Great question! Lots of programs in education claim to be "evidence-based," so it's sometimes hard to know what that means. We define "evidence-based" as programs or practices with evidence of effectiveness based on one of the following: (a) an IES What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) intervention report showing clear positive effects of the intervention, (b) an IES WWC Practice Guide recommendation based on "moderate" or "strong evidence," or (c) at least one peer-reviewed study that shows evidence of positive effects and meets WWC Standards.

Another great question! Tutors start with an evidence-based program or practice (as defined above). Once an evidence-based program or practice is selected, tutors work as part of a learning design team and cycle through implementation, analysis/evaluation, and re-design. Information used for analysis/evaluation include tutor and student user experience; IES WWC Practice Guide recommendations; community expertise, discussion, and reflection; and when warranted, formal A/B experiments to compare which version of the materials work best. Design-based methodology is an approach that aligns with engineering, where products are designed through an iterative development process for specific purposes (Anderson & Shattuck, 2012; Brown, 1992; Collins, 1992). In our case, tutors have the specific purpose to create the best possible tutoring program for accelerating student learning and building positive tutor-tutee relationships. Example adaptations that have come out of our design-based implementation process have included adding more diverse books that are aligned with the scope and sequence, adding nonfiction passages to help build knowledge when practicing reading fluency, transforming lesson content into interactive games, and interleaving math content.

We have been teaming up with the Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) and ACE Teaching Fellows to help with their summer learning and enrichment programs. To get a sense of what it was like, check out the South Bend Summer Scholars flyer. We hope to continue to do something similar again in future summers. We are working collaboratively with ACE Teaching Fellows on a summer reading program that will both serve a need in our local community and provide a high quality practicum experience for teaching fellows.

Yes! Our tutors learn to customize programming to meet your child's interests and learning goals.

Yes! Our tutors learn to customize programming to meet the child's interests and learning goals. 

Parent and tutor satisfaction with tutors who work with us is sky-high, and student growth rates are impressive! See our reports from fall 2020, spring 2021, and fall 2021. Spring data coming soon... in the meantime check out this snapshot of the impressive growth of students enrolled in a pilot during-the-school-day program in collaboration w/ local elementary schools.

For the virtual program, parents fill out a registration form, and we help tutors create a customized learning program to meet your family’s schedule and your child’s interests and learning needs. For our partnerships with schools and community organizations, our goal is to provide tutors who are well-trained in evidence-based programs and practices in literacy and math learning to help the partner achieve its learning goals. In these cases, tutors work with the students invited by their schools or after school programs to participate. Please free to email us at TutorND@nd.edu to explore a potential partnership or to get added to our waiting list.

Registration for the spring 2023 semester is over. At our collaborating community institutions (e.g., SBCSC, Head Start), tutors work with students who have been invited by their schools to participate. We are now planning for fall 2024. Thank you for your patience as we are working to improve our structures and systems to make expansion and sustainability possible. 

Email us at TutorND@nd.edu.

No, in order to play to our strengths and maximize our impact, we are not currently working w/ tutors who work with students in grades 10-12 (unless they are working on Algebra I!). Students in these grade levels seeking help with mathematics can contact AskRose for help. If you are a Notre Dame employee, you are eligible for subsidized virtual tutoring sessions through the Bright Horizons university benefit. The RCLC may also have evening tutoring that works for your child. There is also an initiative between the Indiana Department of Education and Khan Academy called Schoolhouse that you might be interested in checking out. Please note that we are not affiliated with AskRose, Bright Horizons, or Schoolhouse, so we cannot vouch for the quality of those services. 

Tutors who choose our full support program are Notre Dame students, faculty, or staff members who has received extensive training and have passed background checks. Tutors who sign up for on-demand access are volunteers in South Bend and across the country who are working with one of our partners and receive the training and background checks of those partners (e.g., Boys and Girls Club). Remote sessions also may include an observer who is viewing the session for training or educational purposes or to ensure a safe environment. For added safety, every remote session will be recorded and stored in a password-secured university drive. Videos may be used for teaching/tutoring supervision and for program evaluation and research and improvement purposes. We are committed to the well-being and safety of all students and tutors. If you would like to report a tutoring problem or concern, please contact us at TutorND@nd.edu. If you do not feel comfortable contacting us about the problem or concern directly, then please contact Notre Dame Office of Institutional Equity at 574-631-0444 or email equity@nd.edu.

We previously offered drop-in help, but we no longer offer this service. Drop-in tutoring is fine for helping students complete their homework, but it's not an evidence-based way to promote academic growth. Please note that for students in grades 6-12 seeking homework help in math and science, ASKROSE.org is a free drop-in tutoring service. Tutors are Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students who major in STEM fields, and they are available Sunday-Thursday 7-10 PM. The state of Indiana has also partnered with Khan Academy to offer free tutoring for high school math through Schoolhouse.world.

Yes, our tutors provide in-person tutoring services in partnership with local schools and community organizations. If you are a Notre Dame employee who would prefer in-person tutoring to remote tutoring, please contact us at TutorND@nd.edu to explore possible in-person options.

Yes, tutors work with children in the local South Bend community through existing partnerships, but demand for our full support is high, so we do not currently have the resources to add full-support tutors beyond our partner schools and organizations at this time. However, any tutors serving as volunteers to expand access to high-quality tutoring can choose our on-demand option. We are happy to provide evidence-based resources and advice. Contact us for more details. TutorND was started as an initiative by the Provost's Office to serve the children of Notre Dame employees. As of fall 2021, our team is committed to not only serving Notre Dame employees, but also reducing opportunity gaps by serving children in our partnering schools in the South Bend Community School Corporation, children in the Boys and Girls Club, preschoolers in Head Start, and children in schools across the country that work with ACE Teaching Fellows. We provide the same level of high-quality training and support to tutors serving our university employees as we do to those serving children in partnering schools.

Notre Dame students who are interested in serving with TutorND can email TutorND@nd.edu. If you are not a Notre Dame student but would like more information about serving with us, please check for positions posted on the Notre Dame Job Board or email TutorND@nd.edu. We support current students, college graduates, and Masters-level teachers who join our team as ND tutoring specialists, instructional coaches, learning design team members, and research assistants. Tutors need to have prior experience working with children in educational settings and complete the background checks, education, and training necessary to administer our programs.

Short answer is yes-- please join our team! The long answer is somewhat complicated and depends on your role and the support option you choose. Our tutors are all volunteers for the organizations they serve (e.g., schools and after-school programs). However, tutors who chose our full support option are compensated in some way through Notre Dame programming. For example, Notre Dame faculty and exempt staff who have service as part of their paid job responsibilities can join our team and devote some of their available service time to tutoring. Non-exempt employees and students can join our team and receive hourly pay (from us or from their sponsoring unit as paid time off) to volunteer with our partners, or they may be registered in a course that allows tutoring to count toward a practicum requirement. There are additional learning goals and requirements involved when tutoring is part of a course, and tutors choosing this option may work toward educational micro-credentials in high quality instructional materials (HQIMs) or other evidence-based instructional practices. Tutors in our full support program must have prior experience working with children in educational settings, and all tutors must complete the background checks, education, and training necessary to administer our structured programs. If you are already a volunteer for one of our partnering organizations and you would like to choose our on-demand option to gain access of our training, advice, and resources, you may do so! Email TutorND@nd.edu if you would like to learn more.