🧑🏫 Tutoring, AI, and Equity: Global Efforts to Bridge Learning Gaps
High dosage tutoring, intelligent tutors and human-AI collaborative systems are all in the mix when it comes to figuring out what works for student retention and success.
Happy Monday 👋
In July, NWEA’s assessment of US student achievement highlighted widening gaps in reading and math, particularly among disadvantaged students. A follow-up report in September revealed similar setbacks in science, particularly among 8th-grade students who were months behind.
In response, school systems have adopted various solutions, from high-dosage tutoring models to AI-powered systems, with mixed results. This week, Digital Ready announced that it has partnered with Varsity Tutors to expand access to free tutoring services to its students to further STEM and career exploration, particularly for underrepresented learners. Meanwhile, Google.org’s initiatives in India aim to leverage AI to meet disadvantaged learners' needs, and Stanford University's Tutor CoPilot—a human-AI collaborative system—has demonstrated evidence in delivering more personalized tutoring for underserved students. Additionally, tutoring solutions are evolving; for example, Proximity Learning’s extended partnership with Nearpod aims to replicate in-classroom experiences and align with educator pedagogy.
Globally, policy efforts are also underway, with Brazil’s Ministry of Education selecting proposals for 45 new tutorial groups to bridge learning gaps, while in the US, a federal push for 250,000 tutors and mentors has exceeded expectations, reaching 323,000 participants nine months early. Despite these developments, challenges remain: schools are still aiming to improve digital infrastructure and tech access, track the effectiveness of interventions, and retain and train educators. Policymakers and investors closely watch these efforts’ impact on outcomes and equity while solution providers will continue to iterate on products, embed AI, and align with accepted pedagogical approaches.
HolonIQ maps the tutoring market globally, identifying the segments and tracking key players and models including the evolution of hybrid, AI and human-powered solutions. Learn more about the education developments happening daily and real-time analysis from the HolonIQ Intelligence Unit on our platform. Reach out for a demo today.
💪 Power Moves
💬 The Indian government launched an internship scheme to offer 10M internships over five years. The program aims to enhance youth employability by providing 12-month internships with a stipend and insurance coverage.
🌍 Hong Kong University introduced dual degrees for teachers. The new program would grant graduates the ability to teach more subjects and adds more qualified teachers to the workforce.
💸 Skills England released its inaugural report. The report highlighted the need to develop a green skills workforce by 2035.
💚 Northampton College launched a £500,000 renewable energy training facility to address the UK's construction skills shortage. The Green Skills Centre aims to serve 250 students annually and offer training in various green technologies.
💰 Deals of the Week
🍼 KinderCare Learning Companies, a US-based early learning provider, raised $576M through an IPO, raising the stock price by 9% on the first day. Funds will be allocated to cover company debt and expenses.
🩺 Legacy Education, a health training platform, secured $11.5M through an IPO by selling ~3M shares.
💼 Guild, a US-based workforce training provider, acquired Nomadic Learning, a digital training provider for businesses, and launched Guild Advantage.
🤖 Perlego, an education digital textbook provider, secured $20M in funding to expand its AI-powered learning tools, including Dialogo, an AI research assistant.
🎥 Revyze, a K12 educational video platform, raised $6M in seed funding led by Speedinvest and Moonfire and intends to add features that allow gamified learning experiences.
🌐 Gaia Learning, a UK-based virtual school for neuro-divergent students, raised $720K in venture capital funding led by GC Angels to support its operations.
☝️ Voovo, a Hungarian instructional support solution, raised $500K from a pre-seed funding round backed by Techstars, STRT Ventures, Peter Csillag, and Óbuda University’s Venture Capital Fund.
📈 Qoria, an Australian student cybersecurity provider, acquired OctopusBI, a student data analytics firm, and raised $30M.
Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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