Elkhart Public Library’s Growing Readers tutoring program helps preschoolers get on track for kindergarten and gives a boost to kindergarten to 2nd grade students who are falling behind in their school’s core reading curriculum.
Achievable offers a modern test preparation program built to help learners pass high-stakes exams quickly and confidently. The platform converts the full exam curriculum into clear, digestible lessons supported by memory science techniques, such as spaced repetition and retrieval practice, to ensure learners retain more information in less time. An adaptive engine personalizes each study plan, continually updating what users should focus on next, while realistic practice exams and smart analytics track readiness and highlight gaps.
Arkansas is not alone in providing funds to cover tutoring for struggling students. Among the dozens of other states with similar initiatives are such neighbors as Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, and farther flung states like Colorado, Rhode Island and Minnesota, according to the National Student Support Accelerator at Stanford University.
According to a research summary by the National Student Support Accelerator, tutoring can increase student achievement in reading and math in between three to 15 months of learning across grade levels. Additionally, a study that examined various interventions meant to improve academic achievement from students from low socioeconomic backgrounds found tutoring to be the most effective method, the summary states.
The literacy tutoring grants are one of two programs centered around tutoring established through LEARNS. The other is a high-impact tutoring program that offers grants to public school districts and open-enrollment public charters to administer high-impact tutoring programs in their schools.
The most recent of these, from researchers at Stanford University’s SCALE Initiative, examined math and reading tutoring programs in a large, urban district during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. Neither led to overall gains in academic achievement.
But when researchers dug deeper into the data, they identified implementation problems that could be driving these null effects.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence around tutoring in a post-COVID landscape that suggests the effectiveness of a program hinges on the nitty-gritty details of how it is run—how often students meet with their tutors, for instance, or whether lessons are tailored to their specific needs.
Studying these implementation details could help school systems build more effective tutoring initiatives in the long run, said Elizabeth Huffaker, an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Florida, and the lead author on the SCALE paper.
The report concludes that four years after the height of the pandemic, there is widespread use of evidence-based and people-powered student supports–such as high-intensity tutoring, mentoring, student success coaching, postsecondary transition coaching, and wraparound supports–in public schools across the United States. But, public school principals indicate that continued growth in these interventions is needed to meet the scale of student needs.
The report emphasizes that while implementation barriers exist to expanding evidence-based programs, there is a subset of schools that are proving that serving students at scale is possible, and outlines a range of resources and opportunities to support expansion of high-quality programs.
Here are some ways Shoelace Learning specifically addresses gaps in adolescent learning:
Adaptive, individualized support: Shoelace uses an initial placement assessment, tracks reading comprehension levels (RCLs), and then adapts the content to each student’s current level and needs. For example, they support readers from grades 3–8 who may still have gaps in comprehension.
EduRaptor provides high-impact, personalized K–12 tutoring designed to accelerate student learning in Literacy and Math. Our program is built on the Science of Reading, state-aligned math standards, and MTSS frameworks to deliver targeted support that addresses each student’s unique needs. Tutoring is delivered virtually by certified, experienced teachers in either 1:1 or small-group formats. Each student begins with a pre-assessment to identify strengths and gaps, and progress is continuously monitored through formative checks and data dashboards accessible to schools and families.
StudentNest partners with agencies nationwide to deliver high-impact, equitable, ESSA-aligned tutoring that accelerates learning and closes opportunity gaps. We have provided research-based, individualized and small-group instruction in reading, ELA, math, and specialized support for Students with Disabilities and English Learners. Through trained tutors using data-driven, standards-aligned lessons, StudentNest offers flexible in-person, virtual, and hybrid models to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
Our Impact
Coaching4Change (C4C) recruits, hires, trains, and places College Mentors in K-12 schools to support academic, attendance, and behavioral/social-emotional growth. C4C provides ongoing professional development to College Mentors to build their career-readiness skills and professional networks. Our dual impact is described below:
1. Support high-need K-12 students with academic and social-emotional learning in urban and gateway communities.
Teachers On Demand (TOD) provides high-impact, in-person and virtual tutoring designed to accelerate learning and close achievement gaps for K-12 students. Our program deploys certified teachers and trained tutors who work side-by-side with classroom educators during the school day to deliver individualized and small-group instruction aligned with state standards. Each tutor receives structured onboarding, 40 hours of initial training, and ongoing professional development focused on the Science of Reading, culturally responsive practices, and data-driven instruction.