When considering how schools can best support middle and high schoolers struggling with either the foundational skills of reading or reading comprehension, experts point to a research-backed strategy that can help close academic gaps: high-impact tutoring.

The term refers to an intensive form of tutoring that is offered through a school, is informed by data on individual students’ needs, aligns to classroom work, and can be effective in getting students to grade level faster. Yet few districts have been able to implement that kind of programming prior to the pandemic because of such challenges as cost and staff shortages. New federal relief funds are helping more districts explore the possibility.

Susanna Loeb, Matthew Kraft, Lindsay Page, and John Papay are named to 2022 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings.

The metrics recognize university-based scholars in the U.S. who are doing the most to influence educational policy and practice. The rubric reflects both a scholar's larger body of work and their impact on the public discourse last year.

As 2021 draws to a close, we on the EdResearch team wanted to take a moment to share highlights from the past year and preview what’s ahead in 2022. Some of you may know the work of Chip and Dan Heath, who in their 2017 book write about “peak moments” - notable experiences that stand out among others for their ability to elevate us, give us insight, serve as sources of pride, and connect us. In a year with many ups and downs for all of us, personally and professionally, we thought sharing the EdResearch project’s “peak moments” would be a nice way to reflect on the past 12 months.

Studies are few and mixed about the effectiveness of online versus in-person tutoring, but “many districts are struggling to recruit a sufficient number of tutors locally – especially those districts in rural areas or those that are focusing on higher-level or more technical courses such as calculus. While in-person tutoring may be preferred, for some locations and courses virtual is the best option,” Susanna Loeb, director of the Annenberg Institute at Brown University and education professor, tells SmartBrief.

“Throughout the whole country, we didn’t get a return on investment,” said Joshua Bleiberg, one of the researchers involved in the study at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. “It’s important to emphasize that this is an average. There are some places where it did work well.”

The study, The Effect of Teacher Evaluation on Achievement and Attainment: Evidence from Statewide Reforms, was posted on the Annenberg website in December 2021. It is a working paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.

What’s needed, in short, is a concerted effort to deepen research on teacher professional learning. The Research Partnership for Professional Learning, a collaboration of professional learning organizations and researchers at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, is doing some of this work by uniting experts to drive a transformation of professional learning research and practice in the United States.

High-dosage/low ratio tutoring has “consistently proven to accelerate achievement as quickly as possible” for all students regardless of their demographics, age, or whether they are from rural, suburban or urban areas, said Penny Schwinn, the state’s education commissioner. 

Indeed, research shows that tutoring programs that serve children in small groups with regular, frequent sessions can increase learning by up to 10 months, according to a synthesis of research by Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform.

What's happening: Nearly every sector is dealing with a pandemic-era labor shortage, but the problem is especially acute in public education.

"Teacher salaries had fallen in the few years even before the pandemic, reducing the supply of teachers," says Susanna Loeb, an education economist and director of Brown University's Annenberg Institute. "So the shortage of teachers may actually be greater than the shortage in other areas, which are more pandemic related."