State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has announced a $40-million project to help minimize the impacts of learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money will be available to elementary school students for free tutoring in reading, writing and math beginning Oct. 2, 2023, Horne said on Tuesday.Tutoring sessions will be done by public school teachers who choose to participate. For teachers to do so, they can make $30 per hour and can earn a $200 stipend for each student that shows a half-year gain from the tutoring. The benefits would max out at $8,000.
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicates the pandemic put students anywhere from 15 to 24 weeks behind. Additionally, there is the belief that it would take decades for the U.S. education system to catch up.