divisions should create "grow-your-own" teacher pipelines and use high-impact tutoring at a critical moment for public education...”
Additional Funding and Time Extension Available for New Jersey LEAs Awarded High Impact Tutoring Funds , New Jersey School Boards Association
The New Jersey Department of Education recently announced the extension of the project period for round one and round two awardees of the Learning Acceleration Program: High Impact Tutoring Grant through June 30, 2025. The NJDOE is also providing approximately $4 million in supplemental funding to existing grantees.
D.C. test scores show small improvement as academic recovery continues , Lauren Lumpkin, The Washington Post?
D.C. students performed slightly better on standardized tests this year than in 2023, newly released data shows, but city leaders say they’re still pushing to get students performing at the same levels they were before the pandemic. Leaders also credit the recent growth to the expansion of high-impact tutoring, in which students who are the furthest behind get regular help in small groups.
Harrison public schools launch High-Impact Tutoring program for mathematics , The Observer (New Jersey)
Thanks to a recent $128,280 High-Impact Tutoring grant awarded by the State of New Jersey, HARRISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS have implemented a new virtual tutoring program. The grant allows the district to offer enhanced academic support in mathematics for upcoming third- and fourth-graders.
Events & Opportunities?
Reimagining Tutoring: From Learning Recovery to Lasting Impact, August 29, 2024, 1:00pm ET, Webinar
Many schools have implemented tutoring initiatives -- with varying degrees of success. A clear body of evidence has since emerged to guide educators in what makes for high-impact tutoring. To establish a new reality in which tutoring is a mainstay, the opportunity for impact goes beyond learning recovery. If educators can integrate tutoring into instructional routines—and deploy the right modality of tutoring at the right time—the opportunity to offer every student a personalized learning experience is within reach. This webinar will be a conversation on ways school leaders can not only sustain high-impact tutoring, but reimagine how tutoring can have a lasting effect on student learning, school culture, and educator job satisfaction. Panelists will include:
Register for the webinar here .
N.J. School System Solicits Tutoring Bids, Deadline: Sept. 10, 2024
Collingswood Public Schools in New Jersey is in the market for high-impact tutoring for more than 30 students. The district is looking for a vendor that can provide a minimum of two sessions per week for each student with a maximum ratio of three students per tutor. Vendors should be able to hold the sessions either in-person or virtually, either during or outside of typical school hours. The priority is high school math and literacy, but can include additional needs, according to the request for proposals. The contract term will run from October through May 2025, the district said.
Email Business Administrator and Board Secretary Beth Ann Coleman at [email protected] with any questions.
Outcomes-Based Contracting Provider Summit, September 25-26, Austin, TX
The first annual OBC Provider Summit , taking place September 25-26 at the Holdsworth Center in Austin, Texas, presents an opportunity for education providers to deepen their understanding of the principles and practices central to outcomes based contracting . Attendees will engage in workshops, participate in discussions, and connect through networking opportunities, with the goal of equipping providers with the tools and strategies to strengthen relationships with districts implementing OBC. An exclusive district/provider panel and lunch meeting with district leaders on the first day will provide a unique chance to foster strong relationships centered on student learning and mutual accountability.?
Space is limited; interested providers should submit an application as soon as possible.
Career Opportunity: Part-time Research Data Analyst, GenAI in Education Hub, Remote Eligible, SCALE Initiative at Stanford University
Want to work with data to understand how to support education leaders in using generative AI to benefit schools and kids? The SCALE Initiative at Stanford University is looking to hire a part-time Research Data Analyst to support the early work of the Generative AI in Education Hub as part of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning.
Highlights:
Contact Chris Agnew at [email protected] for information on how to apply.
How to Engage with NSSA
Complete the High-Impact Tutoring Success Story Form to share a student or tutoring program success story from your school, district, or program for us to highlight through our website or other NSSA communications. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions or ideas.
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