How Schools Can Build Effective Virtual Tutoring with New Research, One-Pager, and More

Here’s what going on…

Happy Fall! 🎃  As tutoring continues to take hold across the country — as shown by data and stories highlighted below — new research is helping us understand how to make it work best for every student. See our two new studies that offer fresh insights into the realities and opportunities of virtual tutoring. 

What’s New: 

Two new studies from NSSA researchers shed light on what makes virtual tutoring most effective. One reveals where valuable learning time is often lost in online sessions (and how to prevent it.) The other compares one-on-one versus two-on-one tutoring for early literacy, suggesting that individualized connections shape stronger outcomes. 

See our new virtual tutoring one-pager.

Also, see new updates in Chalkbeat, Education Week, District Administration, and even the U.S. Department of Education on tutoring.

Why It Matters: 

As schools expand tutoring to reach more students, especially through virtual models, these findings highlight practical ways to make every session count.Small adjustments in implementation can mean big gains in focus, connection, and impact for students — ensuring tutoring continues to grow as a powerful and lasting part of public education. 

Together, these studies deepen our collective understanding of what makes tutoring effective at a time when education leaders across the country are looking to sustain and scale high-impact tutoring.

Thank you for all you do to support students,

Susanna Loeb

📊 Latest Research & Updates

Many districts use virtual tutoring to reach students in rural or underserved areas, where staffing limits make in-person tutoring difficult. And while past research has shown that virtual tutoring does lead to positive learning outcomes, there is still a gap in our understanding of the effects of in-person tutoring versus virtual tutoring. 

NEW STUDY 1: How Often Virtual Tutoring Gets Disrupted — and Why

One of the biggest challenges in virtual tutoring isn’t content, it’s focus and time. 

A new analysis of over 26,000 virtual tutoring sessions reveals how instructional time is lost and what schools can do to prevent it.

The study breaks down common sources of disruption, including: 

• Technology issues like connectivity or platform problems (accounting for 9% of lost session time)
• Student behavior such as disengagement or distraction (accounting for 6% of lost session time)
• Background noise and late student arrivals

Here are some school-based strategies linked to fewer disruptions:

• Hosting tutoring in libraries or tutoring-specific classrooms to lessen classroom disruptions
• Using smaller group sizes
• Finding ways to minimize common technical disruptions at the beginning of sessions
• Accounting for periods of expected greater disruptions from students, like after the holidays and other school breaks

Explore the findings to see how small implementation shifts can help schools get more learning out of every virtual session.

Check Out Full Study

NEW STUDY 2: How 1:1 Differs from 2:1 in Virtual Tutoring

Another new NSSA study finds that one-on-one tutoring provides students with more individualized support than two-on-one for young students learning to read.

One-on-one tutoring delivered: 

• 65% individualized support during interactions vs. 21% in two-on-one.
• 3× more relationship-building, including praise, personal connection, and individual activities.
• More cultural references, such as Spanish use, signaling stronger personalization.

The takeaway: For very young students learning to read, one-on-one tutoring fosters stronger connections and more personalized instruction in virtual settings. If the lesson design encourages more meaningful peer learning, then this might not be the result. 

Check Out Full Study 

STORYTELLING FROM CHALKBEAT

Virtual tutoring is here to stay.  New research points to ways to make it better.

A new Chalkbeat feature spotlights what educators, researchers, and tutoring leaders are learning from real classrooms — and virtual ones. Drawing on the two new studies above and voices from schools and providers nationwide, the article paints a nuanced picture: virtual tutoring is not a stopgap, but a scalable solution that needs intentional design.

From educators running Milwaukee College Prep School ’s one-on-one literacy sessions to virtual tutoring providers like OnYourMark, practitioners agree that disruptions, training, and space setup matter — but the core promise remains strong. When implemented thoughtfully, virtual tutoring can deliver personalized, relationship-rich instruction to students who need it most, even in resource-limited systems.

These perspectives show that virtual models — if refined — can remain a vital, equitable part of the nation’s learning recovery toolbox. 

Read Chalkbeat Article by Erica Meltzer

TUTORING WAVE

Four New Articles & Federal Updates Spotlight  High-Impact Tutoring’s Momentum

New federal data shows momentum around high-impact tutoring is growing, and national education leaders are taking notice. In just the past month, four major publications have featured new calls to action from top researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, signaling that tutoring is a defining movement in U.S. education.

