Our Academic Coach, Hailey, shares their observations regarding the benefits of the HIT Program at Thurgood Marshall Academy.
As a former classroom teacher now serving as a High-Impact Tutor (HIT) at Thurgood Marshall Academy (TMA), I’ve observed distinct advantages. High-Impact Tutors deliver focused academic interventions in core English and Mathematics courses. Their support enables students to strengthen foundational skills and achieve greater academic success through consistent, individualized instruction.
Student Learning Recovery
In the aftermath of the pandemic and years of virtual learning, students across the nation are illustrating the highly negative impacts of an interrupted learning environment. Mathematics took the biggest downward turn in student performance across the nation and has not significantly improved according to the 2024 NAEP Report Card.1 High-Impact Tutoring programs are essential to closing skill and achievement gaps by offering extra hours of instruction. A group of 11th grade Algebra II students have reported satisfaction with tutoring because it allows them to “slow down” and “absorb material at their own pace.”
Individualized Instruction
Traditional classrooms often rely on whole-class instruction due to time limits and the need to reach many students simultaneously. However, skill and knowledge gaps vary widely from one student to another in any given classroom. High-Impact Tutors can tailor instruction to individual strengths and address specific learning needs effectively. For instance, in one Geometry class, some students struggle with algebraic equations, while others don’t fully understand fraction operation rules. A classroom teacher may not have enough time or capacity to meet each student’s individual academic needs. In my role, I’ve created custom materials for each student, guided by my understanding of their specific skill gaps.
I am eager to continue personalizing instruction for our TMA students to support their recovery and remediation in math skills and performance. The High-Impact Tutoring program is clearly making a difference in TMA classrooms and could benefit all classrooms across the nation.
References
1 National Center for Education Statistics, The Nation’s Report Card: 2024 Mathematics at Grade 8, National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2024, https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/mathematics/2024/g4_8/?grade=8.