With ESSER Cliff Looming, a Way Forward on High-Dosage Tutoring

As schools struggle to close Covid-era learning gaps, high-dosage tutoring holds great promise to help students. But such tutoring reaches only about one in 10 students, according to Institute of Education Sciences surveys. Meanwhile, the ESSER cliff looms: Districts and schools are running out of time to spend remaining Covid relief dollars on tutoring programs for the next year. But 40 percent of the surveyed schools said they could not find tutors, while 49 percent said they lacked funds for them. And even the students who do get tutoring are at risk of having it discontinued when Covid funds dry up.

A recent Education Week article by Madeline Will covered a new report on the power of reimagined teaching roles to give weary teachers the chance for deeper connections with students and their families, and more opportunities for collaboration with peers—highlighting the power of Opportunity Culture innovative staffing models that create such roles. Research shows the effect of Opportunity Culture models on student learning growth, with more than double the number of teachers producing high-growth student learning and students gaining an extra half-year of learning growth on average. And educators in Opportunity Culture schools show high levels of satisfaction in annual, anonymous surveys.

Put all that together—proven, reimagined roles that attract and retain teachers, plus limited funding, plus the power of high-dosage tutoring—and districts and states can find a sustainable, supportive, and financially rewarding way to address student and educator needs.

Opportunity Culture models create small teaching teams of educators and advanced paraprofessionals, led by teachers in the Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) role, who have a record of high-growth student learning. MCLs lead the team in lesson planning, data analysis, and instructional changes. They observe and coach team teachers, co-teach with them, and model instruction, while continuing to teach some portion of the time.

With the MCL’s guidance and careful scheduling, these teams can focus on having all available adults providing routine small-group tutoring, during the school day—creating equitable access to tutoring.

Using the staff schools already have means schools and districts can focus their remaining Covid funding on planning and implementing these innovative staffing roles—not for temporary funding for more tutors. In doing so, they establish roles that pay teachers and paraprofessionals more through reallocations of regular budgets—creating a sustainable, long-lasting tutoring culture. MCLs earn supplements averaging 20 percent (and up to 50 percent) of teacher pay, within the regular school budget; educators in the Team Reach Teacher and Reach Associate roles also earn more.

So far, 65 sites in 12 states have implemented or are designing their Opportunity Culture staffing—benefitting students and teachers long after Covid memories, and funding, fade.

Learn More: Small-Group Teaching and Tutoring webpage; listen to our piece about?Lucama Elementary; watch a short video about?Bearfield Primary.

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