How AI and Charter Schools Can Address the Tutoring Gap

Extra academic support has the power to transform students’ lives, yet countless learners face barriers of affordability and accessibility. Fortunately, the innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) promises to change this landscape for the better.

Extra academic support has the power to transform students’ lives, yet countless learners face barriers of affordability and accessibility. Fortunately, the innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) promises to change this landscape for the better.

Forget the prestigious universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard. The true hallmark of excellence in education is not found within their walls, but rather in the ancient relationship between Aristotle and his singular pupil, Alexander the Great. 

This extraordinary mentorship, lasting seven years, set the gold standard for tutoring that we still recognize over 2,300 years later. AI has the potential to unlock similar transformative experiences for today’s students.

Traditionally, tutoring has struggled with scalability. Despite our concerns about AI-driven plagiarism undermining education, emerging evidence suggests that AI-enhanced tutoring could significantly elevate learning outcomes. For this potential to be fully realized, we must embrace a culture of real-world experimentation. This is where charter schools can shine, providing a unique opportunity to innovate and improve education.

The value of tutoring is well understood by the wealthy, who have long utilized its benefits. I personally began my career as a private math tutor, and today, many companies offer tutoring services, with elite tutors demanding fees exceeding $1,000 per hour.

However, for every student who can afford such services, there are countless others who desperately need assistance. A comprehensive meta-analysis of K-12 tutoring across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds revealed that targeted academic support dramatically enhances student performance. 

Even if financial barriers were lifted, the reality is that there will never be enough tutors to serve the more than 50 million students enrolled in US primary and secondary schools. AI-based tutoring holds incredible promise in bridging this gap. 

In studies conducted at three middle schools in Pennsylvania and California, researchers found that hybrid models, where AI supported human tutors allowed these educators to reach significantly more students, resulting in impressive gains in math performance, particularly among those who struggled the most. 

Additionally, in a groundbreaking study at four high schools in Italy, traditional English homework was replaced with interactive sessions using OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4. The results were clear: students who engaged with the AI performed as well as, if not better than, their peers doing traditional homework.

The benefits don’t stop at K-12 education. At the college level, students in a Harvard University physics course demonstrated that AI tutors could markedly enhance their learning experience. Those using AI tutors not only absorbed twice as much information but also exhibited greater engagement compared to their counterparts in traditional classes.

This, despite receiving less direct interaction with human instructors. The promise of AI extends to the developing world as well. Rising Academies, a network of over 250,000 private school students across Africa, has introduced Rori, an AI-powered math tutor, along with Tari, a teacher support system accessible through WhatsApp.

Students utilizing Rori for just two 30-minute sessions per week over eight months showed math performance improvements equivalent to or surpassing an entire year of traditional schooling.

While AI-driven tutoring is not a cure-all, it offers a pathway to substantial educational improvements. If designed and implemented thoughtfully, AI tutors can provide valuable support, especially for families unable to access traditional tutoring. The critical inquiry is whether these digital solutions can deliver better outcomes than having no tutoring at all.

However, the phrase “well-designed and implemented” is key. We still have much to learn about best practices for AI tutors, and discovering these will necessitate comprehensive experimentation. 

Unfortunately, the bureaucratic nature of public education systems often complicates this type of innovative approach. Research by the Department of Education and the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University shows that charter schools, benefiting from greater freedom in staffing and teaching methods, tend to be more innovative than their traditional public counterparts. 

Because charter schools do not charge tuition or selectively admit students, they can gather essential data on effective educational practices, which can lead to advancements that benefit all students.

While it is true that not every innovation will succeed, the willingness to experiment can ultimately lead to meaningful breakthroughs. Embracing this approach can help us create a more equitable educational landscape where every student, regardless of their background, has access to the support they need to thrive.