Category: Achievement

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Achievement Kindergarten

Evaluating the long-term effects of a partial-day Pre-K program

Research shows that early childhood education (ECE) can strongly influence children’s learning and development. Universal prekindergarten (UPK) offers free access to all age-eligible children, yet by 2019–2020 only 10 states and the District of Columbia had adopted it. Despite growing interest, evidence on its long-term academic impact remains limited. A recent study examined Wisconsin’s partial-day UPK program, known as 4K, and its effects on third-grade reading and math scores, focusing on differences by economic status and race/ethnicity. Using administrative data from 292 school districts, the study analyzed trends in standardized test scores (Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination – WKCE) from 2001 to 2014, applying a difference-in-differences model to estimate the program’s effects.

Results from the intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis, based on whether districts offered 4K, showed a modest but positive effect on reading scores overall (up to +0.10 SD). Gains were particularly strong for Hispanic students (+0.33 SD), potentially reducing the White-Hispanic reading gap by nearly 40%. When looking at treatment-on-the-treated (TOT) effects, based on actual participation, the estimated impact was larger. Full district participation in 4K was associated with a +0.13 SD increase in reading overall, and a +0.49 SD gain for Hispanic students. Effects for Black students were also positive, though not statistically significant after adjusting for other factors. In math, overall effects were small and not significant (+0.03 SD). However, Black students saw the largest benefits: a +0.25 SD gain in the ITT analysis and +0.39 SD in the TOT analysis – an improvement equivalent to a 38% increase in math proficiency and a narrowing of the Black-White math gap by about 40%. Math outcomes for other groups were not statistically significant.

In sum, Wisconsin’s part-day UPK program had modest overall effects but showed stronger and more sustained benefits for Hispanic and Black students. The limited duration, access, and quality of the program may have reduced its full potential. Expanding to full-day schedules, improving standards, and reducing barriers to participation—especially for students of color—could help strengthen equity and maximize long-term academic benefits.

Source: Yang, H. (2024). The Effects of Wisconsin’s Universal Prekindergarten Program on Third-Grade Academic Achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 61(6), 1237-1271.

https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312241275967… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education

Unlocking student potential: How self-regulated learning boosts elementary success

A recent systematic review examined the impact of self-regulated learning (SRL) interventions in elementary classrooms, where foundational learning habits are established. SRL refers to students’ ability to set goals, monitor progress, and adjust strategies. These skills are associated with increased focus, persistence, and academic achievement.

The review synthesized findings from 10 studies published between 2008 and 2022 in Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Estonia. Nearly 3,000 students in grades 3 to 6, ages 8 to 16, participated. Researchers assessed both SRL skill development and academic outcomes, particularly in math and writing.

All 10 studies reported improvements in students’ self-regulation skills, with effect sizes ranging from +0.20 to +0.67. Four of the six studies that measured academic performance found gains in math or writing, though effect sizes were generally smaller than those observed for SRL outcomes. Effective programs were typically delivered by classroom teachers and incorporated guided practice, reading, and peer discussion. Motivation played an important role, with more engaged students benefiting the most. The findings suggest that embedding SRL strategies into daily instruction may be a valuable way to support student success.

 

Source (Open Access): Olid-Luque, M., Ayllón-Salas, P., Arco-Tirado, J. L., & Fernández-Martín, F. D. (2025). Impact of self-regulated learning programs in primary education: A systematic review. Psychology in the Schools, 62(3), 734–755. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23352… Read the rest

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Achievement Effective Teaching Approach Higher Education

Learning from deliberate errors: A new teaching strategy

Recent research by Qiang, Ma, and Li challenges traditional beliefs about avoiding errors in education by demonstrating that deliberately making errors can significantly enhance learning outcomes. The researchers conducted three experiments with non-psychology undergraduate students (aged 18-25) from Northwest Normal University in China. Participants were required to study definitions of psychological concepts and perform recall tests. They were randomly assigned to one of three learning conditions:

  1. Deliberate errors: Students intentionally generated plausible errors while studying psychological concepts and then corrected them (e.g., “Memory is the physiological [psychological] process of accumulating …”).
  2. Retrieval practice: Students studied material and then attempted to recall it from memory.
  3. Restudy: Students repeatedly read, copied the material and underlined key information.

Experiment 1 assessed immediate recall of psychological concept definitions with 161 participants. Experiment 2 examined delayed testing (one week later) using the same learning approaches with 162 participants. Experiment 3 combined both immediate and delayed testing and enhanced the retrieval practice condition by adding feedback and an additional learning opportunity, involving 149 participants.

The results consistently showed that deliberate errors and retrieval practice yielded similar results in immediate testing, both outperforming restudy. However, in delayed testing, deliberate errors significantly outperformed retrieval practice with and without feedback, and both strategies outperformed restudy.

The findings suggest that deliberate errors are particularly effective for long-term retention. When students deliberately generate plausible errors before correction, they engage in deeper cognitive processing, form unique memory trace, and enhance the discriminability of knowledge. Despite these clear benefits, students consistently underestimated the effectiveness of deliberate errors, suggesting a metacognitive illusion that teachers need to address.

 

Source: Qiang, X., Ma, X., & Li, T. (2025). Learning from errors: Deliberate errors enhance learning. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 82, 102379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2025.102379… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Kindergarten

Can learning apps at home enhance children’s school readiness?

