School district, education foundation partner to bring intensive tutoring to middle school students

SVEF slated to share update at Nov. 13 school board meeting on new initiative to accelerate math performance

A cutting-edge program for middle school math acceleration is gaining momentum in Sonoma Valley thanks to a joint effort by the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) and the Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD).

SVEF Executive Director Sarah Carroll is slated to give a presentation Nov. 13 to the SVUSD Board of Trustees about high-impact tutoring, which has demonstrated substantial learning gains at all grade levels in schools across the country.

High-impact tutoring delivers tailored small-group instruction by specially-trained tutors within the school day. Students receive instruction in groups of no more than four students at least three times per week to address academic skill gaps. 

Research from Stanford University’s National Student Support Accelerator shows that when implemented consistently over time, high-impact tutoring can accelerate learning by three to 15 months, Carroll said.

“This evidence-based approach has the potential to make a big difference in the lives of local students,” said Carroll. “We’re grateful to be working in partnership with the school district to pilot this initiative locally.”

Steps taken so far by SVEF and SVUSD to implement high-impact tutoring include: 

• On Oct. 9, SVUSD trustees voted to approve $20,000 in funding for high-impact tutoring during the school day during the 2026 spring semester at Altimira Middle School, supplemented by $45,000 SVEF will raise from its community of supporters. 
  
  
• SVUSD and SVEF are currently participating in an eight-week “solutions sprint” intensive learning cohort, with the goal of designing a full-fledged high-impact tutoring program for implementation beginning next year. SVUSD was selected as one of 30 local education agencies from across California to participate in the sprint, which kicked off Oct. 7. School district staff are collaborating on the sprint, along with Carroll. 
  
  

• A cohort of Altimira students are currently receiving online high-impact tutoring after school. Trained tutors from the Bay Area Tutoring Association lead the sessions and share progress notes with the students’ teachers at Altimira. The after-school program is free to students and funded by donations to SVEF.
  
  
• In the summer of 2026 SVUSD and SVEF will collaborate to offer Elevate [Math], a free summer math intensive for middle schoolers. The Elevate [Math] curriculum was developed by Silicon Valley Education Foundation, which is nationally recognized for fostering excellence in education in science, technology, engineering, and math. A small pilot summer session was offered in 2025, led by two SVUSD teachers who received specialized training.

By focusing on middle school students, the initiative is helping students master concepts that are critical for high school success – and hopefully will inspire ongoing exploration,  said Christina Casillas, associate superintendent of educational services. 

“During the summer intensive, students didn’t just learn linear equations and ratios - they grew in confidence, collaboration, and critical thinking,” said Casillas. “We’re excited to see our partnership with SVEF continue to grow these efforts in math through high-impact tutoring.”

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