Multiplying Success: Assessing the Impact of a Math Tutoring Program on Young Learners

Districts across the United States are increasingly adopting tutoring as an evidence-based strategy for supporting students. Our study will test the impact of providing math tutoring on students at risk of not meeting early benchmarks. We will study a novel tutoring program (Math Corps) targeting students in grades K-3. The intervention builds upon the success of Math Corps programming for older students and was developed to align with age-appropriate foundational math skills for early elementary students. Our primary research question is, To what extent does a math tutoring program for young learners affect students’ early math achievement? Within at least 15 schools, we will randomly assign 20 (out of 40) K-3 students within each school to receive Math Corps tutoring (N > 600). We hypothesize that students assigned to receive dedicated math tutoring at an early age will have higher achievement on end-of-year math assessments during the intervention year and in subsequent years. Given most districts are currently enacting tutoring to accelerate students’ learning, this study can provide timely, relevant, and accurate information for providing quality tutoring and is thus a critical step towards equalizing educational opportunities for marginalized youth.