The Education Gadfly Show Is tutoring the next big thing? | Episode 1001 of The Education Gadfly Show
Jan 14, 2026
Liz Cohen, Vice President of Policy at 50CAN and author of The Future of Tutoring, dives into the transformative potential of tutoring in education. She argues that tutoring can complement core teaching methods and meets specific student needs, especially post-COVID. They discuss the trade-offs between funding tutoring and teacher salaries, highlighting challenges in scaling such initiatives. Additionally, enlightening insights on family background's impact on college majors and earnings growth spark crucial conversations about equity in education.
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Tutoring As Learning And Teacher Support
- Liz Cohen argues tutoring's value lies in increasing student learning and teacher support, not preserving jobs.
- She says tutors help reengage students so teachers can focus on core instruction.
Reallocate Intervention Funds Strategically
- Use existing intervention funds (MTSS/RTI) for high-evidence tutoring rather than creating new staffing layers.
- Target tutoring to students who need intensive support instead of scaling to everyone.
Scaling Tutoring Is A Logistics Problem
- Scaling tutoring is operationally hard: recruiting, training, aligning curriculum, and ensuring dosage.
- Districts should consider targeted rather than universal programs to manage complexity.