REPORT BRIEF

THE TUTORING PARTNERSHIP: IMPLEMENTATION

AND OUTCOME EVALUATION

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE

The educational achievement gap in Minnesota is one of the largest in the 

country. Saint Paul Public Schools’ student achievement data show that the 

majority of students are not meeting the minimum state educational 

standards in math and reading. Disparities in achievement are evident for 

students of color and students from low-income households, and the 

population of students requiring extra support is growing across the district. 

PROMISING SOLUTION

The Tutoring Partnership was a network of 28 community-based programs 

that provided intentional academic tutoring interventions to students in 

Saint Paul and Minneapolis. In the 2013-2014 school year, with a Social 

Innovation Fund (SIF) award, the Tutoring Partnership further refined its

service to improve program quality through professional development, tutor 

training, and technical assistance. Through SIF, the goal of the Tutoring 

Partnership was to ensure students who are more at risk for academic 

challenges have access to higher quality programs, and subsequently, better 

academic outcomes.

At-a-Glance

CNCS Program: Social Innovation Fund

Intervention: Tutoring Partnership

Subgrantee: Saint Paul Public Schools 

Foundation

Intermediary: Greater Twin Cities United 

Way

Focus Area: Youth Development

Communities Served: Saint Paul and 

Minneapolis, MN

Study Design: Difference in Difference

Evaluator: Child Trends & Center for 

Applied Research and Educational 

Improvement (CAREI) at the University of 

Minnesota 

Level of Evidence Achieved: Preliminary

Corporation for National & Community Service

Office of Research & Evaluation

October 2017
THE TUTORING PARTNERSHIP: IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOME EVALUATION  2

EVALUATION DESIGN

Child Trends, in partnership with the Center for Applied Research and 

Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota, 

conducted the study to build on previous research by examining both 

student-level and program-level outcomes. The study also documented and 

described the implementation by examining the selection of programs, uptake of services, implementation successes and challenges, and perceptions 

of the services’ effectiveness. 

EVALUATION RESULTS

• Tutoring programs were satisfied with the Tutoring Partnership 

services, and found them to be helpful to their programs

• Requiring participation in Tutoring Partnership services such as 

professional development workshops, technical assistance, and tutor 

training increased uptake compared to those who were not required 

to participate

• Overall, tutored students made greater gains in the year they were

tutored. These gains were present for low-income and higher-income 

students, and for students from different racial/ethnic backgrounds

• Low-income and higher income students saw significant growth in 

reading skills when combined over the course of the 3 year study.

USING FINDINGS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Initiatives and programs offering tutor training may need to provide 

additional incentives, make trainings highly practical and hands on, and 

provide training at a variety of times and locations to boost tutor 

participation in training opportunities. 

While tutors were highly educated, their language and racial/ethnic 

backgrounds did not match the students they were working with, who were 

primarily students of color, and more than 40 percent were English 

Language Learners. Tutoring programs should try building cultural 

competency, awareness of racial biases, and relationship building skills as a 

key aspect of their training. 

Lastly, including measures for different domains of student 

outcomes, such as social-emotional, behavioral, and/or interpersonal 

outcomes, would provide a more comprehensive picture of the role of 

tutoring in students’ lives.

“Technical support made us 

thoughtful about the way we are 

looking at our data. It’s influenced 

how we think about and make 

changes to our program.”

-Program staff interview

Full report and methodology: 

nationalservice.gov/research

The mission of the Corporation for 

National and Community Service 

(CNCS) is to improve lives, 

strengthen communities, and foster 

civic engagement through service 

and volunteering. 

The Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), combines public and private resources to grow the 

impact of innovative, community-based solutions that have compelling evidence of improving the lives of people in low-income communities throughout the 

U.S. The SIF invests in three priority areas: economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development.

The content of this brief was drawn from the full evaluation report submitted to CNCS by the grantee/subgrantee. The section of the brief that discusses 

evaluation use includes contribution of the grantee/subgrantee. All original content from the report is attributable to its authors.

To access the full evaluation report and learn more about CNCS, please visit nationalservice.gov/research.