REFORM IS NOT ENOUGH. REDESIGN WITH US.

High-impact tutoring (HIT), sometimes referred to as “high-dosage tutoring,” is a research-based intervention proven to substantially accelerate academic progress and improve student well-being. In a small group or one-on-one setting, a trained tutor and student meet frequently and consistently to develop their skills and deepen their understanding in either math or ELA. CityTutor DC’s tutoring work is driven by national standards and aligned to the growing body of research supporting HIT as a proven and effective academic intervention. With DC’s significant investment in HIT as a pandemic recovery strategy, the quality and availability of tutoring services have expanded significantly since 2021. Robust research suggests that tutored students are more likely to achieve growth goals on nationally normed assessments and attend school at higher rates. We envision a future where every student in every school has access to HIT as a resource to build stronger, brighter futures.

Strategic Staffing is the work of redesigning current systems—school budgets, schedules, curriculum, space, and other resources–to reimagine the teaching role. CityTutor DC’s talent work aligns with a growing body of national research suggesting that critical shifts must be made to implement flexible schedules, build more robust instructional teams, and solidify stronger pathways into the teacher profession. With these talent shifts, the role of a teacher is both more sustainable and more attractive. Strategic Staffing initiatives shift the traditional paradigm of teaching from the “one-classroom, one-teacher” model to a team-based approach.

Under Strategic Staffing initiatives, teachers share instructional responsibility across a team of educators and adults; have increased autonomy and decision-making power; can concentrate on the aspects of instruction and social-emotional development where they are strongest; and experience workday flexibility. With these shifts, DC’s most critical resource–our educators–have the time, expertise, and support to make transformative and lasting change in the lives of their students.

As CityTutor DC weaves together strategy, activities, and outcomes across DC’s HIT and Strategic Staffing initiatives, progress in one focus area enables progress in the other. For example, as tutoring providers and partnerships grow stronger across the District, this enables schools to better leverage tutors and external partnerships to support flexible scheduling and instructional teaming efforts. Similarly, as instructional teams and flexible scheduling initiatives grow across DC, the demand for high-quality, small-group interventions expands as well.

CityTutor DC views tutors as a critical component of strategic staffing models as they have the potential to bolster academic and social-emotional supports and lessen the burden on the teacher of record. Furthermore, emerging data suggests that tutoring builds a diverse talent pipeline for schools, with local tutors entering into full-time teaching roles at impressive rates.