Integrating tutoring into the broader educational ecosystem ensures that it functions as a meaningful part of a student’s academic journey, not just as a standalone intervention. Research shows that when tutoring is coordinated with school schedules, aligned to classroom instruction, and connected to educators and families, it leads to stronger engagement and improved outcomes. This section supports Element 4: Learning Integration of the Tutoring Quality Standards and is organized into three areas:
- 6.1 Structuring Setting and Integrating with School Schedule: This section covers setting and scheduling decisions, systems for ensuring equitable student access, integration with the school community, and building strong communication and partnership systems.
- 6.2 Aligning with Curriculum: This section addresses aligning tutoring with classroom curriculum, designing responsive instruction, and structuring high-quality tutoring sessions.
- 6.3 Engaging School Teams and Teachers: This section covers stakeholder engagement, strategic communication practices, and embedding tutoring into the broader school community.
- 6.4 Engaging Caregivers: This section addresses developing caregiver contact plans and creating responsive communication approaches tailored to family needs.
- 6.5 Boosting Attendance and Retention: This section explores systems for successful enrollment, initial and ongoing enrollment strategies, approaches for maintaining attendance, and caregiver partnerships to support participation.
Research Insights
Research provides the following guidance to create effective tutoring programs:
6.1 Structuring Setting and Integrating with School Schedule
- Strategic master scheduling is a key lever for improving instruction and expanding access to rigorous coursework for all students. Administrators and teachers design effective schedules collaboratively and iteratively, with a focus on flexibility and responsiveness to student needs—especially for protected groups (e.g., students with IEPs, English language learners). Technology-Enabled Tools can facilitate the optimization of master schedules.
6.2 Aligning with Curriculum
- Curriculum alignment directly affects whether students receive coherent, high-quality instruction that complements their classroom learning. When tutoring is connected to what students are learning in school, it can increase the impact and relevance of the support provided.
6.3 Engaging School Teams and Teachers
- Teacher and school buy-in is essential for effective implementation. When teachers are involved and supportive, tutoring is more likely to align with classroom instruction and student needs. Collaboration between tutors and teachers improves communication about student progress, helps identify focus areas, and ensures tutoring complements classroom learning.
6.4 Engaging Caregivers
- Studies have shown that parental involvement in their child’s education has the potential to result in improved achievement, increased attendance, and more positive school behaviors and attitudes toward education.
6.5 Boosting Attendance and Retention
- Tutoring may improve attendance among participating students by increasing student engagement and motivation. Furthermore, opt-out models are recommended because opt-in educational resources may increase inequalities.
Read the Full Research
Behavioral Insights Team. (2022). Common ground: Helping tutors and pupils find similarities boosts session attendance. https://www.bi.team/blogs/common-ground-helping-tutors-and-pupils-find-similarities-boosts-session-attendance/
Bergman, P. (2021). Parent-child information frictions and human capital investment: Evidence from a field experiment. Journal of Political Economy, 129(1), 286-322. https://doi-org.stanford.idm.oclc.org/10.1086/711410
Lu, A., Rouhanifard, P., Cleveland, C., Gilbert, E., & Loeb, S. (2025). The key resource of time: Master schedules and effective allocation of students and educators. Stanford Accelerator for Learning. https://nssa.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Master%20Scheduling.pdf
Francesco Avvisati, Marc Gurgand, Nina Guyon, Eric Maurin, Getting Parents Involved: A Field Experiment in Deprived Schools, The Review of Economic Studies, Volume 81, Issue 1, January 2014, Pages 57–83. https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdt027
Guryan, J., Ludwig, J., Bhatt, M. P., Cook, P. J., Davis, J. M. V., Dodge, K., Farkas, G., Fryer, R. G., Mayer, S., Pollack, H., Steinberg, L. & Stoddard, G. (2023). Not too late: Improving academic outcomes among adolescents. American Economic Review 113(3): 738–765. https://educationlab.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/UChicago-Education-Lab-Not-Too-Late-Paper_03.23.pdf
Robinson, C. D., Bisht, B., & Loeb,S. (2022). The inequity of opt-in educational resources and an intervention to increase equitable access (EdWorkingPaper No. 22–654). Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/ja2n-ys82
Robinson, C. D., Lee, M. G., Dearing, E., & Rogers, T. (2018). Reducing Student Absenteeism in the Early Grades by Targeting Parental Beliefs. American Educational Research Journal, 55(6), 1163-1192. https://doi-org.stanford.idm.oclc.org/10.3102/0002831218772274
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