Section 2: Developing a Coherent Vision

A clear, compelling vision inspires staff and cultivates a culture of collaboration within a tutoring organization. It also guides both the leadership team and tutors as they navigate their decision-making processes and focus on achieving specific, impactful student outcomes. This section supports Element 6: Cohesion of the Tutoring Quality Standards and is organized into three areas:

• 2.1 Designing a Program: This section covers how to conduct community needs assessments, develop logic models, and design programs aligned to research-based best practices.
• 2.2 Defining Leader Role Clarity and Providing Leader Professional Development: This section focuses on ways to define leadership roles, build professional development systems, and implement performance management processes to sustain tutoring quality.
• 2.3 Fostering Organizational Health and Culture: This section addresses developing a strong mission and vision, creating effective governance structures, and ensuring financial accountability and sustainability.

Research Insights

Research provides the following guidance to create effective tutoring programs:

2.1 Designing a Program

• Successful tutoring programs follow structured design principles that ensure instructional coherence and maximize student achievement. Below is a summary of the most critical design principles to consider when developing a tutoring program:
  • Grade and Content Area: Intensive tutoring can be effective across grade levels and subject matter areas, with more research demonstrating efficacy in the areas of elementary literacy and secondary math.
  • Frequency and Duration: High-frequency tutoring (3+ weekly sessions) for at least 10 weeks produces the best outcomes. Tutoring interventions appear to be more effective as the number of tutoring sessions per week and the overall number of weeks increase. Younger students may benefit from shorter, more frequent sessions. Increasing the number of tutoring minutes correlates with increased student learning gains.
  • Group Size: Small-group tutoring (maximum of three students per tutor) balances effectiveness and scalability. One-on-one tutoring remains the most effective but is also the most costly.
  • Scheduling: Tutoring conducted during the school day leads to better attendance and outcomes. Programs held after school or during the summer have lower participation rates.
  • Delivery Mode: In-person tutoring is the most effective, but virtual tutoring can be successful when delivered with a live tutor or a blended model. Emerging research supports hybrid approaches.
  • Tutor Type: A wide variety of tutors (including paraprofessionals, college students, classroom teachers, and community members) can successfully improve student outcomes, as long as they receive comprehensive, structured training and ongoing support which strengthens and expands their capabilities.
  • Relationships: Consistent student-tutor pairings foster strong relationships, which enhance motivation and learning outcomes. Stable, trusting relationships drive engagement.
  • Curriculum: High-quality, standards-aligned instructional materials improve tutoring effectiveness. Effective programs balance foundational skills with alignment to classroom content.
  • Data Use: Frequent formative assessments tailor instruction and track student progress. Programs that integrate continuous assessment see more substantial student gains.

2.2 Defining Leader Role Clarity and Providing Leader Professional Development

• Successful tutoring programs require strong leadership and coordination. A centralized leadership structure ensures quality, alignment with district priorities, and efficient use of resources. A designated program coordinator collaborates with teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders to oversee implementation and scheduling.
• Tutor coaches are essential for program effectiveness. Tutors who receive personalized 1:1 instructional coaching have higher retention rates and improved instructional practices. Coaches provide ongoing professional development on pedagogy, data-driven decision-making, and relationship building, maintaining the quality of tutoring.

2.3 Fostering Organizational Health and Culture

• Scaling high-impact tutoring requires strategic planning and investment. Key factors include designated tutoring spaces, lead tutor coordinators, and partnerships with external institutions to sustain a pipeline of well-trained tutors.
• Sustained investments in training, instructional materials, and structured implementation maximize student achievement. While high-impact tutoring requires substantial resources, it remains cost-effective. Successful programs often exceed $1,000 per student but yield significant learning gains. By leaning on existing school structures, such as utilizing paraprofessionals or district staff, some successful models have reduced costs to $375–$450 per student.

