With ESSER funding ending, learn how K-12 school districts plan to sustain and fund high-impact tutoring programs for underserved students.
The Center for Education Market Dynamics • June 30, 2023
For the past three years, K-12 school districts across the country have been using pandemic relief dollars and over $700 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to create and manage high-impact tutoring programs. In a national survey of 1,200 school leaders, almost half reported adopting one-on-one or small group tutoring programs during the 2020-21 school year, many of which were piloted in direct response to learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly amongst the nation’s most vulnerable students.
Armed with their own program data, along with research showing that such interventions can play a vital role in supporting student growth more broadly, many districts plan to continue their tutoring initiatives long-term. But with the pandemic in the rearview mirror and the funding that they relied upon drying up, a key question looms: How are they paying for it?
With ESSER spending deadlines on the horizon, here are some strategies for districts looking to create new tutoring programs or sustain existing ones:
Want a deeper look into the challenges and opportunities of implementing high-impact tutoring? Be sure to check out Leading for Action: An Insight Report on K-12 Tutoring Programs, an extensive report by the Center for Education Market Dynamics (CEMD) highlighting districts across the nation that have established successful K-12 tutoring programs.