Giving Compass' Take:

• Tony Wan explains how GradeSlam works to make online tutoring more equitable.

• How can funder work to expand access online resources? How does access to devices and internet play into the equity equation? 

• Learn more about equitable design in edtech. 

Online tutoring services are a dime a dozen, and in recent times they’ve raised many dimes. Since 2016, these companies have raised more than $1.2 billion in venture capital, according to EdSurge data—most notably Chinese startups that connect local students with English tutors.

Most online tutoring startups offer their services directly to consumers, or, in the words of Philip Cutler, those who can afford to pay for them. But that model can be inequitable, says the former teacher. “I saw early on in my teaching career that a lot of my students were going to after-school homework help,” he tells EdSurge. “But they were often the wealthiest students. The students who needed the help the most, their families didn’t have the resources.”

So in 2014, Cutler started GradeSlam in an effort to give every student in a school or district access to online tutoring support. It only sells this platform to educational and youth organizations, and so far has deals with roughly 200 partners, from school districts in southern California to the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The company claims it currently reaches more than 160,000 students.

Read the full article about making online tutoring more equitable by Tony Wan at EdSurge.