In postsecondary research, comprehensive approaches to student success (CASS) programs are shown to have the greatest impact on student outcomes. At the core of a CASS program is personalized and proactive coaching in which coaches actively reach out to students and meet to discuss personal and academic issues. MDRC's evaluation of one CASS…

The author describes what the field of gifted education has accomplished since the advent of programming in the 1920s that has been of service to gifted learners, has been growth-producing, and has had a lasting impact on research and development initiatives. She also identifies what gifted education has not accomplished and the barriers that…

Adult education instructors are as diverse as the students they teach. Their professional backgrounds, training, licenses, and modalities of teaching (online, in person, open vs. closed enrollment, etc.) vary widely, which can make the planning of meaningful, effective professional development challenging. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a…

Adult students have different backgrounds, knowledge, experiences, abilities, interests, and learning needs. Hence, teaching all learners the same way is not the most effective. Individual differences should be considered. Exposing a whole class to one set of content, exercises, and assessment activities is unrealistic. In other words, to learn…

In this thought experiment, we explore how to make access to individualized instruction and academic mentoring more equitable by taking tutoring to scale as a permanent feature of the U.S. public education system. We first synthesize the tutoring and mentoring literature and characterize the landscape of existing tutoring programs. We then outline…

The Early Interactive Reading Software Program encourages literacy growth and achievement in students in grades K-3. The program addresses early reading through the use of computer-based literacy software which provides individualized instruction designed to supplement students' classroom learning. During the 2019-2020 school year, these software…

Large Language Models have recently achieved high performance on many writing tasks. In a recent study, math word problems in Carnegie Learning's MATHia adaptive learning software were rewritten by human authors to improve their clarity and specificity. The randomized experiment found that emerging readers who received the rewritten word problems…

This is one of the first studies to evaluate the impact of computer-based individualized instruction in a developing country. We randomly assigned 1,528 students in grades 6-8 in 15 "model" public schools in Rajasthan, India who were using a computer-adaptive learning software to: a control group, in which they were only able to access…

America's reckoning with racial injustice and the pursuit of equity have led some public school systems to reduce or terminate (or at least question) special programs for high achievers, such as "gifted" education, honors courses, and selective high schools. Historically, such programs have served disproportionately few Black, Hispanic,…

In 2014, Tennessee launched a statewide initiative known as Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI[superscript 2]) aimed at better supporting students' individual learning needs. RTI[superscript 2] is a framework for teaching and learning that includes regular screenings to identify student areas of need and a tiered model of intervention…

Background: Italy is internationally known as a Country with a longstanding "tradition" of inclusive education. Objective: Aim of the paper is to provide a frame on the educational policies that, since 1970s, have steered the school system according to a "fully inclusive" model, highlighting the instruments of teaching-learning…

Community colleges continue to increase their efforts to better serve students who enter their institutions with limited basic math, reading, or writing skills. In 2015, MDRC partnered with the Texas Coordinating Higher Education Board on a study to examine how colleges implemented state guidelines for students scoring below ninth-grade…

This article explores the connections between creating an equitable classroom and antiracist assessment. The article attempts to explain the impact of the equitable classroom on student apathy. Additionally, rigid concepts of "failing" under this equitable classroom model are interrogated. Finally, the article provides some insights into…

The Early Intervention Reading Software Program encourages literacy growth and achievement in students in grades K-3. The program addresses early reading through the use of computer-based literacy software which provides individualized instruction designed to supplement students' classroom learning. During the 2018-2019 school year, these software…

Taking the European Credit and Transfer System as its departure point, this article describes the (mis)fortunes of the figure of the independent learner. This figure is conceptualized by analyzing the expectations of the European learning space that is enacted in discourses, instruments and practices. The independent learner is a…