Saga Education

Saga Education was featured as a key partner in the Maryland Partnership for Proven Programs (MPPP) during the recent Presidential Plenary at the Society for Prevention Research conference.

This initiative focuses on using realistic, evidence-based strategies to achieve success for Maryland kids.

MPPP is a collaboration among Governor Wes Moore’s office, Arnold Ventures (providing up to $20 million in matched funding), and the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, focusing on scaling proven interventions.

Saga math tutoring for 9th graders is one of the first two programs being scaled up in Maryland due to its proven track record of sizable and lasting gains in student math achievement. High-impact tutoring can change life trajectories, making students more likely to complete math programs, graduate from high school, and ultimately get jobs.



Link to the video in comments

How do you turn a simple math tutoring session into a space where students feel safe making mistakes and growing as confident math learners? It starts with building strong relationships.

Dr. Halley Bowman from Saga Education shares three easy, practical moves our tutors use every day to weave Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) into math sessions in her new article "3 Tutoring Moves That Enrich Math Learning" on MiddleWeb:

https://www.middleweb.com/53428/3-tutoring-moves-that-enrich-math-learning/

A new article from Renaissance Philanthropy explores how AI might close the coaching gap for educators.

It features research from the University of Colorado Boulder’s HAT system (tested in partnership with Saga Education) showing how targeted feedback helps tutors improve instruction and student learning. Link to the full article in the comments.

Thanks to a grant from the Overdeck Family Foundation,the University of Chicago Education Lab studied Saga's hybrid model, which showed powerful results: ninth graders achieved about a year of extra learning in math. This work is crucial for scaling effective, affordable support to students who need it most.

Check the comments below for the link to the report.

Two years ago, Accelerate published a report exploring the return on investment of high-impact tutoring.

One key takeaway: results vary widely depending on the model.

In studies by the University of Chicago Education Lab, Saga Education’s math program stood out. Our tutors helped students achieve up to 15.3 months of additional learning.

The structure behind the program played a major role: sustained time with tutors (around 135 hours), regular sessions, and the chance to build real relationships.

As the National Student Support Accelerator gathers school district leaders to talk about high-impact tutoring in the context of “human connection in a digital age,” it’s a useful moment to take another look at what this research found.

You can revisit the report by clicking the link in the comment section below: 👉

In Guilford County (NC) Schools, high-impact tutoring helped students recover, supported teachers, and strengthened school communities.

Now, as funding has gone away, many of these programs across the nation are being reduced or cut, even though students are still behind in math and reading.

For district leaders, the challenge is how to sustain what works when resources shrink?

High-impact tutoring showed what’s possible when support is built into the school day. The opportunity now is making it a lasting part of how schools support student success.

https://districtadministration.com/opinion/tutoring-transformed-one-district-but-the-recovery-is-in-jeopardy

Thanks to Dan Meyer for the recent shout-out in his Mathworlds Substack and newsletter! He highlighted the high-impact tutoring Saga Education is doing in Chicago Public Schools as an example of an intervention that makes a difference in student learning.

While scaling high-impact tutoring can be challenging, the results for students who’ve been overlooked — and the support it provides to overwhelmed teachers — are undeniable. Tutoring helps young people build confidence, stay engaged, and persist toward graduation — outcomes that matter deeply for students and families, and that also help districts meet urgent goals for student success.

We appreciate being a part of the ongoing conversation about how edtech can support the essential human connections at the core of education.

Read the full article:
https://danmeyer.substack.com/p/pivoting-edtech-towards-humanity

What does AI look like in a school setting?

For Saga Education Baltimore City high school Site Director Palak Chandak, it means better coaching conversations—and stronger support for tutors.

Palak combines in-person observations with AI-generated insights that track trends across tutoring sessions. Instead of coaching based on one snapshot, she sees the full picture.

One tutor even used AI data to reflect on their own growth—raising student talk time from 17% to 44%.

That’s tech doing what it might do best: helping educators learn, reflect, and grow.

👉 Read the full story on our blog, https://bit.ly/4qwykSP to learn how Palak uses AI in her day-to-day coaching.

The AI-Enabled High-Impact Tutoring Coach: How a Saga Site Director Uses Data to Deliver Holistic Feedback Site Director Palak Chandak's career spans teaching, policy, and leadership–shaping her work at Saga Education.