Saga Education Blog
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This article explores the successful design of New Mexico's high-impact live-online tutoring program, highlighting three key pillars: teacher-tutor collaboration, in-person site coordination, and maximizing student talk time. It also details how Michelle Korbakes, New Mexico Public Education Department Project Manager, coaches tutors by leveraging data from the Saga's live-online tutoring platform.
In this Q&A, we dive into Palak Chandak’s journey to the education field, day-to-day work as a site director for Saga Education at a Maryland high school, the program model, and her tech-powered approach to coaching—specifically, how she leverages Saga’s AI insights to provide holistic, trend-based feedback to her team of seven tutors.
High-impact tutoring (HIT) delivers the results schools need, accelerating student learning and closing equity gaps. Drawing from the recent EdWeb Webinar, "Turning Around Schools with High-Impact Tutoring," moderated by Saga Education CEO Alan Safran, we highlight five strategic levers that make HIT programs successful and sustainable.
In the first four weeks with Saga tutors, districts see what effective, high-impact tutoring looks like in action. Through co-design, structured onboarding, and Saga’s Quality Tutoring Framework, tutors build strong relationships, deliver aligned instruction, and create early academic momentum. District leaders gain confidence in program consistency, measurable student progress, and a scalable model that strengthens both student learning and the future educator pipeline.
This summer, the U.S. Department of Education issued new guidance to states on how to help schools better serve students under federal school choice provisions. The message was clear: families deserve access to strong educational options, and states must hold districts accountable for building interventions that actually move the needle on student learning.
High-impact tutoring involves trained tutors, supported by ongoing coaching, who supplement classroom instruction by providing small-group, personalized attention. Ideally, tutoring occurs three times a week for 30-50 minutes during the school day throughout the whole school year. Research shows tutoring helps students recover months of unfinished learning.
At Saga Education, our tutors are more than just academic support—they’re future classroom leaders. That belief inspired the launch of our pilot initiative this past school year (SY24-25): the Future Teacher Cohort, a professional learning community designed to support Saga tutors who aspire to become full-time K-12 teachers.
Tutoring can be a meaningful launchpad into a career in education. At Saga Education, tutors gain hands-on experience supporting students, collaborating with educators, and learning essential instructional strategies. This immersive role helps build the confidence and skills needed to thrive in the classroom. For aspiring educators, it’s a valuable stepping stone—offering real-world insight, professional growth, and a strong foundation for future roles in teaching and student support.