NEW YORK, October 27, 2025—A new study from Stanford University's National Student Support Accelerator team finds that Teach For America’s (TFA) Ignite tutoring program builds a strong pathway to the teaching profession, highlighting tutoring as a promising strategy to help address the national teacher shortage. As schools nationwide confront historic learning loss and staffing challenges, Teach For America Ignite is also demonstrating how high-impact, near-peer tutoring can accelerate learning and deepen student engagement—showing potential for both immediate student support and long-term talent development.

Now in its fifth year, TFA Ignite connects trained near-peer college students with classrooms to deliver personalized, small-group tutoring that accelerates learning and fosters belonging. The model leverages evidence-based instructional practices and the power of meaningful relationships between tutors and students—a combination research has shown to be critical to academic growth. Recognized nationally for its research based best practices, TFA Ignite was among the first tutoring initiatives to earn the Tutoring Program Design Badge from the National Student Support Accelerator.

Early evidence from the Stanford study highlights TFA Ignite’s impact on strengthening the educator pipeline. Since the program’s launch in 2020, more than 5,500 college students have tutored through Ignite—helping eighth graders make 2.5 times expected growth in math and increasing the number of elementary students reading at or above benchmark by 24% in just one semester. Many fellows discovered their own passion for teaching along the way: more than 550 Ignite alumni have gone on to join Teach For America’s teaching corps, including approximately 280 teachers—6% of the 2024–25 corps—who brought their Ignite experience into classrooms this year.

"This study is one of the first to provide causal evidence that being a tutor can spark interest in applying to teach,” says Dr. Carly Robinson, director of research at the National Student Support Accelerator. "The results suggest that tutoring could serve as both a learning intervention and a scalable strategy to address teacher shortages and diversify the workforce.”

The study found that participation in TFA Ignite nearly triples the likelihood of applying to TFA’s corps program, with the strongest effects for groups traditionally underrepresented in teaching—men and students of color. Tutoring increased applications to TFA’s corps program by 14% for students outside education-related fields, and TFA’s own data shows that Ignite accelerates student learning—positioning the program as a model with a dual return on investment: boosting academic outcomes while creating a diverse, sustainable pathway into teaching.

“Teaching became a core part of my college experience, all because of Ignite,” shared Destiny Edens, a first year science middle school teacher. “I had never taught before. I was nervous, but I realized confidence in the classroom comes from preparation. As I gained experience, I sharpened my teaching skills. Connecting with students, and seeing how incredibly invested they were, made me want to further my teaching commitment. I wasn’t just doing a job—I was making an impact.”

The urgency for solutions like high-impact tutoring has never been greater. The latest NAEP scores show that 12th grade math and reading results are at their lowest levels in history, while student absenteeism and mental health challenges continue to rise. At the same time, schools across the country face mounting teacher shortages—an area the Stanford study suggests TFA Ignite is uniquely positioned to help address.

“When we launched the program in the midst of the pandemic, we couldn’t have imagined how quickly it would grow or how deeply it would resonate with students, families, and schools,” said Katie Tennessen Hooten, founder of Teach For America Ignite. “The data shows what we’ve seen firsthand: students are making real academic gains, and many tutors are discovering a passion for teaching. High-impact tutoring is improving learning today and strengthening the educator workforce for tomorrow.”

This year, TFA Ignite will reach 43 communities and 7,000 students, delivering nearly 200,000 hours of personalized instruction in partnership with schools and educators. Local TFA Ignite tutors focus on content areas determined by their partner schools, including math, reading and SAT prep, providing targeted instruction that boosts both academic growth and students’ sense of belonging. 95% percent of partner schools report a positive impact on student learning, and 94% report stronger student engagement.

“High-impact tutoring is showing what’s possible when we focus on what works for students and invest in the people who make learning happen,” said Aneesh Sohoni, CEO of Teach For America. “Through Teach For America Ignite, we’re seeing students make remarkable gains and college tutors discover a purpose-driven career path in teaching. It’s an innovation that accelerates learning today and strengthens the educator workforce for the future.”

Looking ahead, Teach For America aims to scale Ignite’s dual impact—accelerating student success while cultivating the next generation of educators. The program is on track to grow to 10,000 Ignite fellow placements annually by 2030. By pairing evidence-based tutoring with a clear pathway into teaching, Ignite is helping schools meet urgent needs today and build a stronger, more sustainable educator pipeline for the future.

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with communities across the country to reach One Day when every child has access to an excellent education. Founded in 1990, Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a growing network of leaders who expand opportunity for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that impact a young person’s education. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 70,000 alumni, corps members, and Ignite fellows working in pursuit of profound change so that one day every child has the opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads.

Contact:
Reshma Melwani
949-294-9459
Reshma.Melwani@teachforamerica.org