A study by Niklas and colleagues investigated the impact of Learning4Kids, an app-based family intervention approach, on enhancing kindergarten children’s literacy and mathematics skills before they enter school. The study involved 500 German children (mean age 5 years) who were recruited in two cohorts and randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups or one of two control groups:

  1. Literacy intervention group (n=151)
  2. Mathematics intervention group (n=151)
  3. Control group with tablets with control apps (n=98)
  4. Control group without tablets (n=100)

The intervention lasted approximately six months, with children using specially designed high-quality educational apps at home. The literacy apps focused on letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and language development, while the mathematics apps targeted number knowledge, counting, and measurement. Crucially, these apps were developed avoiding distracting elements while promoting active learning with appropriate difficulty progression. The control apps did not focus on literacy and numeracy but rather on general cognitive abilities.

After controlling background information and intelligence, children in the intervention groups significantly outperformed those in the control groups in their respective domains. The literacy intervention was particularly effective for letter knowledge and phonological awareness, and the mathematics intervention for number knowledge and backwards counting. Importantly, longer app usage correlated with greater skill improvements, with an average of 4.5 minutes of daily use producing a 0.1 SD gain in mathematical competence and 2.5 min a 0.1 SD gain in literary competence.

These findings demonstrated that high-quality educational apps can be a cost-effective, accessible way to support kindergarten children’s school readiness. However, the researchers emphasize that most commercially available educational apps lack empirical validation and may not deliver similar benefits.

 

Source (Open Access): Niklas, F., Birtwistle, E., Mues, A., & Wirth, A. (2025). Learning apps at home prepare children for school. Child Development, 96(2), 577–590. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14184… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Secondary School Education

Enhancing student collaboration through transactive communication training

Effective communication is a cornerstone of collaborative learning, particularly for middle school students navigating complex social and academic environments. Transactive communication, where students actively engage with peers’ ideas by building upon or refining them, fosters deeper subject understanding and knowledge. Embedding transactive communication training within regular classroom lessons integrates skill-building with subject content, using cooperative learning methods to encourage joint elaboration. Students receive structured guidance through videos, example dialogues, and peer feedback.

In a study involving 594 ninth-grade students across 23 German classrooms, researchers tested a lesson-integrated transactive communication training against a control group trained in presentation skills. Conducted over 2.5 school days, the experimental group practiced transactive statements while engaging with content on sustainable resource use. Pre- and post-tests measured communication behaviors, knowledge acquisition, and collaboration experiences via audio-recorded dyad discussions and questionnaires.

Results showed that the training significantly increased transactive statements and positive collaboration experiences, though it did not impact knowledge acquisition or general motivation for group work. These findings suggest that while the training enhances collaborative processes, further research is needed to explore its long-term effects on academic outcomes.

 

Source (Open Access): Jurkowski, S., Mundelsee, L., & Hänze, M. (2024). Strengthening collaborative learning in secondary school: Development and evaluation of a lesson-integrated training approach for transactive communication. Learning and Instruction, 92, 101934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101934… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education Secondary School Education

How financial resources affect educational outcomes?

The debate over how influential financial resources are for schools and educational outcomes has been going on since at least the 1960s. One recent study, from a trio of researchers from Yale, the Public Policy Institute of California, and UC Santa Cruz, sheds new light on how resources directed towards school facilities can impact student achievement, which investments have the greatest impact, and for whom the impact is greatest.

This innovative study drew on a particular form of capital investments, bonds, which are typically issued by school districts and voted on by constituents in bond referenda items on election ballots. These bond referenda set out the intended use of the funds, project costs, and projected increases to local housing taxes. Bonds may set aside funding for classroom space, infrastructure (plumbing, roofs, furnaces, HVAC systems, etc.), IT facilities and labs, building adjustments to comply with health and safety standards, athletic facilities, land purchases, and vehicles procurement (school buses, for instance).

The researchers took data related to bond elections, combined with school district finances, school enrollment and demographic data, student academic achievement scores, and housing prices across the U.S. from as early as 1994 in some states, and 2003-2019 in most. Their dataset covered 12,370 bond elections across 29 states.

Overall, they found that bond authorizations raise capital outlays per student by about $1,500 in the first five years after authorization, with test scores increasing by +0.10 district-level standard deviations after eight years. In addition, they found that the positive impacts of bond authorizations on test scores were concentrated in districts with large shares of free- and reduced-price lunch eligible students or minority (Black and Hispanic or Latino/a) students.

But most interestingly, the authors were able to delve into differences in impact of different categories of bonds. Specifically, they found that only some expenditures had an effect of student test scores: HVAC (ES = +0.20 over 3-6 years post-election), renovations to plumbing, roofs, furnaces, or STEM equipment (ES = +0.17), safety and health improvements (ES = +0.16), and classroom space (ES = +0.12). These findings are in line with recent research on the negative impact of excessive heat and toxic materials in schools on student achievement and cognitive outcomes. In contrast, bonds for athletic facilities, land purchases, and transportation had statistically insignificant or near-zero impacts on student achievement. Using time-specific estimates, they were further able to estimate that the impact of HVAC bonds peaks 3-5 years post-election and then fades out quickly, while infrastructure, safety and health, and STEM bonds saw slower fade out effects.

In these times of lower school funding and loss of federal support, it is important for school districts and states to consider carefully how to spend their available funding. These findings point to some important types of funding that may be most beneficial and for those whom the funds may be most meaningful.

 

Source (Open Access): Biasi, B., Lafortune, J. M., & Schönholzer, D. (2024). What Works and For Whom? Effectiveness and Efficiency of School Capital Investments Across The U.S. (Working Paper No. 32040). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w32040… Read the rest