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A Tutoring Alternative: Investing First in Tier One Instruction

By Kyle Barrentine

As superintendent of a small, high-performing rural school district in Indiana, I recently attended an instructional conference where 40 exhibitors were hawking products to the attending educators.

What shocked me was that 18 of the 40 vendors were selling tutoring services. These vendors were finding a business opportunity in a system that鈥檚 built backward. Their services are the symptom, not the cure. If we funneled education dollars toward better supporting teachers and helping students at the front end of their education, tutoring wouldn鈥檛 be needed.

That鈥檚 why Tier One instruction, sometimes referred to as universal or first-time support, is a priority among our teachers and students at Shenandoah School Corp. It focuses on learning strategies that lay the foundation for every learner. We believe strong initial instruction is crucial for student success and reduces the need for later educational interventions.

We鈥檝e seen the results. Shenandoah鈥檚 students outperform the state average on standardized tests. Among Indiana鈥檚 389 school districts, Shenandoah has jumped 55 spots in two years to rank 67th in the percentage of students passing both the language arts and math sections of our statewide assessment in grades three through eight.

Our Five Promises

Shenandoah grapples with the same trends facing schools nationwide 鈥� declines in student-age population, teacher shortages, competition from home-schoolers and private options. In that context, supporting Tier One instruction has yielded results.

This is how we approach it.

Articulate a written curriculum. A well-defined curriculum, outlining what is taught and when it鈥檚 taught, is essential. This is the solid foundation for our instructional home. Does this creep into the realm of micromanaging teachers, who value autonomy and trust in their professional abilities? I believe not.

Innovative teachers understand that boundaries foster creativity. Such a system creates benchmarks and generates data teachers can rigorously apply toward evaluating student progress.

Foster strong building leaders. Certainly, our administrators must have strong operational skills, but we also must emphasize their role as instructional experts by making them partners to their teachers, guiding and supporting their professional growth.

This doesn鈥檛 mean principals become micromanagers. It means collaborating on professional development that focuses on instructional practices, partnering on data analysis and providing consistent feedback based on classroom observation.

Focus on rigorous teacher selection. Teachers are the most important school factor in how much students learn. And yes, it鈥檚 challenging work. The teacher shortage is real. We resist the urge to settle.

Building leaders who prioritize instructional excellence should apply that same rigor to the hiring process. This involves carefully evaluating candidates鈥� teaching skills, content knowledge and commitment to continuous learning.

Provide a comprehensive teacher support system within the school day. Instead of periodic early releases, we adjusted school schedules to embed consistent, high-quality training for teachers into the school day. We helped parents and teachers understand how this provided consistency and equipped teachers to immediately implement effective teaching strategies.

In addition, we provide differentiated support to teachers who are new to our school district through monthly meetings focused on instructional best practices.

Provide opportunities for teacher collaboration. This builds on the earlier promises but bears emphasis. Tier One instruction demands educators establish a common language around instruction. That ensures consistency and understanding across grade levels and subjects.

By giving teachers space to analyze student work collaboratively, they gain insights into student learning, identify areas where instruction needs to be adjusted and develop a shared understanding of what successful learning looks like.

A Core Focus

Reflecting on my advocacy for Tier One instruction, I recalled my days as a basketball coach running the 鈥渇lex offense,鈥� an old-school strategy from the 1970s. My friend reassured me, 鈥淓very year, I see a lot of people scoring using that offense.鈥�

My point is this: I stand by my belief in programs that foster critical thinking, emphasize job preparation and support apprenticeships and work-based learning. Innovative programs can benefit students.

You can鈥檛 critically think about a topic if you don鈥檛 know anything about it. Job preparation can鈥檛 happen effectively alongside remedial basic education. Focusing on the core components of quality teaching and learning yields positive results and makes everything else possible.

Kyle Barrentine, who retired this summer as superintendent of Shenandoah School Corp., is lead consultant with 5296 Consulting in Middletown, Ind.