A crisis faces schools, families, and students across the country. For years, the academic achievement of our nation’s students has lagged behind other developed nations, but the pandemic triggered the largest decline in student achievement in decades. Despite many families believing their child is on grade level, the sad truth is they are not. The 2024 Nation’s Report Card, along with other standardized and state testing, all say the same thing: kids are far behind. In 2024, only 28% of eighth graders were proficient in math and 30% of eighth graders were proficient in reading. It is certain: business-as-usual in America’s schools is unacceptable for a developed nation with the strongest economy in the world.
Systematically reducing and remediating student learning loss is a daunting task, particularly with the expiration of federal relief dollars and so many states and districts facing budget shortfalls. With finite dollars and a dearth of qualified teachers and staff available to support students, state education agencies and local schools must examine their academic programming, particularly interventions intended to help kids catch up, and ask: Does the program improve student learning? And even more pressing in the current economic climate: Is the educational program worth the investment of increasingly scarce dollars?
Approaching education with the goal of realizing the biggest bang for the educational buck is crucial for improving the academic achievement of America’s kids. The good news is that education research is identifying cost-effective, scalable interventions that produce the gains needed for many kids to reach grade level standards. Districts that have adopted them are seeing student achievement accelerate.
To achieve desired outcomes, it is essential that schools pay attention to what the research says works. Among all educational programs and interventions, high-dosage tutoring has the strongest evidence of success. Personalized and targeted, high-dosage tutoring that is delivered in one-on-one and small group settings has outperformed other popular interventions such as summer school, reducing class sizes, and extending the school day. An extensive body of research documents the potential for huge gains with in-person tutoring models. Across all tutoring models that have been rigorously researched, high-dosage tutoring can provide k-12 students with 3-4 months of additional learning, with the average impact of tutoring representing an additional quarter of a school year’s worth of learning.
Recent research demonstrates that virtual tutoring can lead to meaningful improvements in student learning while also expanding access to academic supports for more schools and students. High-dosage virtual tutoring, delivered remotely by trained human tutors, offers a game-changing solution for schools, especially those in rural areas or those who need to serve many students at once. Currently, four virtual tutoring models have been proven effective (Air Reading, BookNook, Ignite Reading, and OnYourMark). In each, a well-trained tutor delivers a structured literacy curriculum in one-on-one or small group sessions at least two to three times a week. Student progress is tracked through the platform’s embedded tools, enabling customized lessons aligned to student learning goals.
In a Texas district that adopted virtual tutoring, for instance, a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard of social science research, found that elementary students who received 40 or more sessions over 12 weeks gained the equivalent of more than 2 additional months of learning. This is tangible growth, especially when you consider the months of additional learning many students need to reach grade level.
Education research also makes clear what does not work. Studies of low-intensity virtual tutoring models – web-based platforms geared towards on-demand use and often without a human tutor – have generally demonstrated little to no impact on student learning. Yet, they have been widely adopted by states and districts in recent years. The result is wasted tax dollars and student time.
Of the high-dosage tutoring programs that have been proven to work, including both virtual and in-person offerings, there is tremendous variance in the gains students make, the number of sessions required to realize student achievement gains, and the cost per student, For instance, the virtual program implemented in Texas was estimated to cost $750 per student. In contrast, other high-dosage tutoring programs tend to cost between $1,000 to over 3,000 per student. Conducting rigorous cost analysis during the decision-making process will help education leaders determine whether a proven program is worth the investment. Given the increasing autonomy afforded to states by the federal government, state and local policymakers should require information on program cost alongside evidence of program impact to inform their educational intervention purchase decisions.
Once programs are identified as cost-effective, schools need to ensure they have the resources for successful implementation. Cost-effective solutions like virtual tutoring require reliable internet access, adequate devices, and technical support, and not all schools are equipped to provide these resources. Additionally, scheduling space and time for tutoring, as well as providing necessary supervision during virtual sessions to ensure students attend tutoring consistently, requires staff time and energy.
The potential for cost-effective interventions, like high-dosage virtual tutoring, to address learning gaps is enormous, but their scalability and success depends on thoughtful planning and investment as well as a commitment to implementing what has been proven effective. Policymakers must prioritize funding for technology infrastructure to ensure equitable access, administrative support for schools, and continued research into tutoring implementation and impact. They must also collaborate with education leaders on how interventions will be used to achieve learning goals. Educators and school leaders must ensure students receive a model with proven effectiveness, implemented as researched (the same dosage, curriculum, and implementation supports). Providers of interventions must commit to generating evidence of effectiveness, adopting ambitious goals for scaling, and developing a strong operational framework to support expansion.
With strategic investment and a commitment to the evidence at state and local levels, we can harness the potential of scalable, cost-effective interventions to advance equitable learning opportunities for our nation’s students in dire need of academic intervention and support.
