Tutoring
Research consistently demonstrates that tutoring can have substantial positive effects on student learning. The effectiveness of tutoring programs, however, varies greatly, and access to high-quality tutoring remains unequal. As Director of Research for the SCALE Initiative at Stanford, which houses the National Student Support Accelerator, I lead research on who receives tutoring, which program characteristics drive positive student outcomes, and how schools can sustain effective tutoring at scale, with the goal of providing guidance for policymakers and practitioners.
Relevant Work
2026. “The impact of tutor gender match on girls’ STEM interest, engagement, and performance” (with Joshua Bleiberg, Evan Bennett & Susanna Loeb), American Educational Research Journal.
2026. “The impact of high impact tutoring on student attendance: Evidence from a state initiative” (with Monica G. Lee & Susanna Loeb), AERA Open.
2026. “The power of personalized attention: Comparing pedagogical approaches in small group and one-on-one early literacy tutoring” (with Hsiaolin Hsieh, David Gormley & Susanna Loeb), Education Sciences.
2026. “Answering the call: How changes to the salience of job characteristics affects college students’ decisions” (with Katharine E. Meyer, Chasity Bailey-Fakhoury, Amirpasha Zandieh & Susanna Loeb), Social Science Research.
2025. “The inequity of opt-in educational resources and an intervention to increase equitable access” (with Biraj Bisht & Susanna Loeb), Educational Researcher.
2025. “The effects of virtual tutoring on young readers: Results from a randomized controlled trial” (with Cynthia Pollard, Sarah Novicoff, Sara White & Susanna Loeb), Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
2025. “A scalable approach to high-impact tutoring for young readers” (with Kalena Cortes, Karen Kortecamp & Susanna Loeb), Learning and Instruction.
Forthcoming. “Interpreting null effects in education: Insights from a tutoring experiment” (with Elizabeth Huffaker, Emanuele Bardelli, Sara White & Susanna Loeb), American Educational Research Journal.
Working Papers
“Early literacy tutoring and children’s reading trajectories: Evidence from a four-year randomized controlled trial” (with Jilli Jung, Tye Ripma, Kalena Cortes, Karen Kortecamp & Susanna Loeb).
“Beyond the one-teacher model: Experimental evidence on using embedded paraprofessionals as personalized instructors” (with Elizabeth Huffaker, Monica G. Lee, Helen Zhou & Susanna Loeb).
“Tutor traits and student achievement: Evidence from a randomized experiment” (with Elizabeth Huffaker, Bess Levin Markel & Susanna Loeb).
“Understanding disruptions: Causes of and variation in lost instructional time” (with Xander Beberman, Sarah Novicoff, Ana T. Ribeiro & Susanna Loeb).
Public Writing & Press
EdResearch for Action. “Design Principles for Accelerating Student Learning with High-Impact Tutoring” (2024).
Brookings. “Connecting College Students with Enriching Work Experiences” (2024).
National Student Support Accelerator. “Implementation of the OSSE High Impact Tutoring Initiative” (Year 1, 2024; Year 2, 2025).
Brookings. “The Good and Bad of Virtual On-Demand Tutoring” (2022).
National Student Support Accelerator. “Do Teachers Support High-Impact Tutoring? A Survey Experiment” (2022).
Annenberg Institute at Brown University. “High-Impact Tutoring: State of the Research and Priorities for Future Learning” (2021).
Education Week Webinar. “Examining the Evidence: What We’re Learning From the Field About Implementing High-Dosage Tutoring Programs.”