The “Funding Solutions” panel discussion at the May 2025 National Student Support Accelerator Conference highlighted six possible funding sources that states and school districts could use to sustain funding for high-impact tutoring programs. The discussion, moderated by Saga Education CEO Alan Safran, included panelists representing a school district, university, and private foundation. They offered their perspectives on how districts can best leverage these funding sources.
Why Tutoring Needs Sustainable Funding
School districts nationwide used federal emergency funding to launch high-impact tutoring programs. Research shows that when implemented well, high-impact tutoring can generate months of additional learning and address other potential challenges schools face, including building a teacher pipeline. With these funding sources expiring, states and districts must seek alternative funding sources to sustain tutoring programs.
Key Insights from the Panel
- Redirect existing Title I funds towards evidence-based tutoring programs.
- Lilia Nanez, Associate Superintendent of Ector County ISD in Texas, said a key committee redirected Title I and state compensatory education funds to tutoring based on the strong outcomes it delivered.
- Establish partnerships with universities to access resources such as work-study students, training programs, and other support services.
- Marina Barnett, Assistant Provost at Widener University in Pennsylvania, noted that her institution needed to increase community-based work-study positions to meet federal requirements. She sought to remedy this by establishing a high-impact tutoring program to support the local school district. The program provided the school district $42,000 worth of free math tutoring.
- Use philanthropic funding to initiate programs and demonstrate their effectiveness.
- Pete Lavorini, Portfolio Manager at Overdeck Family Foundation, said that few private philanthropy organizations want to be a long-term sustainable funding source. He advised districts to look for potential areas of alignment between what they want to achieve and the goals of local grantmakers. For instance, a grantmaker might not support tutoring yet, but they may fund teacher development. Schools can help funders see how tutoring supports teaching.
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