Content Details
ED464343 - Evidence That Tutoring Works
- Category
- Executive Agency Publications
- Collection
- Education Reports from ERIC
- SuDoc Class Number
- ED 1.615:
- Date Issued
- January 1, 2001
- Source Institution
- Department of Education, Washington, DC. Planning and Evaluation Service.; Corporation for National Service, Washington, DC
- Publication Type
- Information Analyses
- Subject
- Cross Age Teaching, Elementary Education, Literature Reviews, Peer Teaching, Program Effectiveness, Reading Improvement, Reading Skills, Research Utilization, Tutorial Programs, Tutoring, Volunteers
- Identifiers
- Tutor Role
- Abstract
- Research has shown that well-designed tutoring programs that use volunteers and other nonprofessionals as tutors can be effective in improving children's reading skills. Students with below-average reading skills who are tutored by volunteers show significant gains in reading skills when compared with similar students who do not receive tutoring from a quality tutoring program. Among the features of tutoring programs associated with the most positive gains are extensive training for tutors, formal time commitments by tutors, structured tutoring sessions, careful monitoring of tutoring services, and close relationships between classroom instruction and curriculum and the tutoring services provided. Research shows the following about,tutoring:Tutoring programs that incorporate research-based elements produce improvements in reading achievement; and Tutoring can also lead to improvements in self confidence about reading, motivation for reading, and behavior, both among tutees and among peer or cross-age tutors. Researchers generally agree on the factors that generate the most consistent positive achievement for tutees: (1) Close coordination with the classroom or reading teacher; (2) Intensive and ongoing training for tutors; ( 3 ) Well-structured tutoring sessions in which the content and delivery of instruction is carefully scripted; (4) Careful monitoring and reinforcement of progress; ( 5 ) Frequent and regular tutoring sessions, with each session between 10 and 60 minutes daily; and (6) Specially designed interventions for the 17-20% of children with severe reading difficulties.