Together, these stories capture an accelerating field with federal data showing sustained growth, new evidence linking tutoring to the teacher pipeline, and education leaders urging systems to move from “pilot” to “practice.”

Highlights from this national coverage: 

• “Why Tutoring Is a Logistics Problem Worth Solving” – Researchers Dr. Susanna Loeb and Dr. Monica B. argue in District Administration that tutoring’s challenge isn’t effectiveness, it’s execution, and the path forward is entirely solvable.

• “Are Schools Still Interested in High-Dosage Tutoring? Federal Data Offers Answers” – Education Week covers the new National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data confirming the momentum: 85% of schools now offer tutoring, with high-dosage models continuing to grow.

• “Tutoring Is the Teacher Pipeline We’ve Been Missing” – In The 74 Media , Katie Tennessen Hooten of Teach For America Ignite spotlights tutoring’s overlooked power to spark the next generation of educators.

• “The Post-Pandemic Promise of High-Impact Tutoring” – The 74 Journalist Greg Toppo interviews author Liz Cohen highlighting how tutoring is evolving from a pandemic fix to a long-term learning strategy.

And the federal government is encouraging this momentum by including high-impact tutoring in three of four recently finalized federal grant priorities:

• In Priority 1: Promoting Evidence-Based Literacy, the Department acknowledges that evidence-based high-dosage tutoring, is an allowable strategy to implement evidence-based literacy interventions.
• In Priority 2: Expanding Education Choice, the Department designates "expand[ing] access to education services that accelerate learning such as high-impact tutoring" as a core grant priority. 
• In Priority 4: Meaningful Learning Opportunities highlights expanding high-quality interventions and accelerated learning supports, including “high-impact tutoring”, and support for Outcomes-Based Contracting.

Implications for the tutoring field include:

• Federal funding competitions (such as the recent EIR Grant Opportunity) are likely to prioritize high-impact tutoring.
• Programs must be ready to demonstrate rigorous evidence of impact, consistent with the Department’s evidence framework.
• SEAs, LEAs, and tutoring providers should monitor U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Register to track funding opportunities.

Together, these perspectives send one clear message: tutoring isn’t fading — it’s gaining power, scale, and champions.

📅 Events & Opportunities

WEBINAR

A Win Win: How Teachers in Training are Supporting High-Quality Tutoring | November 12, 2025 | 12:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET

Some schools across the country face challenges finding high-quality tutors and sustaining their tutoring programs now that federal ESSER funding has ended.Postsecondary institutions are stepping up to fill the need by having their undergraduates tutor students in partner schools, adding a new component to their teacher training programs in the process.

FutureEd at Georgetown is hosting a webinar on expanding the supply of tutors in the nation’s public schools, focusing on how programs in Ohio and Virginia are making the new win-win partnerships work. Moderated by FutureEd’s Associate Director Maureen Tracey-Mooney , the discussion will feature NSSA faculty director Susanna Loeb, as well as representatives from EduTutorVA and from the College of Education at Bowling Green State University .

Register Here

📰 News

News Articles

Why Tutoring Is a Logistics Problem Worth Solving (District Administration, Dr. Susanna Loeb & Dr. Monica Bhatt)

Are Schools Still Interested in High-Dosage Tutoring? Federal Data Offers Answers (Education Week, Emma Kate Fittes)

Tutoring Is the Teacher Pipeline We’ve Been Missing (The 74, Katie Tennessen Hooten)

The Post-Pandemic Promise of High-Impact Tutoring (The 74, Greg Toppo)

State and Local Updates

Arkansas has improved ability to track tutoring program's learning growth, study says (Camden News, Josh Snyder)

Oklahoma University Expands Transformative Tutoring Initiative Following Strong Early Results (Oklahoma University, Bonnie Rucker)

CT releasing $11.5M to school districts for tutoring program (Westfair Business Journal, Peter Katz)

How to Engage with NSSA

Complete the NEW High-Impact Tutoring Success Story Form to share a student or tutoring program success story from your school, district, or program for us to include in our forthcoming Tutoring Storybook on the NSSA website.

Please reach out to info@studentsupportaccelerator.org with any questions or ideas.

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