Booker, Cornyn Announce Reintroduction of Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to Tutoring for Underserved Students

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) announced the reintroduction of the bipartisan Partnering Aspiring Teachers with High-Need Schools (PATHS) to Tutor Act, legislation that would expand access to one-on-one and small group tutoring in underserved communities. The legislation will also strengthen the pipeline of future teachers by placing teacher-candidates into tutoring roles.

According to the 2023 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), reading and mathematics assessments revealed a declining trend among 13-year-old students in the 2022-23 school year. The data showed a decrease of 4 points in reading and 9 points in mathematics compared to the previous assessment in 2019-20, with an overall drop of 7 points in reading and 14 points in mathematics over the past decade. The racial disparities were exacerbated, as Black students experienced a 13-point decrease compared to a 6-point decrease among White students, widening the White-Black score gap from 35 points in 2020 to 42 points in 2023. Notably, the last time that 13-year-olds performed as low in math was in 1990 and 2004 for reading.

“We must work towards a more equitable education system that allows all students to reach their full potential and ensures the next generation of educators have the resources they need to succeed,” said Senator Booker. “As we see an alarming decline in academic performance among students in New Jersey and across the United States, particularly among students of color and students from low-income communities, it is crucial we prioritize equitable access to quality education for all children. This bipartisan legislation will help bridge the opportunity gap by expanding access to one-on-one and small group high-quality tutoring for underserved students, while also strengthening the teacher preparation pipeline for our future educators.”

“Sadly, far too many students in Texas do not receive the educational tools they need to succeed,” said Senator Cornyn. “The PATHS to Tutor Act will expand access to small group tutoring in high-need areas while simultaneously reducing economic burdens on our teachers by allowing this tutoring to count toward national service and their TEACH grant service requirement. Texas students deserve every resource we can give them to achieve on a level playing field, and this legislation will give them just that.”

“This is a critical time for our nation to provide all PK-12 students, especially students from historically marginalized communities, with the support they need to thrive, and to strengthen the pipeline and preparedness of aspiring teachers. The PATHS to Tutor Act would do both, by expanding students’ access to evidence-based, high-impact tutoring and supporting future teachers with the instructional practice and resources they need to be successful by day one of leading a classroom,” said Valerie Sakimura, Executive Director, Deans for Impact.

“The PATHS to Tutor ACT is an inspiring bipartisan commitment to resourcing solutions to solve two of our most pressing challenges in education: mitigating instructional loss and ensuring we have well resourced educator pipelines for our school. This commitment to ensuring that communities can drive talent development approaches relevant to their local needs ensures that we are investing in our nation’s future,” said Erin Mote, Executive Director, InnovateEDU.

“High quality instruction is absolutely essential for students to accelerate their learning. The PATHS to Tutor Act invests in strengthening the effectiveness of educators, enabling them to better meet students’ academic and social-emotional needs,” said Joshua H. Barnett, Chief Executive Officer, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching.

“The PATHS Act is distinct in its approach to advancing high-quality tutoring. It recognizes that students’ social and emotional needs deserve attention and consideration as they continue to recover from the pandemic. Research-based social and emotional skill-building continues to be an essential part of the equation in addressing academic learning recovery and promoting student success in general. By valuing this part of students’ learning experience, the PATHS Act helps put young people on a stronger academic trajectory and builds the pathway to a healthier adulthood,” said Andrea Lovanhill, CEO, Committee for Children.

Specifically, the PATHS to Tutor Act would:

• Provide funding for innovative partnerships between schools of education and community-based organizations (CBOs) to expand access to one-on-one tutoring for low-income students and/or high-need schools.
  • $500 million in competitive grants for teacher-preparation programs to partner with K-12 schools, other Institute of Higher Education (IHE), CBOs, teacher unions and other groups to provide high-dosage tutoring and small group instruction to high-need schools and low-income communities.
• Reduce the economic burden on teachers by making tutoring and small group instruction count toward loan repayment and national service.

The full text of the bill can be found here.