This report investigates the implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on school discipline. It highlights the challenges faced by educators, including increased student problem behaviors due to disruptions in traditional schooling. The study evaluates how different tiers of…

With constantly changing needs in a global economy, more flexibility in educational accountability for states and districts, and a focus on high standards for all students, state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) are increasingly defining what skills, competencies, and knowledge graduates should have by developing a…

Chronic absenteeism remains a pressing national concern, with nearly one in four public school students missing significant instructional time in the 2023-24 school year. To help address the barriers students and families face, the Compass Care program offers a promising, family-centered wraparound approach. Early evidence shows Compass Care…

This report delves into the cost and effectiveness of the ASSISTments program as an online math support tool. Aiming to replicate previous findings, the study focused on the impact of ASSISTments on student learning in seventh-grade classrooms. The report outlines the study's objectives, setting, and participants alongside the study design,…

The year 2025 marks the 8th year of collaboration between Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Carnegie Math Pathways, funded by Project Success. Collectively, this collaboration has worked to increase TCU student outcomes and completion in gateway math courses and to mathematically empower Native students and communities. This brief…

As a promising tool for improving math education and closing the achievement gap, the use of educational technology has dramatically expanded in K-12 education in recent years, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. ASSISTments was one of the few digital learning programs recommended for use in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (Sahni et al.,…

The Mindsets mathematics program addresses the challenge of engaging middle school students in rigorous, grade-level math by making mathematical reasoning relevant, collaborative, and accessible. This research examines how the program uses hands-on, real-world challenges to promote engagement and deep understanding while meaningfully improving…

In 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom established the Governor's Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education (the Council) to assess and improve education about the Holocaust and other genocides (Holocaust and genocide education) in California schools. In response to declining youth awareness of these issues and events and to rising hate incidents, the…

The success of all students in schools, including students with learning differences, is contingent on how schools operationalize universally designed instruction, positive behavior support, and data-based decision-making for individualized and group-level interventions. When schools have fully functional multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)…

This study is the first to explore the impact of the Illustrative Math (IM) curriculum on student math performance. IM is one of the nation's most widely adopted high-quality math curricula. Using survey, state, and public town data from districts in Massachusetts, researchers explored how student math performance changed in 71 schools after they…

This is a technical report detailing the analytic methods used to assess the effects of a virtual professional learning community (vPLC)-enhanced ASSISTments intervention. The report uses a quasi-experimental design and partially nested regression model to account for clustering and reveals that while overall effects were positive but not…

This report is a companion to the "Scaling Teachers' Professional Development for ASSISTments: Evaluation Final Report" and presents an in-depth look at how the integration of the ASSISTments platform with a virtual professional learning community (vPLC) supported middle school math teachers in improving instruction, fostering student…

Across the United States, educators and education leaders are increasingly recognizing the value of social and emotional learning (SEL), school climate, and related whole-person efforts as keys to enabling student success. Many school districts are still exploring or just beginning implementation of these whole-person efforts, and many have…

With the tragedies of school violence igniting calls for increased safety and security, one popular proposal is to use metal detectors in schools. To address questions about what impact such devices may have on day-to-day safety and on what happens during school violence events, this research brief summarizes what is known about metal detectors in…

More than 8.3 million young people under 18 struggle with anxiety or depression--13 percent of the youth population. Despite the need, more than one third of the U.S. population lives in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas, creating urgent dual crises of rising mental health needs and insufficient behavioral workforce capacity. Launched in…