Read the Full Research

Burch, P., & Loeb, S. (2024, May). Research in progress to better understand high-impact tutoring: Scaling high impact tutoring: School level perspective on implementation challenges and strategies. NSSA 2024 Conference, Stanford University. https://studentsupportaccelerator.org/sites/default/files/NSSA%20Conference%20Research%20In%20Progress.%20May%202024.pdf

Cohen, L. (2024, January). Learning curve: Lessons from the tutoring revolution in public education. FutureEd. https://www.future-ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Learning-Curve-Lessons-from-the-Tutoring-Revolution-in-Public-Education.pdf

Cortes, K. E., Kortecamp, K., Loeb, S., & Robinson, C. D. (2025). A scalable approach to high-impact tutoring for young readers. Learning and Instruction, 95, 102021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.102021

DuBois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn, N., & Valentine, J. C. (2011). How effective are mentoring programs for youth? A systematic assessment of the evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12(2), 57-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100611414806 

Hallgren, K., Gonzalez, N., Choi, J., Kelly, K., Li, A., Ochoa, L., Wakar, B., & Gill, B. (2017). The Atlanta Public Schools turnaround strategy after one year: High impact tutoring and the purpose built schools partnership (Report No. 091616-01). Mathematica Policy Research. https://coschedule.s3.amazonaws.com/88545/08d5f8cb-f10e-40de-af52-4461626dbe4c/Year%201-APS%20Turnaround%20Report%202017.pdf 

Hubbard, D., Gross, K., Holod, A., Wilson, E., Lachowicz, M., & Ackman, E. (2022). Massachusetts early literacy tutoring study: Final report. American Institutes for Research. https://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/2022/06early-literacy-tutoring-study.pdf 

Jacob, R. T., Armstrong, C., & Willard, J. A. (2015). Mobilizing volunteer tutors to improve student literacy: Implementation, impacts, and costs of the Reading Partners program. MDRC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED558508.pdf 

Kraft, M. A. & Falken, G. (2020). A blueprint for scaling tutoring across public schools (EdWorkingPaper No. 20-335). Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/dkjh-s987

Kraft, M. A., Schueler, B.E., & Falken, G. (2024). What impacts should we expect from tutoring at scale? Exploring meta-analytic generalizability (EdWorkingPaper No. 24-1031). Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/zygj-m525 

Lane, K. L., Fletcher, T., Carter, E. W., Dejud, C., & Delorenzo, J. (2007). Paraprofessional-led phonological awareness training with youngsters at risk for reading and behavioral concerns. Remedial and Special Education, 28(5), 266–276. https://doi.org/10.1177/07419325070280050201

Loeb, S., Pollard, C., Robinson, C. D., & White, S. (2024, May). Research in progress to better understand high-impact tutoring: The effects of individualized tutor coaching on tutor and student outcomes. NSSA 2024 Conference, Stanford University. https://studentsupportaccelerator.org/sites/default/files/NSSA%20Conference%20Research%20In%20Progress.%20May%202024.pdf

Nickow, A., Oreopoulos, P., & Quan, V. (2024). The promise of tutoring for preK–12 learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. American Educational Research Journal, 61(1), 74–107. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312231208687 

Nickow, A., Oreopoulos, P., & Quan, V. (2020). The impressive effects of tutoring on preK-12 learning: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the experimental evidence (NBER Working Paper No. 27476). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w27476

Robinson, C. D., Kraft, M. A., Loeb, S., & Schueler, B. (2024, June). Design principles for accelerating student learning with high-impact tutoring (EdResearch for Action Brief No. 30). Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://studentsupportaccelerator.org/sites/default/files/EdResearch%20Accelerating%20Student%20Learning%20With%20High-Impact%20Tutoring.pdf 

Robinson, C. D., Pollard, C., Novicoff, S., White, S., & Loeb, S. (2024). The effects of virtual tutoring on young readers: Results from a randomized controlled trial. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737241288845

University of Chicago Education Lab. (2025, June). Personalized Learning Initiative Interim Report: Findings from 2023-24. https://www.mdrc.org/work/publications/personalized-learning-initiative-interim-report 

White, S., Groom-Thomas, L., & Loeb, S. (2023). A systematic review of research on tutoring implementation: Considerations when undertaking complex instructional supports for students (EdWorkingPaper No. 22-652). Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/wztf-wj14 

Zimmer, R., Hamilton, L., Christina, R. (2010). After-school tutoring in the context of No Child Left Behind: Effectiveness of two programs in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Economics of Education Review, 29, 118–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2009.02.005