The Effects of Virtual Tutoring on Young Readers: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

In-person tutoring has been shown to improve academic achievement. Fewer studies have examined the impact of virtual tutoring and have focused on older students. We present findings from the first randomized controlled trial of virtual tutoring for young children. Students in grades K–2 were assigned to 1:1 tutoring, 2:1 tutoring, or a control group. Virtual tutoring increased early literacy skills by 0.05- SD for all students and 0.08- SD for a sample excluding English learners and students with disabilities (i.e., students not eligible for additional support services). One-on-one tutoring tended to produce larger gains, especially for students initially scoring well below benchmark (0.15- SD ). Effects are smaller than typically seen from in-person early literacy tutoring programs but still positive and statistically significant.