Title: Can Technology Facilitate Scale? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation of High-Dosage Tutoring
By Jonathan Guryan, Lawyer Taylor Professor of Education and Human Development and IPR Fellow
Abstract: High-dosage tutoring has been shown to be an effective way to improve student learning (Guryan et al., 2023), but cost remains a barrier to scaling. We investigate a potential way to reduce costs without substantially reducing efficacy – by combining tutoring with computer-assisted learning (CAL) technology. In a randomized controlled trial, we find an in-school math tutoring program where student pairs alternated daily between working with a tutor and on CAL (reducing costs by 30 percent relative to a previously tested model) produced a comparable 0.23 SD improvement in math test scores. These findings suggest the strategic use of technology can increase the scalability of high-dosage tutoring.
This event is part of the Fay Lomax Cook Fall 2026 Colloquium Series, where our researchers from around the University share their latest policy-relevant research.
Please note all colloquia this quarter will be held in-person only.
Madeleine Bagnall
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