Trending In Education

On this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer welcomes Liz Cohen, Vice President of Policy at 50CAN and author of the new book, The Future of Tutoring: Lessons from 10,000 School District Tutoring Initiatives. We explore the massive, rapid mobilization of tutoring efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated learning disruptions. We look at the key components of effective high-impact tutoring—small groups, consistent adults, and regularly scheduled in the school day—and how the strong evidence base has galvanized educators and advocates toward a unified solution. Liz shares her "constellation" metaphor, distinguishing between "bright stars" (districts deeply committed to sustained funding and implementation) and those still struggling with scale, funding, and strategy. Beyond the academic gains, we discuss the powerful role of tutoring as a catalyst for human connection and a potential pipeline for new educators. We also debate the future scenarios for tutoring, including the