Recommended Division of Functions Across HEI Departments
Aligned to TQIS Quality Standards
Interviews of HEI tutoring programs found that tutoring programs are typically led out of one of two departments within a higher education institution: the school or department of education, or the volunteer or community support office. This resource highlights potential roles across departments within an HEI. If your HEI does not have both of these functions on campus, consider determining the functions the HEI can sustain and the functions the school and/or district can sustain. In certain cases, there may be opportunities to extend the partnership to a neighboring HEI as well.
Schools or Departments of Education | Volunteer or Community Support Offices | ||
Instructional Functions | Resources | Operational Functions | Resources |
Tutor Recruitment and Selection: Identify skill and mindset selection criteria Tutor Onboarding: Lead instructional training & mindset exploration Tutor Coaching and Feedback: Coach tutors on instructional planning and delivery Data Use: Coach tutors on use of formative assessment and student progress measures to inform instruction Tutor Consistency: Provide clear expectations for tutors to attend their scheduled sessions Student-Tutor Relationship: Provide instructional strategies to support tutors in building relationships with K-12 students Instructional Practices: Provide training and coaching on use of instructional practices aligned with existing practices in the local K-12 school or district Routines and Structures: Provide training and coaching on use of instructional practices aligned with existing practices in the local K-12 school or district Leader Role Clarity: Engage with all stakeholders across departments to norm on which roles each member of the team is responsible for implementing Safety: Have protocols in place to keep students (and their data) safe |
Annotation of CR-SE Facilitator Guide for HEI tutoring providers Ten-Session CRSE Facilitator Guide created by the NCY Culturally Responsive Education Working Group Sample Tutor Pre-service Training Schedule and Course Syllabus Professional Learning Toolkit for Early Literacy Tutors Tutor - Instructional Strategies James Madison University Sample Syllabus: Practicum in Assessment and Reading |
Tutor Recruitment and Selection: Determine how to hire tutors through existing university processes and funding sources (ie, work study) Tutor Onboarding: Lead operational training (ie, payroll process) and understanding of local community context Tutor Coaching and Feedback: Administer surveys for 2-way feedback between tutors and their K-12 site placement coordinators Data Use: Collect and monitor data on program effectiveness and improvement efforts Student-Tutor Relationship - Provide engagement opportunities outside of tutoring sessions (ie, on-campus events for tutees) Dosage: Ensure schedules and budget align to recommended dosage of tutoring Ratio: Ensure ratio of tutor: student does not exceed 1:4 Leader Role Clarity: Engage with all stakeholders across departments to norm on which roles each member of the team is responsible for implementing |
Setting Expectations with Tutors |
K-12 Institution Determine which students will receive tutoring services Provide rosters for initial student grouping based on outcome data in the content area for tutoring Partner with instructional staff from the HEI to provide instructional materials or review materials provided by the HEI program to improve alignment with in-school curriculum Consider working with teachers and instructional leaders to collaborate on the delivery of training and onboarding for tutors to ensure contextual alignment with local teaching practices Additional guidance for program implementation for K-12 districts is available in Section 4 of the District Playbook |