2.1 Aligning to District Strategy

To succeed in the mission of reaching “Every child, Every day,” a school needs to have a variety of programs that all work together to care for the needs of the whole child. High-impact tutoring is a solution that can fit squarely into the overall district strategy and achieve many of the district’s existing goals for students most in need; from forging mentorship relationships, to providing personalized instruction, to improving confidence and attendance, and ultimately student growth. By reinforcing a robust Tier I instructional program, high-impact tutoring can replace or complement existing school initiatives for our most vulnerable students, providing them the targeted support they truly deserve. Section 2.1 has content regarding focus area, district strategy, and early leadership engagement to help you determine how high-impact tutoring fits with your district’s needs.

FOCUS AREA
Key RecommendationsCorresponding Resources
  • Examine existing student data, disaggregated in various groupings, to pinpoint students in need of intervention.
Example: Existing student data from Standardized Assessments
  • Identify a focus content area (e.g., early grades literacy or middle-upper grades math).

One-Pager: Starting Your District’s Tutoring Journey with Early Literacy

Reflection Guide: Identifying a Focus Area (PDF Available)

Examples: See our district profiles

  • Identify a focused grade level(s) (e.g., first-grade reading, ninth-grade math).
  • Identify a focused group of students. Prioritize groups of students who have struggled academically.
DISTRICT STRATEGY
Key RecommendationsCorresponding Resources
  • Consider state and local laws concerning requirements and potential funding.
Website: State Tutoring Efforts and Legislation Database
  • Continuously assess the quality of Tier I instruction to identify opportunities for improvement, minimizing the need for extensive tutoring.

Reading: Integrating High-Impact Tutoring with MTSS

Reflection Guide: Integrating High-Impact Tutoring into Existing Tiers of Instruction (PDF Available )

  • Assess the effectiveness of existing initiatives (e.g., intervention blocks, extracurricular programs) in your focus area. Consider their impact on student learning and stakeholder value to determine whether to integrate or replace existing initiatives with tutoring.

Example: Integrate or Replace Existing Programs

Reading: Should Your Out-of-School Time Program Provide High-Impact Tutoring?

  • Review whether your tutoring program meets the requirements for mandated services, and consider consulting with your district’s Special Education administrator or ELL coordinator to ensure compliance.
EARLY LEADERSHIP ENGAGEMENT
Key RecommendationsCorresponding Resources
  • Ensure a dedicated executive sponsor (e.g., a cabinet-level district leader) provides strategic oversight, champions the program, and aligns resources across departments.
Reading: Leadership and Collaboration Roles by Tutoring Approach
  • Connect the executive sponsor with district departmental leaders (e.g., curriculum and instruction, research and data).
  • Create a communication strategy that garners support and communicates program value, including briefs for varied audiences (e.g., district leadership team, school board).
Playbook Subsection: 3.3 Engaging Stakeholders
  • Create a meeting cadence to ensure leadership provides feedback and is regularly updated regarding successes, challenges, and resource needs (e.g., funding).

Playbook Subsection: 3.1 Leadership and Collaboration

Playbook Subsection: 3.2 Funding and Budgeting

PLANNING FOR THE LONG TERM
  • Monitor state and local laws to evaluate the potential implications.
  • Regularly assess how the tutoring program can address new initiatives in the district.
Tutoring Quality Standards and Self-Assessment Indicators
Take the free, 15-minute, and research-based Local Education Agency (LEA) Self-Assessment. This subsection addresses these tutoring quality standards and Self-Assessment indicators.
Cohesion
Program Design		The program is designed to meet the needs of the community it serves successfully.

6a.1 | A thorough analysis of the strengths, resources, and needs of your community/district

6a.2 | An understanding of the inputs and actions required for your program to produce its desired results

6a.3 | A well-defined program model with intentional and consistent choices across various dimensions (Model Dimensions)

Cohesion
Organizational Culture		The program has a defined mission, vision, and set of organizational goals; and these guiding documents are aligned with the broader context and well understood by stakeholders.

6d.1 | A mission statement that is aligned with the context in which you operate

6d.3 | A system for regularly informing stakeholders about the program’s/organization’s mission, vision, goals, and progress