How to Build It and Ensure They Will Come: Educators’ Advice on High-Dosage Tutoring Programs

High-dosage tutoring—defined as consistently scheduled tutorials during the school day in which students work with a trained tutor in small groups (for example, four students to one tutor) at least three times per week—is now widely recognized as being among the most promising educational interventions for improving student learning.

Recent national data show that over 80 percent of public schools offer some form of tutoring and nearly 40 percent offer a tutoring program that can be considered high dosage. Despite their appeal, high-dosage tutoring programs can be challenging to deliver well; in particular, research has shown that ensuring students can participate in the expected number of tutoring sessions per week is a common obstacle. Students can only benefit from tutoring interventions if they are able to attend. Thus, it is critical to identify and address the barriers schools face to delivering a truly high dosage of tutoring.

The Personalized Learning Initiative (PLI)—led by the University of Chicago Education Lab in collaboration with MDRC—seeks to understand whether and how school districts can expand the benefits of high-dosage tutoring and more affordable alternatives. Recent research has explored district leaders’ and tutoring vendors’ perspectives on what affects students’ receipt of tutoring services. This research has identified challenges with scheduling, tutor attendance, and reliable data tracking as barriers to students receiving the intended dosage.