Provider: BookNook
Program Description
BookNook provides live online reading tutoring during the school day, with part-time, BookNook-trained tutors working with two or three students at a time on school devices. Sessions were intended to run for 30 minutes, three times a week, for at least 12 weeks. Students follow a phonics-based curriculum, and the platform assigns each student’s lesson level.
Findings
- Null effect: There was no meaningful difference in reading scores between students who received tutoring and those who did not.
- Students received, on average, 11.7 hours of tutoring in District A and about 5 hours in District B.
- Results looked slightly better for K–3 students than students in grades 4–8, though neither was statistically significant with 95% confidence. The study did not identify any other meaningful differences based on gender, income, or race.
- Cost per student: about $1,600 in one district, $475 in the other, with differences driven by how much tutoring was actually delivered. Comparison students continued their normal classroom reading support.
- Districts experienced challenges in the first year of setting up the program. It is possible that implementation would improve in year two, leading to higher dosage and the potential for impact.
| Research Partner | CEPR (Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University) |
| Study Year | 2024-25 |
| Study Location | Arkansas; two school districts (one traditional public district, one public charter network) |
| Modality | Virtual Synchronous |
| Study Design | RCT (Randomized Controlled Trial) |
| Total Sample | 941 students randomly assigned (913 included in the final results), across the two districts |
| Characteristics of Treatment Group | Male: 49–53% Black/African American: 86–94% Economically Disadvantaged: 84–85% Students with Disabilities (IEP): 8–13% |
| Subject | Reading/ELA |
| Grades | K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
| Average Actual Dosage | 11.7 hours of tutoring in District A and about 5 hours in District B |
| Scheduled Dosage | 18 hours |
For more about Accelerate’s takeaways from this study, check out the Accelerate blog.
