Tutoring Reality Check: Exclusive Research Shows Gains Shrink as Programs Expand
Schools raced to offer tutoring during COVID, buoyed by evidence of huge benefits. But bigger programs yield smaller gains, according to a new study.
As schools struggled to overcome the chaos and academic harm inflicted by COVID, many turned to tutoring as a simple, if sometimes costly, solution. By the end of 2023, the vast majority of states were funding tutoring programs, and by one estimate, at least $7.5 billion of federal relief funds were being directed to new offerings.
The flood of resources was backed by an extensive body of evidence. Dozens of studies conducted before the pandemic showed that the positive effects of tutoring were among the largest ever seen in education policy. To help a generation of young learners return to their pre-COVID trajectory, advocates argued, there appeared to be no strategy more effective than recruiting thousands of tutors to provide regular supplemental instruction.