Resources for Fall, a Data Webinar, and a Celebrity Call to Action

Hello High-Impact Tutoring Community!

Wake me up when September ends! We know how busy this time can be. That’s why we’ve curated this newsletter to help you make the most of your current and future high-impact tutoring programs.

We have helpful tools and resources, events and news about high-impact tutoring. Among the top highlights this month are:

1. Helpful Resources for the Fall – We’ve compiled essential tools to support your tutoring programs this fall, including a checklist for monitoring student data, tips for checking in with tutors, and communication templates for family engagement.
2. Upcoming Webinar on Student Data – Join us on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, for a webinar on how to use student data to improve K-12 tutoring. Learn actionable steps from experts to maximize your program’s impact.
3. Steph & Ayesha Curry’s Plea for Tutoring Support – In a powerful op-ed, NBA star and U.S. Olympian Steph Curry and businesswoman Ayesha Curry call on philanthropy to help sustain pandemic-era tutoring programs and announce their $25 million commitment to Oakland schools.

We hope these resources inspire and support you in delivering high-impact tutoring to students this semester and beyond!

Warm regards,

Susanna Loeb

Helpful Tools & Resources for the Fall

Tutoring Program Support

For those who have tutoring programs in full swing, here are some resources to inspire and support the ongoing efforts in the coming months.

• Get ready to use upcoming data – At this time of year, be prepared to check in on student data and find out where the “gaps” are in student outcomes. This checklist can help you ask the right questions. (And RSVP for our upcoming data webinar below!)
• Check in with your tutors – Remember to check in with your tutors and ask what support they might need! Our “In-Service Training & Support Guidance” page offers great ideas. Here are some downloadable “pulse checks ”.
• How’s the relationship building? – It’s never too late to find new ideas and ways to connect with your students. Here are some key insights for your tutors to consider.

Family Engagement

Families can engage in their child’s tutoring throughout the school year, including during the upcoming holidays, which will be here before we know it! Get on the radar of families to empower them now.

• Ideas for school districts – Use these communication drafts to ensure families and caregivers have access to information about their students’ academic progress in tutoring.
• Resources for families – This includes a list of “Questions to Ask” for parents/caregivers to check in with their children about their tutoring.

Planning Proposals for Next Year

School leaders are aware that budget season is looming. If you are preparing ideas for next year, here are some resources to support your planning efforts:

• School districts who are planning the basics – Need to understand how high-impact tutoring would work for your students’ unique needs next year? This Playbook will help!
• Which tutoring provider should you choose? – The Tutoring Program Selection Toolkit helps districts and states design a tutoring provider selection process and select tutoring providers that match their specific needs.
• Getting teachers involved in advocacy – Use this Educator Guide (or the Educator Union Guide !) to support educators in championing high-impact tutoring programs within your school and/or district.

Events & Opportunities

WEBINAR: How to Use Student Data to Improve K-12 Tutoring

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 – 2:00-3:00pm ET / 11:00am-12:00pm PT

You asked, we answered. After the topic “Data Use” won our summer poll, we’ve put together this webinar featuring speakers from school districts, research, and more to guide education leaders on how student data can be used to improve tutoring programs.

For school districts and tutoring providers offering high-impact tutoring, collecting student data through assessments, attendance and surveys can garner many insights. But what should be done with the results? What is the best way to use that data to continuously improve student outcomes? This webinar will provide specific action steps for school districts and tutoring providers to integrate data analysis into their tutoring programs for maximum impact.

Panelists:

• LaToya Blackshear , Director of Planning and Evaluation, Jackson Public Schools
• Taryn Hochleitner , Director of Policy Insights, Data Quality Campaign
• Anne Sinclair , Chief Learning Officer, Ampact
• Chayne Turano , Tutoring Quality Improvement Manager, National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA)
• Nancy Waymack , Director of Research Partnerships & Policy, NSSA (Moderator)

Registration.

Latest News

Articles on High-Impact Tutoring

Steph and Ayesha Curry’s Plea to Philanthropy: Don’t Let Pandemic-Era Tutoring Programs End , Steph Curry and Ayesha Curry, The Chronicle of Philanthropy (Opinion)

“Individualized support helped our own children. We’re committing $25 million to Oakland schools so all students have the same opportunity,” say Steph and Ayesha Curry in their op-ed asking philanthropy to add to their significant commitment of $25 million to high-impact tutoring.

5 reasons your tutoring program may fail this school year , Anthony Salcito , District Administration

At schools that provided tutoring sessions multiple times a week with the same tutor over the course of several months, students saw their academic achievements skyrocket. But along the way, it’s become clear that not all tutoring is equal. This article offers five ways tutoring can be high-impact.

Helping kids and teachers succeed this year , Steven Romo , NBC News

CEO of Teach For America , Elisa Villanueva Beard , discusses promising initiatives to better engage students in school, including high-impact tutoring.

Kids who use ChatGPT as a study assistant do worse on tests , Jill Barshay , The Hechinger Report

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that Turkish high school students who had access to ChatGPT while doing practice math problems did worse on a math test compared with students who didn’t have access to ChatGPT.

The ‘Hidden’ AI Tools That Are Driving Educational Gains , Ulrich Boser , Forbes

There seems to be an information void among a lot of parents and even among those who work in education – they recognize the potential of AI to improve learning — but they don’t know what that means, or looks like, in practice. Saga recently began using an AI-powered platform to help train tutors to be more effective.

State and Local Updates

Gov. Moore announces $20 million in education grants for proven programs , Danny Tow , WBFF FOX 45

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced that up to $20 million in grants will go to two education programs, including Saga Education tutoring program. “High-impact tutoring is backed up by research and data when it comes to addressing the pandemic's impact on student learning,” State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey Wright said.

Study shows multi-million-dollar high impact tutoring program is helping DC students , Kellye Lynn, WJLA-TV

After receiving high-impact tutoring in Math last year, fourth graders at Center City PCS-Noma in Northeast D.C. will receive even more of it this school year. "Students who received tutoring in that school year closed the performance gap between their peers that did not receive tutoring."

A Georgia tutoring organization looking ot help address the teacher shortage the state faces , Tanya Modersitzki , 41NBC/WMGT-DT

AMPACT is working with Mercer University to help tutors continue their field of work in education. The partnership allows AMPACT tutors to get discounted tuition to become teachers from Pre-K to 12th grade.

California students need more diverse teachers; let’s close the gap with tutors , Lida Jennings , EdSource

The school year may already be underway, but the reality is that schools will be fighting to staff their classrooms all year. Investing in tutors is an actionable way to help staff schools with diverse educators, with an added benefit of creating a pipeline of tomorrow’s teachers.

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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