By Aria Brent
AFRO Staff Writer
abrenf@afro.com
On Dec.20, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new series of grants and contracts awards that total up to more than $7 million dollars to fund high impact tutoring (HIT) programs across the D.C.
Bowser announced the grants alongside members of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). The grants will serve 90 D.C., public schools and public charter schools. The calculated investment features $4.3 million in grants to 16 D.C., local education agencies (LEAs) and more than $3 million in contracts with 11 HIT providers and one strategic support partner.
“We are proud to invest in research-backed, high-quality initiatives like high-impact tutoring, which we know delivers real results for D.C. students,” said Mayor Bowser in a statement. “We exceeded our goal to reach 10,000 students in the last three years and now we’re continuing our investment in this proven strategy to support and engage our students.”
HIT is a style of small-group, intensive tutoring proven by extensive research to be one of the most effective strategies for accelerating learning. OSSE-funded HIT programs strive to promote academic growth by providing tailored, intensive support that meets individual learning needs, prioritizing students with the greatest opportunity gaps.
“We know that effective tutoring plays a critical role in helping students make meaningful academic progress,” said Interim State Superintendent Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell in a statement.
“This funding allows us to continue these impactful partnerships with LEAs and tutoring providers, ensuring students have access to the support they need.”
In Fall 2021, Mayor Bowser committed $33 million over three years to expand HIT programs to address disrupted learning and longstanding opportunity gaps. Running through September 2024, these funds that are managed by OSSE transformed HIT offerings in schools,focusing on economically disadvantaged students. Over this period, OSSE collaborated with community organizations, universities, local businesses and LEAs to deliver HIT programs aligned with OSSE’s seven research-based standards. This partnership impacted nearly 12,500 students across 140 schools and community sites.
To further her promise, Mayor Bowser allocated $4.8 million in local funding for HIT in the 2024-25 school year. OSSE combined this allocation with remaining federal recovery funds to implement a robust strategy to launch, expand and enhance HIT programs.
Early evidence indicates these programs positively impacted students. A study by the National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA) at Stanford University revealed that HIT participants narrowed academic performance gaps compared to their non-tutored peers during the 2022-23 school year. The NSSA also found that HIT programs improved student attendance, as students were less likely to miss school on days with scheduled HIT sessions, likely due to strong relationships with consistent tutors.
OSSE applied lessons from the past three years to refine HIT strategies. Data showed that students who attended more sessions experienced greater academic gains. As a result, OSSE introduced a competitive grant program for LEAs, prioritizing programs with a minimum of 16 weeks of tutoring—an increase from the previous 10 weeks—and awarding preference points for longer programs. This year, OSSE is exclusively funding in-school HIT programs, as these demonstrated consistently higher attendance rates compared to community-based sites.
To further enhance program quality, OSSE partnered with the Office of Contracting and Procurement to award a contract to CityTutor D.C. This partnership provides professional development and tailored consultations for grantees and contractors. Additionally, CityTutor D.C., will collaborate with OSSE to host a city-wide convening in the spring, bringing together HIT stakeholders to share best practices, address challenges and discuss program sustainability.
OSSE is also participating in the inaugural Accelerate State Tutoring Fellowship, in partnership with the Education Commission of the States, to strengthen HIT programming. This collaboration underscores OSSE’s commitment to leveraging evidence-based approaches to maximize student success.
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