Personalized Learning

High dosage tutoring – defined as tutoring embedded during the school schedule that ensures students work consistently on individualized instructional content with their tutor throughout the school year – is among the most effective and cost-effective learning interventions studied to date.

However, schools still face barriers to bringing high dosage tutoring to all students who could benefit. We work in partnership with school districts to understand whether and how we can scale high dosage tutoring programs to reach tens of thousands more students without compromising effectiveness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated long-standing disparities in educational performance and attainment along race and class lines. Without dramatic intervention, we risk permanently reversing decades of steady, incremental progress in improving student outcomes. More importantly, we risk shortchanging students–primarily Black and low-income students–the opportunity to learn for decades to come. Despite the scale and gravity of the challenge, we know that there is an effective solution to address learning loss: high dosage tutoring. Research by the Education Lab, in partnership with CPS and Saga Education, shows that when done well, this approach can double or even triple the rate of student learning.

The Education Lab, in partnership with MDRC and Saga Education, is helping districts scale and rigorously study high dosage tutoring supports so that more students might benefit.

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1-2.5 years

Our evaluation of Saga Education found that students who participated in Saga’s high dosage tutoring program for a single year gained 1-2.5 years of additional learning compared to students who did not.

30 min

At least 30 minutes of intensive, individualized instruction three or more days per week is one of the most effective learning interventions studied to date.

Related Projects
Personalized Learning Initiative
CURRENT

Personalized Learning Initiative

The Personalized Learning Initiative is a moonshot to overcome pandemic learning loss and aims to bring high-dosage tutoring to students nationwide.

Personalized Learning Initiative: Tutor Corps Evaluation
CURRENT

Personalized Learning Initiative: Tutor Corps Evaluation

The University of Chicago Education Lab is partnering with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to scale personalized tutoring in the wake of the pandemic.

Unlocking Literacy Potential: Bridging the Gap for High School Readers
CURRENT

Unlocking Literacy Potential: Bridging the Gap for High School Readers

In 2020, the Education Lab partnered with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to rigorously design, test, and scale the impact of its Structured Literacy program on students’ reading proficiency levels.

Coaching with Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL)

Coaching with Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL)

The Education Lab partnered with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to pilot the Coaching with CAL program, which offers high-dosage tutoring to students through education technology platforms.

Related Resources
Personalized Learning Initiative Interim Report: Findings from 2023-24
Report

Personalized Learning Initiative Interim Report: Findings from 2023-24

Jun 2025

The latest report by the PLI research team shows positive impacts from many types of tutoring–both more and less expensive tutoring models–across the country. These interim findings ought to encourage the field to stay the course in implementing high dosage tutoring, while improving dosage to yield greater learning gains for students.

The Impact of Virtual High Dosage Tutoring in New Mexico
Brief

The Impact of Virtual High Dosage Tutoring in New Mexico

Jun 2025

Since 2022, the New Mexico Public Education Department has been working with Saga Education and the Personalized Learning Initiative to stand up virtually delivered high dosage tutoring for middle school math across the state and study its impacts on student learning. This brief summarizes the findings for school year 2023-24.

2025 Economic Report of the President
Report

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
Presentation

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.

Latest Updates

Football player-turned math tutor tackles state’s low test scores
Media Mention
Apr 2025

Football player-turned math tutor tackles state’s low test scores

The Black Wall Street Times’ Deon Osborne cites Education Lab research from the Personalized Learning Initiative (PLI) which found that students who received high dosage tutoring saw positive gains on end-of-year math test scores.

Deep Dive on High-Impact Tutoring
Web Post
Saga Education
Mar 2025

Deep Dive on High-Impact Tutoring

Saga Education published a series that uncovers key strategies for creating lasting educational success, such as effective ways to integrate tutoring into the school day and how ongoing tutor support leads to better student outcomes, featuring insights from Education Lab Senior Research Director Monica Bhatt.

The Case for Doubling Down on Tutoring, a Proven Solution We Can’t Afford to Lose
Op-Ed
The 74
Mar 2025

The Case for Doubling Down on Tutoring, a Proven Solution We Can’t Afford to Lose

Accelerate CEO Kevin Huffman and Education Lab executive director Sadie Stockdale Jefferson penned an op-ed that calls for doubling down on investing in tutoring programs as federal aid winds down and academic gaps persist five years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.