Research Strategies

This section explores three areas of measurement that schools and districts may tackle as they implement new practices and programs. Use the subtopics below to dig further into the three areas:

Research That Informs Our Work – Learn from the Field: Educators and leaders often want to know what the research says. When the field of research spans from peer-reviewed journal articles to practitioner-facing publications, it can be difficult to understand how to find credible, actionable information. The body of literature behind our strategies and recommended resources includes learning science, neuroscience, leadership, and psychology.
Design a Pilot – Try Something New: Instead of making a huge commitment to a practice or program, smaller pilots create an opportunity to try something new, find out how it works in practice, and then make adjustments before committing to something at scale. Whether choosing a new instructional practice, curriculum model, piece of technology, or professional learning program, a pilot can help build evidence, gain buy-in, and demonstrate what this new thing may look like in your own context.
Evaluate a Tool, Pilot, or Program – See How Something Works: Whether implementing a new reading curriculum, a different professional learning format, or even a new assessment platform, a critical question always emerges: how will we know if it worked? The answer requires measuring both the intended outcomes and the process to get there.