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White House Plan Yields 323K Tutors, Mentors to Aid COVID Learning Recovery

The response topped a goal for 250,000 鈥 9 months early 鈥 but the effort鈥檚 future depends 鈥100% on the election,鈥 one leader said.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Faison K-8 School in Pittsburgh during his fall bus tour last month. (U.S. Department of Education)

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In 2022, the Biden administration called for 250,000 tutors and mentors to rescue what some have called the pandemic鈥檚 鈥.鈥

The White House, which has faced criticism for not doing enough for students who fell dramatically behind in math and reading, had something to show for it Thursday. An estimated 323,000 college students, volunteers and school staff signed up 鈥 not only exceeding the administration鈥檚 goal, but hitting it ahead of schedule. 

President Joe Biden called for Americans to volunteer as tutors and mentors during his 2022 State of the Union address. (Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images)

鈥淭his problem is not getting solved by somebody in Washington D.C. We launched the vision. We sent out money,鈥 Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said at an event to celebrate the milestone. But those resources, she said, 鈥渉elped to galvanize鈥 volunteers and staff at the local level. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud that we can see the results of this collective effort.鈥

In the 2023-24 school year, over a quarter of principals reported offering more tutoring, mentoring or other support services than they did the previous year, according to a of over a thousand school leaders released ahead of the event. In all, roughly 24,500 schools added an average of 5.5 additional adults focused on supporting students.

While it鈥檚 too early to determine what effect the extra help had on student performance, over 30% of principals said they were able to employ research-backed, high-dosage tutoring, according to from the Rand Corp. That means trained tutors worked with the same students over time for at least 90 minutes per week.

Rand researchers asked principals about the extra support positions they added to their schools. (Rand Corp., National Partnership for Student Success)

Demand for tutors has received significant national attention, given students鈥 steep decline in learning. But the White House count also reflects a variety of added positions, including mentors to help re-engage chronically absent students and those who help students navigate college applications. About $20 million in federal relief money, flowing through AmeriCorps, the national service organization, fueled the partnership鈥檚 work. Districts also dipped in to other COVID funding to support the extra positions.

But the initiative, led by the National Partnership for Student Success at Johns Hopkins University, faces an uncertain future. Districts are using up what鈥檚 left of that money, and Republicans want to for AmeriCorps, as they have for years.

鈥淥ne hundred percent depends on the election,鈥 said Robert Balfanz, the Johns Hopkins professor who leads the partnership. He expects the effort to continue 鈥渋n some form鈥 if Vice President Kamala Harris wins. 

It鈥檚 unclear whether Donald Trump would do the same, but the educational effects of the pandemic will linger regardless of who鈥檚 in office, he said. 

鈥淲e have kids that are disengaged. We have kids that have greater out-of-school problems. We have kids that are more confused about what they want to do after high school,鈥 Balfanz said. 鈥淚t’s very hard to address those kids with your school staff alone.鈥 

Launched six months after U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona issued the charge for more tutors, the initiative serves as a hub for connecting local groups and individuals to schools that need them. Some leaders from the partnership鈥檚 national network of 200 districts have tried new strategies to motivate students.

AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith, left, Johns Hopkins University researcher Bob Balfanz, and Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten discussed the Rand data showing the National Partnership for Student Success topped President Joe Biden鈥檚 goal of recruiting 250,000 tutors and other support personnel. (Courtesy of Nancy Waymack)

In hopes of reducing a chronic absenteeism rate of about 30%, Principal Scott Hale at Johnstown High School, north of Albany, New York, tapped existing staff members, like teaching assistants, secretaries and coaches, to serve as mentors.

鈥淪uccess mentors鈥 at the school are matched with students to better understand why they鈥檙e absent and what incentives might lure them back. Keeping track of absences on a simple paper calendar drives home how quickly they can add up, Hale said.

