2026-08-18 · HN #49972419
AI Tutor Shows Modest Math Gains, but Student Engagement Remains the Hurdle
A two-year randomized trial in 18 Tennessee middle schools found that giving students access to Khan Academy's AI tutor, Khanmigo, during remedial math sessions raised achievement by about 1.3 national percentile ranks per term. However, the gains mirrored those from using Khan Academy without AI, and researchers concluded the binding constraint is engagement: most students barely used the tutor, and when they did, interactions were superficial.
