High-Impact Tutoring: State of the Research and Priorities (design principles)
Robinson, C. D., & Loeb, S. (with Kraft & Schueler companion brief) · 2021
grade Creviewindependentreplicated
Sample
Narrative synthesis of the tutoring RCT literature
Population
K-12 (US policy synthesis).
Design
The canonical 'high-impact tutoring' definition; basis of National Student Support Accelerator standards.
Key findings
What 'high-impact tutoring' means operationally. The strongest-corroborated principle: embed tutoring in the school day — without it, the struggling students the program exists for don't show up.
Genetic confound
N/A.
Replication notes
The bundle was later shown (Kraft 2024) to halve scale attenuation; the opt-in warning corroborated at scale (NTP vendor routes; on-demand platforms ~19% login).
DOI / URL
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design principles from RCT moderators | qualitative | >=3 sessions/wk of 30-60 min; ratio <=1:4 (ideally <=1:3); during school day; paid trained consistent tutors; curriculum-aligned; data-informed | mixed | n/a | none | not-applicable | domain-skill |
| Models warned against | qualitative | opt-in, on-demand homework help, after-school, <3x/wk, rotating tutors — take-up fails, concentrated among students least in need | mixed | n/a | none | not-applicable | behaviour |
Cited by
- Tutoring — the honest effect, the Bloom 2-sigma myth, and what survives scalestrong supportconf: highgc: low