Elizabeth Ross serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning (TAL) at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) where she is proud to lead OSSE’s work to ensure that all DC students have the opportunity to excel by setting high standards, providing robust supports for educators and holding schools and school systems accountable. Prior to joining OSSE, Elizabeth served as the Vice President and Managing Director of Teacher Policy at the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). Before her time at NCTQ, Elizabeth worked at the US Department of Education on myriad equity-focused teacher quality initiatives. Elizabeth began her career as a third-grade teacher at Simon Elementary School in Washington, DC. She holds a B.A. from Georgetown University, an M.A.T. from American University, a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law, where she was a public interest fellow, and an Ed.M. from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she was a Zuckerman Fellow. Elizabeth also teaches US Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing at Georgetown University Law Center and Education Law and Policy at American University.

Shaunté Duggins, Ph.D., is a dynamic leader with experience leading and implementing initiatives at the intersection of research, policy, and practice. As Director for State Initiatives at the UF Lastinger Center for Learning, Shaunté provides leadership for the New Worlds Reading Initiative and the Florida Tutoring Advantage Program. She oversees the development and execution of research to improve learning outcomes and ensures operational excellence. In her previous role as Senior Manager of Literacy Initiatives, Dr. Duggins facilitated professional development for hundreds of early learning and Pre-K-12 educators in the areas of literacy and coaching. She excels in building and maintaining partnerships with stakeholders across policy, business, and philanthropy to advance program development and ensure positive impact for children, families, and educators. Shaunté completed her doctoral studies in Special Education with an emphasis on early literacy and teacher education. Her research includes early literacy, family literacy engagement, and professional development.

EmpowerED Birmingham, along with Leaders of Excellence, are non-profit organizations serving students in the Birmingham community. These two organizations will co-lead the pilot of Project CATCH aiming to serve students in grades 6-10. Project CATCH tutors, recruited from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education, will utilize various instructional strategies and activities to address the needs of students coming from diverse backgrounds and having diverse learning styles. Project CATCH’s model will offer 90-minute sessions three times a week focusing on English Language Arts (Day 1) and Mathematics (Day 2). The third day will focus on reinforcing core skills through College and Career Readiness driven activities. Data collected throughout this project will inform the success of the Project CATCH model.

EnlightenAI, developed within the Teaching Lab Studio, is an AI-powered grading assistant that helps teachers save time while delivering personalized, rubric-aligned feedback and instructional insights. It learns from each educator’s scoring and feedback style to scale their expertise rather than replace it.

ExpandED Schools, in partnership with New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), will leverage the Accelerate 2024-2025 Call to Effective Action grant to support the implementation of high-impact tutoring programs focused on K-2 Literacy and 6-8 math in 10 community school districts across at least 80 schools. Participating schools will have access to a vetted provider directory and work with the ExpandED team to develop best-fit launch plans. Schools will select their provider and/or decide to utilize school-based staff as tutors, establish the curriculum (either from a provider or school-based), and determine the program model, which can be a blend of in-person (before, after, or during school, either push-in or pull-out) or virtual (before, after, or during school, either push-in or pull-out). ExpandED Schools encourages schools to implement at least two cycles of tutoring, fall and spring, to maximize the number of students receiving tutoring. The grant will fuel ExpandED’s continuing efforts to pioneer a high-impact tutoring system and a community of practice to share knowledge, overcome implementation barriers, and advocate for long-term sustainability.

Dr. Fabrice Kandjanga is a seasoned education leader specializing in math curriculum, instructional design, and data-driven strategies for equitable student outcomes. He holds a PhD in Global Studies with a focus on Development Economics and a Master’s in Actuarial Science from Boston University. Currently a Math Content Specialist at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Dr. Kandjanga leads initiatives that enhance math instruction and drive statewide improvement efforts, including the High Dosage Math Tutoring Program. His work spans curriculum development, policy implementation, and capacity building for educators. He is also an active member of professional organizations such as ASSM, ATMIM, and NTCM. Dr. Kandjanga’s research on culturally responsive leadership has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and he is frequently sought for his expertise in creating inclusive learning environments that empower all students.

Future Forward, known for its 1:1 high-impact tutoring for struggling elementary readers, will leverage the 2024-2025 Call to Effective Action grant to partner with Johns Hopkins University researchers in conducting a randomized control trial (RCT) studying the efficacy of a 2:5 tutor-to-student ratio. The project will test an adaptation to the proven 1:1 Future Forward model, involving a 3-arm RCT comparing the impact for students who do not receive Future Forward services in the fall semester, students who receive traditional 1:1 tutoring, and students who are served in small groups of 3-5 with 2 tutors per group. This grant supports Future Forward's early literacy tutoring efforts and enables them to contribute to educational innovation, working with Accelerate to advance the field of tutoring.

