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Phone-based tutoring improves learning during school closures

2026-09-09 | original

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Why This Matters

A Nature study finds that low-tech, phone-based tutoring can sustain and even recover student learning when schools shut down — a finding that matters as closures from weather, disasters and strikes remain common, especially in low-income countries. It suggests that basic mobile phones, not expensive ed-tech platforms, may be the most scalable remote-learning tool where internet access and devices are scarce.

Key Takeaways

Angrist et al. report compelling evidence that phone-based tutoring and support help children keep learning during school closures.
Learning levels are already low globally, particularly in low-income countries, and closures compound the losses.
Evidence on which remediation policies actually work has been limited, making this a useful guide for education systems planning for disruptions.

Worth a Look

Kids' Math Flash Cards by Star Right — Phone tutoring works because it pairs a short call with simple practice problems a caregiver can run through at home — and flash cards are the classic low-tech tool for exactly that. A set covering addition, subtraction, multiplication and division makes daily numeracy drills easy during school breaks or closures, no screen or internet required.

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Student test scores show that levels of learning are low globally, especially in low-income countries1. This problem is compounded by school closures caused by events such as extreme weather, natural disasters, teacher strikes and holidays, but there is limited evidence about which policies are effective at reducing, or even reversing, learning losses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many education systems closed schools for prolonged periods of time, prompting the adoption of remote-learning strategies. Writing in Nature, Angrist et al.2 provide compelling evidence that phone-based tutoring and support can be effective ways to help children to continue learning during school closures.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02471-y

References World Bank. World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education’s Promise (World Bank, 2018). Angrist, N. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10990-x (2026). Evans, D. K. & Yuan, F. Educ. Eval. Policy Anal. 44, 532–540 (2022). Bold, T., Kimenyi, M., Mwabu, G., Ng’ang’a, A. & Sandefur, J. J. Public Econ. 168, 1–20 (2018). Banerjee, A. V. et al. J. Econ. Perspect. 31, 73–102 (2017). Piper, B. & Dubeck, M. M. Int. J. Educ. Dev. 109, 103095 (2024). Download references

Competing Interests The author declares no competing interests.

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