Feb 2015

Not Too Late: Improving Academic Outcomes for Disadvantaged Youth

Jon Guryan Jens Ludwig Harold Pollack

Read the Northwestern University Institute for Policy Research working paper on intensive individualized academic instruction as a strategy for improving academic outcomes of youth who need additional academic support.

Read the working paper here.

Related Resources
2025 Economic Report of the President
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2025 Economic Report of the President

Jan 2025

This report cites results from the Education Lab’s study of a high-dosage tutoring model–what we call “Saga Technology”–which found that substituting some tutor time with educational technology can reduce costs by one-third and halve the number of tutors needed without compromising effectiveness.

Briefing for Chicago Public Schools Elected School Board Candidates
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Briefing for Chicago Public Schools Elected School Board Candidates

Oct 2024

The Education Lab hosted a series of briefings for Chicago Public Schools’ elected school board candidates to provide practical tools and show how school board members can effectively use data to shape policy and improve student success.

How to Build It and Ensure They Will Come: Educators’ Advice on High-Dosage Tutoring Programs
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How to Build It and Ensure They Will Come: Educators’ Advice on High-Dosage Tutoring Programs

Aug 2024

Read a new brief from our partners at MDRC that highlights educators’ advice on implementing high-dosage tutoring programs.

NBER Working Paper: Can Technology Facilitate Scale? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation of High Dosage Tutoring
Academic Paper

NBER Working Paper: Can Technology Facilitate Scale? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation of High Dosage Tutoring

Jun 2024

This paper outlines results from the Education Lab’s study of a high-dosage tutoring model–what we call “Saga Technology”–which found that substituting some tutor time with educational technology can reduce costs by one-third and halve the number of tutors needed without compromising effectiveness.

Latest Updates

Jens Ludwig: Parents of private school students like the Lab School are also worried about the future of education
Op-Ed
The Chicago Tribune
Jan 2025

Jens Ludwig: Parents of private school students like the Lab School are also worried about the future of education

Education Lab faculty co-director Jens Ludwig pens and op-ed about parents’ concerns with America’s public schools.

Partner Spotlight: How AJ Gutierrez is increasing educational equity through collaboration and evaluation
Media Mention
J-PAL
Dec 2024

Partner Spotlight: How AJ Gutierrez is increasing educational equity through collaboration and evaluation

Over the past ten years, Saga’s growth and success has been bolstered through collaborations with researchers, community organizations, and research centers like J-PAL North America and the University of Chicago’s Education Lab.

Jens Ludwig and Randall Stephenson: What America can learn from ‘Toyota Way’ to improve education outcomes
Op-Ed
The Chicago Tribune
Dec 2024

Jens Ludwig and Randall Stephenson: What America can learn from ‘Toyota Way’ to improve education outcomes

Jens Ludwig and Randall Stephenson present a transformative idea to improve learning outcomes in the U.S.