Across the country, test scores tell a familiar story: modest gains, stubborn gaps and a long recovery from the pandemic. But behind those numbers is a quieter success story: students making real progress through high-impact tutoring.
New Jersey has shown that this approach can work at scale. Now the state faces a choice: Sustain and expand that success, or risk losing it.
Decades of research show that high-impact tutoring — regular, small-group sessions aligned with classroom instruction — is one of the most reliable ways to improve student achievement, often outperforming interventions like class-size reduction. Many states have tried to implement tutoring in response to post-pandemic learning loss, but few have built programs with the consistency and quality the research demands.
The New Jersey Tutoring Corps stands out as an exception — and a national model.
Launched during the pandemic through a public-private partnership, the tutoring corps has grown from serving 500 students in its first year to more than 15,500 K-8 students across 247 sites. In just three years, it has become one of the most comprehensive statewide tutoring efforts in the country.
A new case study from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University documents how the program translated research-based design principles into a real-world system: carefully trained tutors, instructional coaching, small and consistent tutoring groups, alignment to state standards and ongoing use of data to adjust instruction.
Encouraging results
Students who participated consistently showed academic gains across math and English language arts. Districts participating in tutoring saw roughly 15-percentage-point increases in the share of students performing at or above grade level, along with large reductions in the number of students who were two or more grade levels behind. Students also reported higher confidence and engagement, which are encouraging signs for long-term success.
The tutoring corps’ impact extends beyond academics.
The program has become a strategic investment in the state’s educator workforce at a time when teacher shortages are straining districts across New Jersey and nationwide. Since its launch, the tutoring corps has created more than 700 jobs for residents of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with more than 300 added in just the past 18 months. Many tutors go on to be hired by partner districts, turning short-term academic support into a long-term entry point into teaching.
Paid, hands-on apprenticeships feed the pipeline for high-need professions.
In a significant milestone, the U.S. Department of Labor approved “tutor” as an occupation eligible for the federal Registered Apprenticeship Pathway, and designated the New Jersey Tutoring Corps as the first such provider. Registered apprenticeship programs are designed to build stronger talent pipelines in high-need professions by combining paid, hands-on experience with structured training and career advancement.
By securing this designation, New Jersey has not only expanded student support but also helped to carve out a new structured pathway into the education profession — one that develops foundational teaching skills while meeting urgent student needs.
Progress at risk
This progress is not guaranteed.
Federal funding delays this year forced some districts to reconsider their participation, even as demand remains high. Without stable, sustained investment, the students who benefit most from tutoring — those who cannot afford private options — will be first to lose access.
New Jersey built the infrastructure and workforce that aligns to the evidence base for high-impact tutoring. The question is whether the state will commit to maintaining and expanding it.
New Jersey has shown that tutoring can be done right. With continued leadership and investment, it can ensure that many more students receive the consistent support they need to catch up and thrive—and that the state’s success becomes a lasting part of its public education system, not a temporary response to crisis.
