Trustees review Sylvan tutoring data; district staff say results can’t isolate vendor effect

School City of Chicago trustees reviewed a packet of state test scores and a return-on-investment summary for Sylvan Learning Center at the board’s Sept. 4 work session, and district staff said the available data do not prove Sylvan alone caused students’ improvements. The district presentation included iRead, iLearn and NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) figures and a page labeled “return on investment” that compares students who participated in Sylvan programming with broader campus outcomes. The staff presenter told trustees 155 students were enrolled in Sylvan during 2024–25 and that 67 of those students (about 43 percent) passed the iRead. Board members pressed for comparisons between Sylvan participants and students who did not receive Sylvan services. Trustee Chelsea…