CityTutor DC is excited to share that our data partner, EmpowerK12, has determined that if students receive high-impact tutoring (~90 minutes per week for at least 10 weeks), they achieve stronger outcomes when compared to their peers who did not receive tutoring. Specifically, second, third, and fourth graders who received 900+ minutes of tutoring in literacy, gained the equivalent of 12 additional school days. Across all grades in math, students who received 900+ minutes of tutoring, demonstrated growth equivalent to 13 additional instructional days when compared to their peers. And if math tutoring happens all school year and a student receives 1800+ minutes, they grow academically as if they’d attended 22 additional days of school!
The bottom line is: when tutoring programs are implemented with fidelity, students make outsized growth. CTDC is building on this tremendous momentum by partnering with ten organizations during the 2024-25 school year.
CTDC’s coalition of HIT providers and LEAs, tutored more than 700 students over the summer. CTDC was fortunate to visit Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC) and observe the Multicultural Career Intern Program’s (MCIP) summer tutoring initiative for 90 middle and high school students. MCIP’s program had an impressive 90% student attendance rate. Summer programs can be notorious for having low student attendance rates, but MCIP’s program prioritized student interests, project-based learning, and community-building. Several community tutors were former CHEC students who are currently enrolled in college with plans to become teachers. MCIP’s program director noted that community tutors improved summer engagement and motivated students to apply to college. Community tutors will provide ELA HIT for middle school students for the upcoming school year.
CTDC’s long-time partner, Raising a Village Foundation (RAVF), also recruits local college students to serve as near-peer Driven Student Guides to provide HIT to students in DCPS schools. One key strength of RAVF’s program is the emphasis on relationship-building and mentoring. Last school year, one high school student said that they “enjoy that we laugh while doing our work.” RAVF will focus on a strong two-generation approach by partnering with families through community-building events.
George Washington University’s High-Impact Tutoring Program, Math Matters at GW, leverages Federal Work Study dollars to provide HIT in math. This summer, their project-based learning program at Kramer Middle School generated enthusiasm among students and contributed to positive attendance rates. Now in its third year of providing HIT to DCPS middle school students, GW’s student-tutors are expanding to tutor elementary students this school year.
Our second university partner, American University’s Future Teacher Tutors, has HIT as a course requirement for its education majors. The small group setting of HIT allows AU’s future teachers to gain skills in developing their relationship building skills through a restorative practice lens, which not only instills a sense of belonging in elementary and middle school students but also prepares AU tutors to be successful in their careers as educators.
Last school year, CTDC was thrilled to partner with Teach For America DC and VA’s pilot of its virtual Ignite program. Ignite fellows are college students from all over the country who provide virtual tutoring and during a site visit at Meridian PCS last year, we observed a middle school student talking to his tutor from Hawaii not only about math, but about the tutor’s favorite beaches. Ignite’s virtual model allows students to expand their perspectives through these conversations with tutors who live outside of DC.
Several CTDC partners employ AmeriCorps members as high-impact tutors. GO Foundation is entering its second year providing HIT to DC students. Their tutor-fellows are embedded within classrooms and school communities. In fact, GO has several fellows who will be returning to tutor at Center City PCS. This retention allows students to have continuous relationships with their tutors, which strengthens their sense of belonging within their school community.
Blueprint Schools Network, another AmeriCorps program, has provided 1,000 elementary, middle, and high school students in DC with math HIT since 2022. Blueprint fellows are also filling the educator pipeline–twelve have become teachers or paraprofessionals in the past two years! We’re excited that Blueprint will use CTDC’s math curriculum at its partner schools for the upcoming year.
After last year’s pilot at Harmony PCS, Reading Assist will partner with CTDC as it expands its Science of Reading based program to DC from Delaware and Pennsylvania. Its Americorps fellows will tutor 300 students at 15 schools in DC. Fellows receive over 100 hours of training in early literacy, relationship-building, and facilitation strategies.
Kid Power Inc. is entering its third year of HIT programming at DCPS elementary schools. By hiring community tutors and training them in the phonics-based UFLI curriculum, students have developed confidence through their strong relationships with tutors in a small-group setting. Last year, one Kid Power student expressed her gratitude: “Thank you so much for letting me be in Kid Power! I love reading now!”
Our final school-based partner, Reading Partners, is committed to strengthening its family engagement program. Reading Partners has always endeavored to have students build personal home libraries (distributing 28,000 books over the past two years!), and this school year they aim to provide families with guidance and resources on how to support learning at home.
CTDC is proud to lead DC’s high-impact tutoring coalition, and we look forward to supporting our partners as they work to accelerate academic progress, reduce absenteeism, and build strong, joyful school communities.