How Indianapolis Public Schools Navigate Tutoring

Last year, Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) saw significant academic progress thanks to their tutoring programs, but with funding running out, the district is scaling back these efforts.

Similar to many school districts nationwide, IPS utilized both in-person and online tutoring to help students catch up academically after the pandemic. This was partly funded by federal relief aimed at boosting learning. The district provided free, after-school online tutoring to all interested students and virtual tutoring at 24 schools during designated academic intervention times.

The impact was notable. Data from Tutored by Teachers, a partner of IPS, showed that students who participated in tutoring had greater growth in NWEA test scores compared to those who did not. The improvement was especially marked among students who frequently attended after-school sessions and those receiving subsidized meals.

However, the federal funds must be used or allocated by the end of September. This deadline, along with a new state law mandating that more third graders must be held back if they lack key reading skills, has prompted the district to prioritize tutoring for select second and third graders next year.

“We want to ensure we’re using resources where they’ll be most effective and where the need is greatest, particularly in ensuring literacy by the end of third grade,” stated John Isaacson, IPS strategy analyst.

Over the past two years, IPS partnered with Tutored by Teachers to provide both in-school and after-school virtual tutoring. At its peak in the 2023-24 school year, the program reached 9,500 students. Of these, about 4,400 received in-school tutoring at 24 locations, while 2,700 participated in after-school sessions.

This initiative also helped fill teaching vacancies, benefiting an additional 2,300 students.

Students who received in-school tutoring saw a 9-point increase in NWEA growth percentiles in English and a 10-point rise in math. After-school tutoring results varied depending on attendance hours.

Approximately half of the students completed at least 10 hours of tutoring per semester. Among these, 175 students attended over 20 hours of after-school tutoring, achieving the highest academic gains.

Next year, the Tutored by Teachers program will focus on literacy tutoring for second and third graders needing help, based on their NWEA or state test scores. Sessions will occur in 30-minute blocks during class, four times a week, from mid-August to March. The IPS school year starts on August 1.

Isaacson mentioned the program will serve around 1,200 students next year. Deputy Superintendent Andrew Strope added that the district would seek future state and philanthropic funding for more tutoring.

IPS has allocated about $14 million to tutoring efforts, one of its largest federal relief-funded initiatives. Approximately $5 million remains, as per the district’s online tracker.

From August 2022 to March 2023, IPS spent about $4.3 million on Tutored by Teachers.

“This is the best example of effective use of ESSER funds in the country,” said Shaan Akbar, co-founder of Tutored by Teachers.

In addition to Tutored by Teachers, IPS collaborated with several organizations to provide in-person tutoring, although some will be scaled back or discontinued next year:

Brightlane Learning offers tutoring for students facing homelessness at certain schools. Isaacson confirmed this program will continue.

Listen to Our Future provided daily small-group tutoring at specific schools. Isaacson said the district seeks future collaboration with this organization. CEO Lillian Barkes stated they plan to work with one IPS school.

IUPUI Young Scholars supported literacy through in-person tutoring twice a week at two schools. This was a pilot program started in 2022, and Isaacson indicated it will not continue.

Families seeking tutoring have alternatives outside IPS. Indiana offers tutoring grants up to $1,000 for low-income students who scored below proficiency on state tests. Additionally, the Indianapolis city government provides a literacy tutoring program.