Opinion: We can’t close learning gaps with half-measures

Five or six years ago, many of my current fifth and sixth grade students were in first grade. That was the pandemic. They missed foundational instruction at a critical moment and, despite enormous effort from dedicated educators, those gaps have mostly followed them ever since. When we looked closely at our data last year, it was clear we weren’t dealing with minor setbacks.

We are not a unique example in Illinois. In our state, only 38% of fourth graders are proficient in math and 30% in reading, and roughly a quarter of students are chronically absent. These are not small gaps that can be solved with small solutions — and the cost of leaving them unaddressed shows up later, in our workforce, our economy and the opportunities available to the next generation of Chicagoans.

Like many school leaders, I have been searching for something that could actually meet the scale of this need. We have explored tutoring programs before. For us, the issue was never whether tutoring works. It was whether we could deliver it consistently, during the school day, with the structure and staffing to do it well.

This year, we are trying something more intentional. We partnered with Teach For America’s Ignite Fellowship to build high-dosage tutoring directly into our schedule. Four days a week, a group of our students works in small groups with trained college tutors. On the fifth day, they focus on executive functioning and study skills. We were deliberate in how we introduced this program. We framed the experience to students as an opportunity to get more individualized support.

After one semester, we are seeing real progress. In reading, students grew an average of eight percentage points, with some gaining 27 or even 42 points. These are students who had internalized the idea that they were behind and are now starting to see themselves as capable learners.

We are also seeing shifts in how students approach school. Students who used to shut down are staying with challenging work. Instead of acting out or avoiding tasks, they are showing more resilience, and behavioral issues among this group have declined.

Attendance tells a similar story. One student who had been attending school about 80% of the time is now closer to 90%. That may sound incremental, but over a full year it represents weeks of additional learning. More importantly, it reflects a shift in mindset. This is a student choosing to show up because school feels different.

That shift is driven in large part by relationships. Our tutors are college students, close enough in age that students connect with them differently. They take the time to get to know students, and students respond to that investment. It feels less like compliance and more like support.

This is also not informal help or disconnected tutoring. The work is aligned to classroom instruction. Our teachers share data, there is coordination on site, and support is targeted to specific skill gaps. It is structured, consistent and sustained over time. That is the difference between something that feels helpful and something that actually changes outcomes.

At a time when students need more support, the federal dollars that funded most high-impact tutoring in Illinois have expired, and state investment has not filled the gap. Our state is also facing a sustained teacher shortage, particularly in the schools that need strong educators most. These can look like separate problems. They aren’t.

We cannot close multiyear learning gaps with occasional or short-term interventions — and we cannot sustain the educators who do this work without building a pipeline into the profession. High-dosage tutoring, done well, addresses both. It closes learning gaps for students now, and it helps build the future of the teaching profession. In recent hiring interviews, I have started to see candidates reference their experience as Ignite tutors. That is new. As an employer, it sends me a strong signal — it tells me these experiences are helping young people find their sense of purpose and see themselves in education.

Research backs that up. A Stanford study found that college students who participate in Ignite are significantly more likely to pursue teaching afterward. As a principal, my responsibility is to make decisions that change trajectories for students. This is one of the few approaches I have seen that improves academic outcomes, builds confidence and strengthens engagement at the same time. This is not the moment to step back. It is the moment to invest.

Alex Connell is principal at HSA Belmont in Chicago.