This study examines whether "SimCalc Mathworlds"[TM] improves students' knowledge of the algebra concepts of rate and proportionality. Strengths: The study is a well implemented randomized controlled trial (RCT) with acceptable sample attrition rates and no indications of other problems. Cautions: The study authors describe a rigorous…

Preparing students from low-income, minority families to graduate is a challenge that begins as early as elementary school but becomes a particular concern at the secondary level. Low-income students are twice as likely as higher-income students to be poorly prepared for grade-level work and 1.3 times more likely to have learning disabilities,…

Computer software that shows students visual models of mathematical concepts--and lets them manipulate those models by doing math--has a certain intuitive appeal. Now, recent research on SimCalc Mathworlds, one of the pioneering examples of such software, is providing some of the best evidence so far that the approach can lead to gains in student…