Air Reading: A Randomized Evaluation of a Virtual Tutoring Model in Louisiana and Texas Schools
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| Title: | Air Reading: A Randomized Evaluation of a Virtual Tutoring Model in Louisiana and Texas Schools |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Amanda J. Neitzel, Nathan Storey, Xue Wang, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE) |
| Source: | Center for Research and Reform in Education. 2026. |
| Availability: | Johns Hopkins Center for Research and Reform in Education, 300 East Joppa Road Suite 500, Baltimore, MD 21286. Tel: 410-616-2338; Fax: 410-324-4444; Web site: https://education.jhu.edu/crre/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Arnold Ventures |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Randomized Controlled Trials, Program Evaluation, Reading Programs, Program Effectiveness, Reading Instruction, Instructional Effectiveness, Electronic Learning, Tutorial Programs, Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, Reading Difficulties, Reading Improvement, Reading Achievement, Reading Skills, Effect Size, Attendance, Outcomes of Education, Economically Disadvantaged, Reading Tests, Achievement Tests, Intervention |
| Geographic Terms: | Louisiana, Texas |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) |
| Abstract: | Air Reading partnered with the Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE) to conduct an evaluation of Air Reading in a project funded by Accelerate and Arnold Ventures. The trial was conducted across the 2024-25 school year in a large suburban district in Louisiana as well as a district in Texas, and delivered tutoring for a full school year. Air Reading is an assessment-driven virtual tutoring program designed to improve students' foundational reading skills in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Students receive live virtual instruction from consistent Air Reading tutors throughout the school year, addressing individual reading gaps. Small groups of up to four students are paired with the same highly-qualified tutor in 30-minute sessions four times each week. This study employed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to estimate the causal impact of Air Reading, a structured virtual tutoring program, on elementary students' literacy outcomes. Randomization occurred at the student level within schools and grade cohorts, ensuring that treatment and control students were directly comparable at baseline. Students assigned to treatment were offered Air Reading tutoring during the school day, while control students received business-as-usual literacy instruction. The study followed an intent-to-treat (ITT) approach, including all students in their originally assigned condition. On average, treatment students attended 55 sessions, with 56% reaching the high-dosage threshold of 56 or more sessions, translating to an average of 27.1 hours of tutoring per student. [Additional funding for this report was provided by Accelerate.] |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED679064 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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