District/State Administrator

States’ new investment in tutoring is cause for optimism, education researchers say

Even as students in Arkansas and across the nation struggle to recover from a "learning recession" that began more than a decade ago, a Stanford University researcher says parents should feel good about their children's access to quality tutoring.

Federal pandemic aid for schools dried up in the years following the initial COVID-19 outbreak, but many states have kept up tutoring efforts that were launched at the time, according to Nancy Waymack, director of partnerships and policy for the National Student Support Accelerator at Stanford.

"As the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief dollars went away, we were concerned that tutoring might go away with them," Waymack said. "That wasn't really what we found."

Waymack, who grew up in Arkadelphia, is among the authors of a new snapshot report published Wednesday on tutoring policies in the United States. The report praises many states, including Arkansas, for maintaining strong investments in funding high-impact tutoring, implementation support and policy following the expiration of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, a pot of money Congress made available to states through a series of stimulus bills in 2020 and 2021.

FuseLit Education High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) Program

Final Badge—FuseLit Education

FuseLit's School High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) Program serves K–12 students across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. through structured tutoring in Math, Reading, and Writing. Tutoring is delivered both in person at school partner sites and virtually.

The program meets NSSA HIT standards through consistent dosage, small group sizes of four or fewer, vetted instructional materials, and session-level data collection. Each cycle is designed to support measurable student growth over time. 

A+ Tutoring Inc.

Final Badge—A+ Tutoring

A+ Tutoring is a California-based virtual tutoring provider offering high-dosage, personalized tutoring in reading, writing, and math for K–12 students. Sessions are delivered 1:1 and in small groups, multiple times per week, in structured multi-week program cycles. We partner with charter schools and families to serve a diverse student population, including English learners and students with IEPs, supported by trained tutors, structured session design, and ongoing quality review.

AI Tutoring is Not a Monolith: What We Actually Know

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Briefs and Reports
High-impact tutoring remains defined by live human-led instruction. Current research supports leveraging AI tools to enhance tutor effectiveness and educator capacity, rather than serving as a replacement for high-impact tutoring. AI-led tutoring software, even software based on learning sciences, offers potential for supplemental practice but does not yet meet the established evidence base or definition of high-impact tutoring.

Major Virtual Tutoring Provider Shuts Down; Experts Cite Lack of Evidence

The end of Varsity Tutors for Schools follows the abrupt termination of another large provider, FEV Tutor, in early 2025 as relief funds dried up. But tutoring experts say this shutdown is not just another example of districts running out of extra federal money. In fact, multiple states, like Louisiana and Massachusetts, now provide ongoing funding for high-impact tutoring, including virtual models. With districts increasingly demanding strong results, Varsity Tutors for Schools, they say, wasn’t able to deliver proof that their services increased student performance.

For-profit providers, like Nerdy, have to answer to investors and shareholders. But regardless of the business model, those “that adhere closely to the research are going to be the ones that are more likely to have stronger outcomes,” said Kathy Bendheim, strategic advising director at the National Student Support Accelerator, a tutoring research center at Stanford University. 

Southeast Community Foundation

Southeast Community Foundation provides high-dose/high-impact tutoring services to the students of Los Angeles who need help catching up, especially after the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our 10-week programs include tutoring sessions of up to 4 additional hours a week, are built on research-based methods, and are tailored to each student’s needs. We work with schools and school districts to identify students who can most benefit from our targeted approach. These programs are provided to students at no cost to their families.

ClassDojo (Dojo Tutor)

Dojo Tutor connects kids with experienced, caring teachers for 1-on-1 and small-group online tutoring in reading, math, and more. Every session is built around the child’s unique needs so learning feels supportive, engaging, and effective. It's personalized online tutoring that helps kids build skills, confidence, and a love of learning.

World Class Tutoring

Every year, ambitious high school students start planning their journeys to college. At World Class Tutoring, we consider it an honor and a privilege to walk with you on this journey. We know you are going to amazing places and are proud to help you along the way!

Sharp Test Prep

Sharp is a mobile and web-based SAT prep platform that adapts to each student's level from the first question. It identifies the specific skills holding a student's score back, delivers targeted practice using expert-crafted questions, and provides step-by-step explanations through an AI tutor when students get stuck. For students working with a tutor or college counselor, Sharp gives them access to the student's data so they can monitor progress, review mistakes, and provide targeted instruction.

Bilingual Bridges

Bilingual Bridges implements a High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) program designed to accelerate academic growth and close learning gaps through personalized, standards-based instruction, delivered virtually in 15+ languages.

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