About 90 percent of public schools that provided high-dosage tutoring rated it as being at least moderately effective in improving student outcomes during the 2023–24 school year, according to data released July 16 from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Forty-six percent of respondents reported providing high-dosage tutoring at any time during the last school year.
However, 26 percent of public school leaders also reported that a lack of focus or inattention from students had a “severe negative impact” on learning at their school during that time.
“Schools continue to grapple with the ongoing impact the pandemic had on their students,” NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr said in a statement. “Understanding the availability of tutoring, along with achievement data from the next 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress release, will provide deeper insights into students’ progress toward learning recovery.”
Findings
Tutoring
NCES identified and defined four types of tutoring, including:
- Standard tutoring — takes place any number of times per week or on an as-needed basis one-on-one or in a group setting, sessions have no minimum length of time and may be provided by educators who have not received specific training.
- High-dosage tutoring — takes place three or more times per week for at least 30 minutes per session, sessions that are one-on-one or with small groups are provided by educators or well-trained tutors who have received specific training in tutoring practices that align with evidence-based core curriculum or programs.
- On-demand online tutoring — provides 24/7 support led by qualified tutors (e.g., certified teachers, subject-matter experts) who are available through an external online tutoring program or company that a school partners with or contracts out services to.
- Self-paced tutoring — allows a student to work on their own, typically online, where they are provided guided instruction that allows them to move on to new material after displaying mastery of content.
As of May, 87 percent of public schools reported having provided some type of tutoring during the 2023–24 school year — an increase from the 82 percent of public schools that had reported the same in October 2023 — and 47 percent reported having provided two or more types of tutoring.
Among those that provided tutoring, high-dosage tutoring was rated as being “very” or “extremely” effective by 52 percent of schools providing it, followed by 27 percent reporting the same of standard tutoring, 18 percent for on-demand online tutoring, and 17 percent for self-paced tutoring.
Student behavior
In addition to some students’ inability to remain focused on learning during the school day, many officials reported that instances of behavioral disruption by students were causing issues not only for their peers, but for teachers as well.
Eighty percent of public school leaders reported that they “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement, “The COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects continue to negatively impact the behavioral development of students at my school,” and 83 percent reported that they “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement, “The COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects continue to negatively impact the socioemotional development of students at my school.”
The two most commonly reported student behaviors that school leaders said happened at least once a week were threats of physical attacks or fights between students (20 percent, with 12 percent reporting that attacks or fights actually happened at least once a week or more frequently) and bullying (18 percent).
When directed at teachers or other school staff, the two most commonly reported student behaviors that happened at least once per week were acts of disrespect other than verbal abuse (36 percent) and student verbal abuse of teachers or staff members (17 percent). These and other instances were reported to have a negative impact on impacted teacher and staff morale and learning at their schools during the 2023–24 school year.
