Improving reading literacy and math through small group tutoring

The challenge

Schools are critical settings to develop the next generation of adults engaged in society.  However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on student learning. This project supports children’s academic learning by pairing students from Arizona State University trained in tutoring with elementary schools in the Greater Phoenix region.

The approach

Improving Reading Literacy and Math through Small Group Tutoring, which is funded by a grant from the Arizona Department of Education, supports the embedding of the trained ASU student tutors at the elementary schools.

The project is led by Pamela Hodges Kulinna, a professor at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, as principal investigator. Allison Poulos, an assistant professor and behavioral scientist at Arizona State’s College of Health Solutions, is co-principal.

All ASU students complete nanocourses in general tutoring, mathematics, and literacy through the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Community Educator Learning Hub. 

Tutors work with small groups of elementary students to apply their skills and align all mathematics and reading supports with the priorities of partner schools. This project impacts student learning in two school districts. The project is being done through a cost-effective university-partnership model that integrates tutoring during the school day and in after-school settings with a rigorous evaluation of effectiveness of tutoring on reversing academic learning loss.

The grant builds on research that outlines benefits to students who participate in after-school programs in areas such as homework completion, school attendance and performance in standardized tests.

Findings and impact