Abstract

Research has shown that trained tutors have a greater impact on student learning. This effective practice from LEARNS provides ideas on where to find tutor trainers in your community and which topics to include in a tutor training. Excerpted from The Tutor, Summer/Fall 2001.

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Issue

Some areas of training are better left to the experts. But finding experts in your community that can provide training at little or no cost can be difficult if you don't know where to look.

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Action

Common training topics fall into four general areas or tracks:

1. Program Operation refers to training related to your project, its goals, and your connection with national service.
2. School or Site Culture. Training to help tutors and mentors interact with, and contribute to, the educational goals of a school or out-of-school time site.
3. Learning Support. Training in educational content areas, such as literacy, computers, and math.
4. Learner Relationships refers to training that helps volunteers build a positive relationship with learners, incorporating both research and strategies.

When searching for trainers, conduct a broad search, focusing on four main resource pools:

1. Staff from partner schools and school districts
2. Your own and other national service program coordinators
3. Staff from your sponsoring organization
4. Professionals from community organizations

You may even want to build training into your memorandum of understanding with partner schools.

Those who may know about learner relationships include the following sources:

• School counselors
• Teachers, including special education teachers
• Staff from youth and social service agencies
• Juvenile justice staff
• Child and mental health specialists
• Mentoring project staff
• Higher education faculty

Those with insight about school or site culture include the following:

• School administrators
• School clerical and support staff
• Classroom teachers
• School specialists (reading, psychologists, librarians, counselors)
• Parent organization members
• Parents of tutees
• Project operation directors
• Project directors and coordinators
• Board members
• Staff from other national service projects
• Volunteer association or organization staff
• Corporation for National and Community Service or state commission staff
• Training and technical assistance providers

Learning support can be found among the following resources:

• School or district teachers and specialists
• Title I reading specialists
• Higher education faculty
• Retired teachers
• Graduate students in education
• School or city librarians
• State and local councils
• Professional organizations (for specific subjects, i.e., math, computers,history)

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Context

LEARNS provides training and technical assistance to Corporation-funded programs focused on education. LEARNS is a partnership of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory and the Bank Street College of Education.

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Citation

DeSantis, Dean et al. The Verdict Is In: Trained Tutors = Increased Student Learning. The Tutor. Portland, Oregon: LEARNS, Summer/Fall 2001.

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Outcome

Tutors who receive training are more likely to increase student learning. Finding experts to conduct tutor training can increase their tutoring abilities.

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Evidence

An Abt Associates' study of 68 AmeriCorps tutoring programs across the country identified tutor training as one of four effective practices that correlated with higher student learning gains. In fact, when tutors received pre-service and ongoing training, students showed significantly higher gains in reading skills. In a meta-analysis of 29 separate studies, researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Miami found that tutors who receive intensive training are more effective in improving reading skills.

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Resources

The Verdict Is In: Trained Tutors = Increased Student Learning provides a tutor training calendar.

Programs can also develop their own training capacity. The LEARNS partnership provides project staff members with state and regional training in strategies and materials. The LEARNS website contains training information.

Source Documents

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