NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma’s Transformative Tutoring Initiative helps high school students make academic gains in math at twice the rate of their peers.
Housed in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, the intensive tutoring initiative trains OU undergraduates to tutor high school students who are struggling in mathematics. Each tutor typically works with a group of three high school students three hours a week for an entire school year.
“Intensive tutoring is a mathematics intervention that works, and we have empirical evidence to back that up,” said Stacy Reeder, dean of the College of Education and a researcher on the project.
To evaluate the effects of the initiative, the research team used a randomized controlled trial design, often considered the gold standard in social science research. “On average, tutored students grew at about two times the expected growth rate in mathematics for ninth grade students,” said Daniel Hamlin, lead researcher of the project and faculty in the College of Education. “By using projections of the return to academic skills on lifetime income, the estimated return on investment for our project is approximately 800 percent.”
Four years ago, the program started in just two schools but has since expanded to eight schools, some in urban districts and others in rural and suburban areas. Results have consistently demonstrated considerable learning gains. With its success established, the Transformative Tutoring Initiative team is seeking to expand to new schools and reach more students who need support in high school math.
“No matter the size of the school, students often struggle with challenges that can be overcome with the right support,” said Cristina Moershel, program director. “So many need more math support. It doesn’t matter where they’re from, their background, race, ethnicity, or gender. What we are doing is working for these kids.”
A generous $6 million gift from the Randall and Lenise Stephenson Family Foundation has made it possible to operate the Transformative Tutoring Initiative since 2021. The team is actively pursuing other avenues of funding to bring the Transformative Tutoring Initiative to scale across the state.
The tutors represent different majors from across the OU-Norman campus. Thanks to the funding from the Randall and Lenise Stephenson Family Foundation, tutors are compensated with a $2,000 scholarship and a $2,700 stipend each semester. Along with weekly tutoring sessions, tutors must also participate in weekly trainings that focus on effective instructional strategies and approaches to building positive relationships with high school students.
Kayla Pierson, lead tutor trainer for the initiative, explains that the program is a highly individualized intervention. “We work hard to help the tutors individualize instruction for each student,” Pierson said. She describes how tutors carefully prepare lessons to make them more challenging for those students who are ready to move forward or more accessible for those who need more instruction before advancing to new content.
“Intensive tutoring is needed everywhere,” said Moershel. “It is needed in our small rural schools as well as in our urban schools. If we can provide critical thinking skills to students through math, it will make them more productive adults no matter where their careers take them.”
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
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