Principal Investigator
Monica P. Bhatt – University of Chicago
Project Description
Across four years, the researchers randomized over 27,000 students in grades K-12 across eight state, district, and charter education agencies nationwide to either receive math and reading tutoring through evidence-based high-dosage tutoring (HDT), more innovative and lower-cost tutoring through “sustainable” high-dosage tutoring models (SHDT), or business as usual.
Research Questions
- What is the effect of high-dosage tutoring and lower-cost tutoring models on student achievement?
Key Findings
The researchers found that both HDT and SHDT are effective overall, with pooled analyses showing the effect of participating in tutoring as statistically significant and ranging from 0.06-0.09 SD, or approximately one to two months of additional learning. These overall effects mask considerable variability within sites. Tutoring impacts were robust across models, with lower-cost models ($1,200 per student) being as effective as higher-cost models ($2,000 per student), and virtual tutoring being as effective as in-person tutoring. While more tutoring minutes correlated with greater learning gains, the minutes of tutoring provided were lower than past tutoring studies, which corresponded to small gains in student learning, leading the authors to emphasize increasing dosage for students in tutoring as a key challenge for the field moving forward.
Study Citation
Bhatt, M.P., Chau, T., Condliffe, B., Davis, R., Grossman, J., Guryan, J., Ludwig, J., Magnaricotte, M., Mattera, S., Momeni, F., Oreopolous, P., & Stoddard, G. (2025). Personalized learning initiative interim report: Findings from 2023-24.
The Key Findings above were reproduced from the published report and do not necessarily reflect interpretation of Overdeck Family Foundation staff.
