This article is one of a series of articles produced by Word in Black through support provided by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Word In Black is a collaborative of 10 Black-owned media outlets across the country.
by Aziah Siid
Nearly two years after students have returned to full in-person learning, teachers and administrators have been frustrated by “learning loss” — a decline in knowledge, skills and ability among students whose education was disrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic.
But a new study shows that intensive, in-school tutoring can help students significantly improve their math skills, overcoming pandemic-related learning loss even in diverse academic settings.
The study, conducted jointly by the University of Chicago Education Lab and MDRC, an education non-profit, found that concentrated instruction during the school day — as opposed to “ad-hoc,” after-school or intermittent tutoring — can lead to “large and positive effects on student learning in math.”
“We are excited to see growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of high dosage tutoring,” Kevin Huffman, CEO of Accelerate, one of the participants in this study, said in a statement. He says the early results are promising, although a companion study on reading is still under way.
“While this research is ongoing, it is important for school leaders and school system leaders to have access to interim reports as they continue to make hard decisions about how to address disparities in learning outcomes.
The study tracked some 2,000 public-school students in Chicago, a majority-Black and Latino district, and in Fulton County, Georgia. Schools in both localities participated in district-wide, in-school tutoring during the 2022-23 school year.
High dosage tutoring — defined as a teacher working with students one-to-one or in very small groups for several hours per week — has shown that it can double or triple an individual’s learning in just one year.
The study found that two-on-one tutoring for just 45 to 50 minutes during the school day reduced math failures by 49%. In both Britain and the Netherlands their governments approved allocated funds to help support extra pupil services like increased tutoring.
In 2022, research found that 56 percent of public schools were using high-dosage tutoring to support pandemic learning recovery, with most school leaders highly rating the effectiveness of the strategy.
That same year, the federal Department of Education joined forces with leading education, youth development, and service organizations to launch the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS). The coalition is intended to support the expansion, launch, and improvement of high-impact tutoring, amongst other student needs to improve students overall wellbeing.
There are a few hurdles, however — starting with the cost. Hiring dozens of tutors when many schools are struggling to find enough teachers would likely be a struggle. Also, it likely would be a stretch for school districts to incorporate in-school tutoring into their budget, even with additional federal funding.
Funding for Tutoring Is Scarce
Still, there are different types of tutoring programs that can be effective, including students tutoring other students, or using technology to give students the extra help they need.
Similarly, the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds in part were intended to cover resources that promote learning, like summer programming, intense tutoring, teacher pay, and more. But even with additional federal funding, the price tag of tutoring is still pretty hefty.
Data on how much the additional in school tutoring services will cost per district is limited, but one study of a Chicago high-dosage math tutoring program found that it cost about, “$3,800 a student over a school year,” according to Education Week reporting.
On top of the hefty costs per student to incorporate tutoring into the school day, ensuring every student receives, particularly those that actually need the distance the most. Some schools have opted for online tutoring platforms for students to supplement for the lack of in person instruction.
Dek: New research on math instruction confirms what many already know: When students have intensive, in-class help with their lessons, their grades go up.
Nearly two years after students have returned to full in-person learning, teachers and administrators have been frustrated by “learning loss” — a decline in knowledge, skills and ability among students whose education was disrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic.
But a new study shows that intensive, in-school tutoring can help students significantly improve their math skills, overcoming pandemic-related learning loss even in diverse academic settings.
The study, conducted jointly by the University of Chicago Education Lab and MDRC, an education non-profit, found that concentrated instruction during the school day — as opposed to “ad-hoc,” after-school or intermittent tutoring — can lead to “large and positive effects on student learning in math.”
“We are excited to see growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of high dosage tutoring,” Kevin Huffman, CEO of Accelerate, one of the participants in this study, said in a statement. He says the early results are promising, although a companion study on reading is still under way.
“While this research is ongoing, it is important for school leaders and school system leaders to have access to interim reports as they continue to make hard decisions about how to address disparities in learning outcomes.
The study tracked some 2,000 public-school students in Chicago and in Fulton County, Georgia, as they participated in district-wide, in-school tutoring during the 2022-23 school year.
High dosage tutoring — defined as a teacher working with students one-to-one or in very small groups for several hours per week — has shown that it can double or triple an individual’s learning in just one year.
The study found that two-on-one tutoring for just 45 to 50 minutes during the school day reduced math failures by 49%. In both Britain and the Netherlands their governments approved allocated funds to help support extra pupil services like increased tutoring.
In 2022, research found that 56 percent of public schools were using high-dosage tutoring to support pandemic learning recovery, with most school leaders highly rating the effectiveness of the strategy.
That same year, the federal Department of Education joined forces with leading education, youth development, and service organizations to launch the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS). The coalition is intended to support the expansion, launch, and improvement of high-impact tutoring, amongst other student needs to improve students overall wellbeing.
There are a few hurdles, however — starting with the cost. Hiring dozens of tutors when many schools are struggling to find enough teachers would likely be a struggle. Also, it likely would be a stretch for school districts to incorporate in-school tutoring into their budget, even with additional federal funding.
Funding for Tutoring Is Scarce
Still, there are different types of tutoring programs that can be effective, including students tutoring other students, or using technology to give students the extra help they need.
Similarly, the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds in part were intended to cover resources that promote learning, like summer programming, intense tutoring, teacher pay, and more. But even with additional federal funding, the price tag of tutoring is still pretty hefty.
Data on how much the additional in school tutoring services will cost per district is limited, but one study of a Chicago high-dosage math tutoring program found that it cost about, “$3,800 a student over a school year,” according to Education Week reporting.
On top of the hefty costs per student to incorporate tutoring into the school day, ensuring every student receives, particularly those that actually need the distance the most. Some schools have opted for online tutoring platforms for students to supplement for the lack of in person instruction.
