Although strong research does exist, few education leaders use it to guide their decisions on behalf of kids. As former state education commissioners in Tennessee and Mississippi, we know that education research, when consulted and applied in classrooms, can yield huge academic gains for students. But like a lot of good education research, those findings did little to change what was happening in classrooms and teachers colleges. As education leaders, we knew we had to act on the findings, which supported systematic and explicit phonics-based instruction. Only when educators, researchers, companies and policymakers champion a new model for education R&D, will schools pioneer a future where every student receives a truly transformative education.

Source: New York Times July 29, 2024 13:10 UTC