A couple of years ago, during the time when the world was facing the challenges of COVID-19 and its aftermath, two significant developments in the field of teaching and learning took place which, in hindsight, were not only groundbreaking but also interconnected. The first one occurred in March 2021 when the federal government allocated $13.2 billion in pandemic relief funds through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Act for K-12 schools nationwide, which is set to expire at the end of this year. Over the past three years, school districts have utilized these funds to support students in recovering from the extended periods of disrupted schooling they experienced during the pandemic.
The second development unfolded in 2022 when UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development released a pioneering report on teaching and learning in the 21st century. The report highlighted the complex interplay of biological, environmental, and socio-political factors that shape each individual’s learning process. Based on this understanding, the report emphasized that “receiving a personalized learning experience is a right and a human entitlement for every learner.”
The connection between these seemingly unrelated events lies in the role of tutoring. In the United States, more than $4 billion of ESSER funds have been used by public schools to provide tutoring support to students who fell behind during the pandemic. Some of these funds have been allocated to high-dosage tutoring, which involves intensive, personalized, one-on-one instruction. Research has demonstrated that high-dosage tutoring, as described by Brown University researcher Matt Kraft, is “the most effective educational intervention ever subjected to rigorous evaluation.” Kraft’s paper, released by the Annenberg Institute at Brown, presents compelling evidence that high-dosage tutoring significantly boosts student achievement compared to other investments made by school districts, such as reducing class sizes, extending the school day/year, and offering summer school programs.
In the U.S., high-dosage tutoring emerged as a powerful equalizer in education during the COVID era. Private tutoring has long been accessible to affluent Americans, resulting in a $115 billion industry in 2023. For a brief period, ESSER funds helped democratize access to tutoring, making tutoring services available to students whose families would not have been able to afford them otherwise.
Several other countries have also embraced the importance of personalized instruction in education. For example, Kunskapsskolan, a Swedish network of public schools, has expanded its model to schools in the UK, the Netherlands, the Middle East, and India. Kunskapsskolan mandates that every student sets long-term goals and provides them with a coach to support their progress. Christian Wetell, a senior academic leader at Kunskapsskolan, emphasized that “All individuals are unique and learn in diverse ways and paces. It is our responsibility to address this challenge. Every student, regardless of their abilities, deserves a personalized challenge every day.”
In India, neuroscientist Nandini Singh’s research on the brain has shaped her understanding of the distinct cognitive processes of each individual, reinforcing her belief in the significance of personalized instruction. This understanding led Singh and other authors of the UNESCO report to highlight that “educational investments need to be scrutinized to maximize returns on educational outcomes and contribute to societal improvement.”
In the U.S., ESSER funds are set to expire at the end of this year, leading many districts to contemplate discontinuing their high-dosage tutoring programs despite their proven effectiveness. However, UNESCO’s assertion that personalized instruction is a fundamental human right transcends any expiration date. The report calls for a transformative shift in mindset, emphasizing that education must lead the way in unlearning outdated practices shaped by industrial-era education systems over centuries.
The influx of federal funding in recent years has alleviated the budgetary constraints faced by school leaders in the U.S., enabling them to rethink their budgets and invest in successful initiatives. While district leaders may argue that changing staffing and daily schedules is challenging, providing individualized instruction to students does not necessitate a significant infusion of new funds. It simply requires a commitment to making high-dosage tutoring a standard component of annual public school budgets.
The traditional industrial model of K-12 education, where students are treated as interchangeable parts on an assembly line dictated by fixed intervals, is no longer effective or relevant. Research consistently shows that each student learns at their own pace and in their own way. The most effective approach is to tailor instruction to individual needs. Every school board has the opportunity to establish tutoring as a fundamental right for every learner, rather than a privilege reserved for the privileged few or a temporary measure to compensate for lost instructional time during a global health crisis.
Michael Thomas Duffy serves as the president of the GO Tutors Corps, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing public school students with access to quality education through high-dosage tutoring.