A national effort to put more adults in schools as tutors, mentors, coaches or support staff has exceeded its goal a year ahead of schedule, according to a White House announcement Thursday.
Since the Biden administration announced the initiative in 2022, more than 323,000 adults have responded by working in schools as volunteers or paid staff, according to a spring survey of school principals by Rand Corp. The adults include AmeriCorps and other volunteers, and college students, part-time and full-time staff of nonprofit organizations, as well as school staff hired for these roles or ones taking on additional duties.
The original goal called for at least 250,000 adults supporting school or after-school activities by summer 2025.
The new volunteers and staff, "are directly making a positive impact in our communities and closing academic recovery gaps," said Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy advisor, in a statement.
The effort is led by The National Partnership for Student Success, a public-private collaboration among AmeriCorps, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University. NPSS developed a network of nonprofits, school districts and colleges to provide guidance, training, and technical assistance to participants.
Learning loss caused by disrupted schooling during the pandemic led to the call to action for adults to support students' academic growth.
Even four years after the pandemic, research conducted by the Center for Reinventing Public Education shows the average student who was in school during the pandemic is less than halfway to a full academic recovery. Students with disabilities, English learners and those experiencing homelessness are exhibiting some of the widest academic gaps compared to their peers.
The Rand survey, which included responses from 1,035 principals, found that in 2024, 28% of K-12 school principals reported increasing the number of adults serving as high-intensity tutors, mentors, postsecondary advisors or wraparound support providers when compared to the prior school year. NPSS estimates — based on the survey data — that 24,500 schools added an average of 5.5 additional adults in NPSS-supported roles during the 2023-24 school year.
About 34% of principals said their schools provided high-intensity tutoring to more students in 2023-24 than in 2022-23, and 24% of principals said more students had access to mentors in 2023-24 compared to the previous school year.
Although the numerical goal for student support workers was met, principals said students continue to need more help. About one-third of the principals surveyed reported that only some of the students who needed help received it in the 2023-34 school year. NPSS estimates that at least 29,000 schools need more people supports and other evidence-based resources.
