In a move that will impact the academic futures of many students, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have announced the layoffs of 530 tutors, many of whom were integral in boosting literacy and numeracy following the COVID-19 pandemic. These layoffs underscore a shift in strategy for CPS, as the tutoring program had not met the district’s expectations despite prior evidence suggesting its potential effectiveness. This development leaves hundreds of tutors jobless and numerous students without support as the school year approaches its close.
Initially, the Tutor Corps played a critical role in the rebound of elementary school reading scores when students returned to in-person learning. According to a Sun-Times report, tutors like Jacob Wilcox saw notable progress with the students, often from underprivileged backgrounds. CPS credited these tutors for the improvements in academic performance. However, amidst a substantial budget deficit of at least $529 million, CPS is narrowing the initiative, now offering only math tutors for middle schoolers in selected schools for the upcoming year.
The CPS tutoring program, launched in 2021 with hefty backing from federal COVID relief funds, at one point planned for as many as 800 tutors, a number that was not fully realized. With an investment of $25 million to bolster the Tutor Corps, CPS's aim was clear – to diminish learning gaps intensified by the disruptions of the pandemic. Despite releasing 530 tutors into an uncertain job market this week and scaling back the program, CPS commended their efforts, saying "these invaluable team members have made a lasting impact on CPS students," as per a spokesperson's statement obtained by FOX 32 Chicago.
New research from the University of Chicago’s Education Lab is soon to be published, suggesting the need for refinement of the program. Monica Bhatt, senior research director at the lab, informed the Sun-Times that while tutoring could be a "very effective accelerant" for learning, it requires an adequate dosage to realize tangible gains for students and families. The layoffs, preceding the end of the school year by two weeks, have prompted questions and concerns among the educators, including the unexpected timing of the cuts and their implications for ongoing student support.
Amid the turmoil of this decision, the personal testimonies of tutors who witnessed firsthand the transformative power of one-on-one instruction loom large. Lisabeth Weiner, a tutor at Reilly Elementary since 2021, shared with the Sun-Times her experiences with a student who, "Suddenly, two years later, she was reading," accelerating to a fluency of around 160 words a minute. These success stories are now shadowed by the reality of the program's contraction and the end of a tutoring era in CPS that promised, if for a fleeting moment, the closing of achievement gaps left wide open by the pandemic.
