Our Mission
To Accelerate the Growth of High-Impact Tutoring Opportunities for K-12 Students in Need
The National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA) is a program of the SCALE Initiative at Stanford University. NSSA is devoted to translating promising research about how high-impact tutoring can benefit students, particularly those in underserved communities, into practical tools and guidance. Our vision is that every K-12 student in need will have access to an effective tutor that champions and ensures their learning and success. We accomplish this through:
Research
Generate an evidence base about needs, opportunities, and effects of high-impact tutoring across different contexts
Tool Development
Sustain implementation through research-based tools and strategic advising that make high-impact tutoring implementation easier and more effective
Engagement
Engage key decision makers to create opportunities to learn, to implement, and to improve high-impact tutoring programs
What Is High-Impact Tutoring?
Tutoring is a form of teaching, one-on-one or in a small group, towards a specific goal. High-impact tutoring is intensive, relationship-based, and individualized instruction that leads to substantial learning gains for students by supplementing, but not replacing, students’ classroom experiences. High-impact tutoring responds to individual needs and complements students’ existing curriculum.
We recognize high-impact tutoring programs as those that either have directly demonstrated significant gains in student learning through state-of-the-art research studies or have characteristics that have proven to accelerate student learning. These characteristics of high-impact tutoring programs currently include: substantial time each week of required tutoring, sustained and strong relationships between students and their tutors, close monitoring of student knowledge and skills, alignment with school curriculum, and oversight of tutors to assure quality interactions.
What Makes Tutoring High-Impact?
- Regular sessions (3+ times per week for 10+ weeks)
- Small-group formats (one-to-one is optimal; no greater than one-to-four)
- Consistent, well-trained tutors
- Data-driven instruction
- School-day implementation
- Vetted, structured instructional materials that complement core classroom instruction
For more information, see High-Impact Tutoring One-Pager
The Elements of High-Impact Tutoring
Why These Elements Matter
Tutoring can be defined in many ways and not all are effective. Research consistently shows that tutoring programs incorporating these seven elements produce 3-15 months of additional learning.
Why Implementation Matters
Evidence from large-scale implementations shows that tutoring is less effective when it does not adhere to the above research-backed elements, underscoring the importance of fidelity to high-impact tutoring standards.
The Benefits
Meet individual needs
Build relationships
Supports well-being
Increase attendance
Accelerates learning by 3-15 months
Our Partners
The National Student Support Accelerator has been generously funded by a group of philanthropists, including anonymous donors, and the following:
Kenneth C. Griffin
Our Impacts
Measurable Results That Matter! Here's how we're making a difference.
60+
Research Studies
Conducting high-priority research to better understand how to implement high-impact tutoring more effectively and efficiently
40+
Tools and Briefs
Developing and sharing research-backed tools for practitioners, schools, districts, and states to more easily launch or improve high-impact tutoring efforts
300+
States, Districts, Individuals Assisted
Providing assistance to states, districts, practitioners, and advocacy organizations to support their high-impact tutoring efforts
25+
Research Partnerships
Working in more than 18 states to learn more about what drives effectiveness, the barriers to implementation, and how to overcome these barriers
5
Advisory Groups
Incorporating educator, practitioner, policy-maker, student, and family input into tools and guidance to improve usability and uptake
40+
Badged Providers
Based on Program DesignCreating a Tutoring Quality Improvement System to assess the quality of tutoring programs and provide guidance for improvement
High-impact tutoring is gaining traction across the country:
- Twenty-seven states have tutoring legislation or programs.
- The Institute of Education Sciences School Pulse Panel found that 42% of schools across the country offer high-impact tutoring, a figure that has steadily increased since the study began in 2022.
- High-impact tutoring is now a named federal funding priority, resulting in over $100 million in Education Innovation and Research grants focusing on high-impact tutoring.
- Parents strongly support tutoring, with 86% supporting free tutoring for students in need according to a national poll.
Our History
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, education leaders turned to tutoring to address disrupted learning. To unlock its full potential, the National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA), led by Susanna Loeb, launched in 2021 to expand access to high-impact tutoring for K–12 students.
NSSA advances the field by conducting and translating research into clear standards and practical tools and developing a national network to support effective implementation. Today, as part of the SCALE Initiative at Stanford University, we continue to improve quality and access through research, provider badging, new tools, and policy engagement, including emerging work on AI in tutoring.
Get Involved
Ready to Accelerate Student Success?
Whether you're an educator, researcher, administrator, or partner organization, we'd love to connect with you. Together, we can scale high-impact tutoring and ensure every student has the support they need to succeed.
Email us Subscribe to Our Newsletter
LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Facebook