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A high-impact tutoring program created at the University of Notre Dame will scale to reach second and third graders across Indiana with a new federal grant.
The Indiana Department of Education received a five-year, nearly $10 million Education Innovation and Research grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand the model, which gives tutors research-backed skills to help students while also aiming to strengthen the educator pipeline.
In the Tutor-ND program, interdisciplinary teams from the university train and support tutors in evidence-based skills such as the science of reading as well as teach them to build caring relationships with students. The program currently works with more than 20 organizations that offer tutoring including South Bend Community Schools and local Boys and Girls Clubs, according to the program’s website.
With the new grant, Notre Dame will partner with the Indiana education department to serve at least 9,000 students who are high-need, defined as attending schools with an IREAD pass rate under 85%, according to the grant application. Of those students, 2,000 will be very high-needs, or not on track to pass the state reading test.
The grant allows the program to expand in Northern Indiana and for other universities to create new regional hubs in their communities with Notre Dame’s support. The additional universities will be selected through an application process, and Butler, Indiana, Purdue, Ball State, and Valparaiso universities, and the University of Louisville have expressed interest, according to the grant application.
The application also says that tutors include high school and college students, instructional aides, and other school-connected adults.
The grant-funded tutoring will be during the school day and will start in fall 2026, according to the state department of education.
The new program is the latest piece of the state’s ongoing investment in student literacy through programs, resources, and policy, including mandated science of reading in schools and a law to hold back students who don’t pass the IREAD, with some exceptions. In 2025, Indiana third graders passed the IREAD at a record-setting rate of 87.3%, which was up nearly 5 percentage points from 2024.
Expanding Notre Dame’s program allows for more high-impact tutoring and for community members to get involved in the state’s literacy push, state education department officials told the state board of education at its meeting Wednesday.
“Notre Dame in partnership with other higher ed institutions across Indiana can help us train an army of people to help tutor and support our students,” Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education, told the board.
Additionally, the state education department partnered with WestED on the grant to be an independent evaluator who will measure the impact.
Update: This story was updated to include that the grant-funded tutoring will be during school, starting in the fall.
MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.
