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Miami-Dade County Public Schools, University of Chicago Education Lab, Accelerate, and Griffin Catalyst Partner to Launch $9M High-Dosage Tutoring InitiativeMIAMI, April 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), in partnership with Accelerate - The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning and the University of Chicago Education Lab, announced a $9 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, to support the launch of high-dosage math tutoring for Miami-Dade students recovering from the education crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support will initially enable nine M-DCPS schools to co-design, implement, and refine in-school tutoring programs for 6th- to 8th-grade students. Kicking off this spring, this three-year partnership, which is part of the national Personalized Learning Initiative, benefits an initial cohort of over 1,100 students for the 2023-24 academic year, with thousands of additional students expected to enroll in future school years. "Every child can succeed when they receive support tailored to their unique educational needs, interests, and aspirations," said Griffin. "By investing in personalized learning, Miami-Dade County Public Schools can empower students to reach their full potential and prepare them for success in an increasingly complex and dynamic world." The COVID-19 pandemic cost the average U.S. student at least half a year of learning, with children from low-income backgrounds experiencing even more significant setbacks. M-DCPS has been a national leader in making strategic investments to address the impacts of the pandemic, and this partnership builds on the progress it has made to accelerate learning over the last few years. Developed in collaboration with M-DCPS curricular experts, this local initiative will introduce tutors from One on One Learning into Math Foundational Skills Courses, aimed at offering additional support to students who need it. "We have witnessed the impact the pandemic has had on our students and the toll it has taken on our school community," said Dr. Jose L. Dotres, Miami-Dade County Schools Superintendent. "We are looking forward to this multi-year partnership to strengthen how to optimally scale this high-dosage tutoring initiative to help our students accelerate their learning to achieve their full academic potential." Prior research from the University of Chicago Education Lab has shown the promise of high-dosage tutoring (HDT), which earned the endorsement of U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona last year. Building on prior research, this current effort is part of the Personalized Learning Initiative (PLI), an ambitious national initiative designed to help districts design, test, and scale HDT to address pandemic learning loss. For the PLI, the University of Chicago Education Lab and the national research organization MDRC are partnering with states and school districts across the country to engage tens ofthousands of students in testing different versions of high-dosage tutoring to lower the cost and increase the scale of this proven intervention. In addition, recently released preliminary results from the PLI are some of the first indications that HDT programs are working in the real world to reverse pandemic-era learning loss. In partnership with Accelerate - The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning - M-DCPS is poised to become a national leader in identifying and scaling practices that significantly advance student learning. This initiative presents a substantial opportunity to impact policy and support the implementation of impactful educational interventions at scale. "On our current trajectory, pandemic-induced learning loss will leave a long-term, life-altering scar for millions of American students," said Jens Ludwig, Pritzker faculty co-director of the University of Chicago Education Lab. "I am enormously grateful to Ken Griffin for this gift, which has the potential to expand educational opportunity and improve social mobility." For the most up-to-date information, please download the Dadeschools Mobile App to your iPhone or Android device. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @MDCPS, and @SuptDotres, on Instagram @miamischools and @suptdotres, and on Facebook at MiamiSchools. About Miami-Dade County Public Schools About Griffin Catalyst About the University of Chicago Education Lab About MDRC About Accelerate - The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning About One on One Learning SOURCE Miami-Dade County Public Schools |