Gavernell Banks serves as the Tutoring Program Director in the Office of Academics at the Tennessee Department of Education. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for Tennessee’s statewide high‑dosage tutoring program, supporting K–8 students across public school districts.

I am in my 22nd year in education and currently serve as Chief of Staff for the Division of Literacy and Tutoring at the Louisiana Department of Education. In this role, I support our team in driving statewide efforts to advance literacy and improve student outcomes. My career began in the classroom as a middle school math teacher before moving into school leadership as an elementary assistant principal and principal. These experiences have shaped my commitment to supporting educators and ensuring all students have access to high-quality instruction.

Goblins lets schools give every student 1-on-1 math support. With Goblins, math learners speak out loud or hand-draw their thinking, and Goblins figures out the “why” behind their confusion, building their conceptual foundation in real-time.

Great Oaks Foundation (GO Foundation) will recruit, train, and support a corps of young adults who are placed in partner schools where they intensively tutor students as a part of a year of service through AmeriCorps. These tutors are called Fellows to encompass the multiple roles they play to tutor as well as mentor the students with whom they are matched. The GO Foundation will support schools in providing math and ELA tutoring to students in grades 3-12. Drawing on over a decade of experience, the GO Foundation works with school partners to develop a coherent strategy for the deployment of tutors, including additional training for tutors, support with scheduling, establishing treatment groups, and contingency planning. GO has formulated 10 essential tutoring program elements that are based on its own implementation experience as well as academic research. The GO Foundation’s model offers a unique opportunity to address some of the logistical challenges that perplexed educators last year. GO intentionally recruits a diverse group of tutors who reflect the children it serves and invests in its Fellows’ professional development.

Green Dot Public Schools will expand its current tutoring program, which provides small-group math instruction to 6th and 9th graders, to serve 16 schools in school year 2022-23. Green Dot’s tutoring model is unique as it replaces (rather than supplements) students’ remedial math course; tutors deliver curricular material directly to small groups of students who are on the “cusp” of proficiency. Green Dot is partnering with Saga Education to provide each tutor with individualized feedback and coaching through videotaped lessons. Green Dot will also work with Saga Education to co-design professional development to ensure all tutors have a foundation in instruction, classroom management, curriculum interpretation, and lesson cycle design. In the coming year, Green Dot hopes to learn more about how its model can be implemented in different contexts and what challenges may arise.

Guilford County Schools is building on its previous years of success launching high-impact tutoring programs across the county. Guilford is partnering with local HBCUs and other institutions of higher education, as well as community members and even current high school students, to bring in-person tutoring to the district to support ELA, math, and science across all grades. Guilford targets the students most in need of tutoring support based on prior performance. Over the course of the school year, Guilford hopes to better understand how additional tutor support focused on building student relationships can lead to better student outcomes. Learning from the challenges and successes of its program, Guilford can help the field better understand how districts can scale and sustain a multi-year tutoring strategy.

Hamilton County Schools is partnering with Accelerate to continue their Impact Fellowship, which trains high school juniors and seniors to tutor elementary students in foundational literacy skills. The Fellowship aims to increase tutoring in foundational literacy skills for elementary students, expand community knowledge of these skills, and create a pipeline for HCS High School students to become teaching professionals. Impact Fellows tutor at least three times a week at the elementary site, with some schools tutoring every day, in small group settings within a classroom. The tutor-to-student ratio is typically 1:1 or 1:2, with a maximum of 1:3. The high school supervising teacher attends to help facilitate and address any issues, while the elementary RTI Facilitator provides additional coaching and guidance. Beyond tutoring, this initiative has strengthened community bonds in these feeder patterns, provided mentorship for struggling students, and allowed high schoolers to explore teaching as a career.

Heart Math Tutoring is a non-profit organization implementing elementary math tutoring in a one-on-one setting, during the school day, delivered by supervised volunteers. Heart Math offers two delivery models: in-person and virtual.  In 2023-24 school year, Heart Math Tutoring anticipates serving a total of 1,485 students in grades 1-5. This program has generated student outcomes in math skills and confidence while the program has grown from 2 to 28 schools since its inception. Heart Math Tutoring will build on its existing evidence base by  participating in a rigorous research evaluation with Accelerate’s support. 

Holly Manson is part of the literacy team at the Louisiana Department of Education where she leads the state’s tutoring initiatives. With 20 years of education experience, her roles have included a classroom teacher, academic dean, master teacher, federal programs coordinator, and principal. She is committed to improving student outcomes by removing barriers through high dosage tutoring.