NEWS RELEASE
Washington, D.C., March 10, 2026 — CitySchools Collaborative has been awarded a $10 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Mid-Phase grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand and rigorously evaluate its Intermediary Support for Tutoring model. This five-year project represents a significant moment of national validation of CitySchools Collaborative’s approach and will enable the organization to scale its work to improve literacy outcomes for thousands of students across the region. The award is part of a $256 million federal investment in evidence-based literacy solutions nationwide, underscoring growing urgency and commitment to improving student outcomes.
High-impact tutoring continues to be one of the most effective, evidence-based strategies for accelerating student learning. Yet, many districts face barriers to implementing tutoring with fidelity at scale. CitySchools Collaborative’s intermediary model addresses this challenge by providing school, districts, and states with the design support, implementation guidance, coaching, and data systems needed to launch and sustain high-quality tutoring programs aligned to national research.
Through this grant, CitySchools Collaborative will expand its Intermediary Support for Tutoring model to reach more than 15,000 K-8 students across DC, Maryland, and Virginia by 2030, with a focus on improving literacy outcomes for students furthest from opportunity. This expansion reflects growing national investment in scaling high-impact tutoring, with CitySchools Collaborative’s work recently highlighted as part of broader federal efforts to strengthen literacy outcomes and innovative tutoring systems. The grant will also fund a rigorous independent evaluation in partnership with Bellwether. Through a randomized controlled trial, the study will assess the impact of intermediary support on student literacy outcomes, implementation fidelity, and cost effectiveness–strengthening the national evidence base on how to scale and sustain high-impact tutoring.
“This grant speaks to growing national recognition of how important strong programmatic support is to ensure tutoring delivers meaningful results for students–particularly those furthest from opportunity,” said Cat Peretti, Executive Director of CitySchools Collaborative, during a recent panel discussion at Accelerate’s 2026 Annual Convening. The panelists represented grant winners from across the country in the Education Innovation & Research (EIR) program. This investment will enable CitySchools Collaborative to expand access to high-quality tutoring while strengthening the evidence base and around what intermediary supports are critical to scaling and sustaining high-impact tutoring.
About CitySchools Collaborative
CitySchools Collaborative catalyzes high-impact tutoring and strategic talent models to serve thousands of students. Its coalition-building approach and innovative solutions improve student well-being, accelerate academic performance, and enhance flexible staffing systems in schools to help create a public education system that serves and empowers all children. To learn more about CitySchools Collaborative, visit cityschoolscollab.org