This paper presents evidence of the effects of dual language immersion (DLI) programs on the academic outcomes of students in elementary grades. Leveraging enrollment lotteries from four cohorts of DLI applicants across 10 oversubscribed programs, analyses estimate the intent-to-treat effect of access to bilingual education on reading and math…

Children in Florida who will be 4 years old on or before September 1st of the school year are eligible to attend a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program (VPK), provided by either the public school districts or other private providers, regardless of family income. There are several different VPK programs, including Head Start, Title I, and…

Many school districts have turned to summer school as a strategy for addressing persistent declines in student achievement after COVID-19. We examine the impact of 2023 summer programs on academic recovery across 400,000 students in eight large U.S. districts. Using value-added models, we find modest but significant improvements in student math…

This policy brief examines the impact of Solution Tree's PLC at Work® process on student achievement in Texas schools. Using a quasi-experimental design and statewide data, we found that students in Model PLC Schools made meaningful academic gains, averaging 3.1 months of additional learning in math and 2 months in reading compared to similar…

This report evaluates the impact of the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work® process on student academic achievement over a three-year period in Texas public schools. Drawing on linked administrative data from the University of Houston Education Research Center (UH-ERC), the study uses a quasi-experimental approach to compare…

This quantitative, causal comparative study analyzed the effect of participation in a blended learning program has on the STAAR Mathematics and Reading Language Arts assessments for fifth grade students in a large, urban school district in North Texas. The study evaluated the performance of fifth graders on the STAAR assessment in mathematics…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact on student performance due to participation in the Catapult Learning Intervention program in the Mathematics and Reading services offered in a religious non-public school system in the Northeastern United States from grades K-2. Scaled scores from the NWEA MAP assessments administered at the…

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively recent entrant into the U.S. early education landscape, combining features of public pre-K and regular kindergarten. We provide the first estimates of the impact of Michigan's TK program on 3rd grade test scores. Using an augmented regression discontinuity design, we find that TK improves 3rd grade…

Because standardized tests in science are not given to PreK-3 students in Ohio, this report examined the longitudinal effects of learning from a teacher who had participated in the NURTURES professional development program. Specifically, it looked at the effects on students' mathematics and reading learning in grades 2-5 and science learning in…

This study followed a cohort of former ELLs for two years after they exited the EL program. The exit school year for this cohort was between August 2022 and June 2023. We compared their academic achievement in English language arts (ELA) and math with a cohort of students who were never English learners (non-ELL). We used propensity score matching…

The student check-up (SCU) is a brief school-based motivational interviewing intervention developed to promote academic-related behavioral changes and to increase accessibility to mental health services. Despite published randomized controlled trials demonstrating SCU's effectiveness in promoting student self-efficacy in academic efforts, the…

This report highlights Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District's 2022-2023 implementation of "My Reading Academy" with kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students across its 17 elementary schools. The district began using "My Reading Academy" with 10 classrooms of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students in spring…

This research presents a meta-analysis of studies examining the relationship between recreational physical activity and children's performance in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects, with a specific focus on math and science. While previous research has established a positive correlation between physical activity and…

In their efforts to meet academic standards, students often rely on supplementary resources such as private tutoring. This study investigates the relationship between private tutoring and academic performance in mathematics and science among primary school students in the Gulf States. Using data from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics…

This brief highlights Tyler Independent School District's 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 implementation of "My Reading Academy," an adaptive, supplemental solution with interactive learning games, instruction, and books in English, designed to create fluent, strategic readers. "My Reading Academy" was offered to Emergent Multilingual…