“What recommendations, if any, do you have for an online algebra tutor?” This question pushed me to search online for free, perhaps AI-powered, algebra tutors. Having struggled with Algebra I in high school due to an elementary teacher skipping teaching math for a year in middle school, I had tried software-based options. Of course, the technology has come a long ways since those software-based tutorials, white letters and numbers on a green monochrome screen. One possibility is access to leveraging Gen AI tools (e.g. Khan Academy, Mathos AI, PhotoMath, Wolfram Alpha, EduGenius).
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The pitch around Gen AI tutoring tools is easy to get swept up in. Recent research suggests there may be a gap between what these tools promise and what they deliver. Let’s take a look at when helping hurts.
When Helping Hurts
A 2024 study from a Turkish high school found that students who relied on ChatGPT as a study assistant for math scored lower on tests than students who used nothing at all. Researchers even adjusted ChatGPT to behave more like a traditional tutor, and the results still did not improve.
This suggests that productive struggle matters. When students work and make mistakes, figure out where they went wrong, they are more likely to retain that information long-term. If a Gen AI tool short-circuits that next step too soon, it removes the part of the process that actually produces learning. How can we model Gen AI use that supports thinking rather than replaces it?
Teens Have Adopted
AI as an Everyday Tool
% of U.S. teens (ages 13–17) who say they have ever used AI chatbots for each purpose
Survey conducted Sept. 25 – Oct. 9, 2025
The Gap Nobody Is Talking About
Recent data (Pew, 2025) shows most teenagers use Gen AI tools daily for schoolwork. That usage (Pew, 2026) is increasing from an original study. Most of their parents have no idea. Schools are still drafting guidelines for tools already embedded in student routines.
This gap may be more concerning than the tools themselves. Without guidance, students develop their own norms. That could catch up to them on the next exam and not in a good way. Without transparency, parents cannot reinforce expectations at home. Teachers are stuck making judgment calls in real time with no policy to guide them.
Banning Gen AI does not close this gap. Students need to know the difference between a tool that helps them think and one that thinks for them.
Who Gets a Voice in Policy
When schools write AI policies, who is actually in the room? From my own experience, it is seldom students. It is usually administrators, instructional coaches, and technology directors. Students are rarely consulted or only asked to rubber-stamp the final results.
Students know how Gen AI actually gets used in their peer groups. They understand the pressures behind shortcuts. Leave them out at your peril. Consider using student involvement as a way to model the critical thinking you want them to apply to technology on their own.
Teachers First, Students Later
Early data on Gen AI adoption shows an interesting pattern. The first measurable effects are not on student outcomes. They are on teacher workload. Educators are using Gen AI to draft lesson plans, build assessments, and handle administrative tasks. That is genuinely useful, and it is not the same as improving learning.
This pattern is not new. From the printing press to the internet, technology has consistently changed what teachers do without replacing the core of the work: building relationships, asking the right questions, and guiding students through the hard parts. The current moment follows the same pattern, which is worth remembering the next time someone tells you the profession is about to disappear.
Where to Start
If your school is still working out its approach, TCEA’s SHINE framework offers a practical five-step process for evaluating tools before you adopt them. The PROTECT rubric helps you audit student data privacy. The Responsible AI Self-Assessment gives your leadership team a starting point for identifying where your policies hold up and where they do not.
Gen AI is already in your students’ lives. The real question is whether you will guide them toward independent thinking or, in trying to help, make the productive struggle disappear before it does its job.
Answering the Online Algebra Tutor Question
While there are many solutions, you might try MathosAI as a starting point or Khanmigo. MathosAI claims to be 20% more accurate than ChatGPT and offers step-by-step solutions for algebra through calculus with photo-based homework help. Khan Academy’s AI-powered personal tutor, Khanmigo, guides students through problems conversationally rather than just giving answers. It also includes teacher dashboards and progress tracking. While Carnegie Learning’s MATHia is well-researched, it may not be available to individuals.