鈥淢any students don’t realize how many days they have missed until they see it,鈥 he said. Reducing schoolwide chronic absenteeism has been tough, he added. But over half of the 125 students with mentors increased their attendance. 鈥淭o see a kid improve from 80 absences to 30 is a huge win for us.鈥

Jennifer Casey, a music teacher at Johnstown High School in New York, also mentors students at school to improve attendance. (Johnstown High School)

鈥楳ust be doing the right thing鈥 

College students, who saw their own educations disrupted by the pandemic, have been integral to school recovery efforts, said Josh Fryday, for California Volunteers. 

鈥淭his generation experienced COVID in high school,鈥 Fryday said. 鈥淚 think they understand how important it is to be connected and have this extra support.鈥

Devin Blankenship was among those who signed up for the organization鈥檚 College Corps. She was earning a degree in sociology from Vanguard University, south of Los Angeles, and wanted some nonprofit experience. To avoid commuting through Los Angeles traffic, she took a virtual tutoring position with Los Angeles-based Step Up Tutoring. 

Josh Fryday, right, was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom as chief service officer of California Volunteers. Devin Blankenship participated in College Corps, which helped her pay for college. (Courtesy of Devin Blankenship)

Over the next year, she worked with a third grader from the Los Angeles Unified School District whose reading skills had been so severely impacted by school closures that he barely knew letter sounds. Before she could focus on a lesson, another student confided in Blankenship about getting bullied at school.

鈥淪tudents told me they were excited to come to tutoring for that hour,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 said, 鈥榃ow, I must be doing the right thing.鈥 鈥 

Blankenship鈥檚 experience also points to some of the challenges tutors have faced, especially in a district as large as Los Angeles. At times, she didn鈥檛 know where to go with questions about helping a student or working with a family. She said she had to initiate Zoom or phone calls with her supervisor for answers. 

There were also moments when she felt ill-equipped to help. She recalls watching YouTube videos on improper fractions late at night while trying to meet a midnight deadline for a college paper.

鈥淚 was like, 鈥楳an, I wish there were tutoring sessions for me,鈥 鈥 she said.

The percentage of students receiving high-intensity tutoring was highest in urban schools and those serving a high-poverty population, the Rand data shows. (Rand Corp., National Partnership for Student Success)

With interest in a career in education, she sometimes felt frustrated that she didn鈥檛 have more interaction with students鈥 teachers. But those limitations didn鈥檛 drive Blankenship away. She now works as a teaching assistant in a special education class at Palms Elementary School in Perris, California, east of Los Angeles. She鈥檚 part of a program that fast-tracks interns into classroom positions to help address a teaching shortage.

After working as a tutor during college Devin Blankenship decided to pursue a career in education. She works as a teaching assistant in a special education classroom in Perris, California. (Courtesy of Palms Elementary School)

鈥楽olved the problem鈥 

In addition to giving future teachers practical experience, the national effort has spawned connections between tutoring organizations and college students looking for work. 

Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, struggled while schools were closed to find community service jobs for its students. Then an official who runs its federal work-study program learned about Step Up Tutoring through a local .

Pepperdine was 鈥渞eally interested in partnering with Step Up because we solved the problem for them,鈥 said Sam Olivieri, Step Up鈥檚 CEO. 鈥淲e were able during COVID to fill those community service slots through a virtual program.鈥

Word of their partnership spread and Step Up Tutoring now draws college students from 17 institutions. Virtual tutoring options have helped universities meet Cardona鈥檚 2023 for higher education leaders to spend 15% of their work-study funds on community service 鈥 more than double the .

Olivieri thinks that the higher commitment from colleges to helping K-12 students will be a 鈥渄urable鈥 impact of the partnership鈥檚 work. 

Rand鈥檚 data shows that despite the additional funding and personnel, a third of principals said only some of the students who needed the services received them.

鈥淭he waters are not receding,鈥 Balfanz said at the event. 鈥淭he challenge remains.鈥

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