Explore · I4I

YouthBuild

2016

YouthBuild is a federally and privately funded program operated at over 250 organizations nationwide, serving over 10,000 young people each year. The program provides construction-related training and may also provide training in other in-demand industries, along with educational services, counseling, and leadership-development opportunities, to low-income, out-of-school young people ages 16 to 24. Most young people who make it through Mental Toughness Orientation enroll in YouthBuild, are offered the program's services, and participate for 6 to 12 months. New participants typically begin the program in a group with other enrollees, and that group alternates weekly or every few weeks between a focus on education and a focus on vocational training. The program includes educational services such as instruction in basic skills, remedial education, and alternative education leading to a high school diploma or GED; vocational training, typically construction training in which participants rehabilitate or build housing for low-income people; youth-development services, including leadership training and community service; and supportive services and transition services including counseling, case management, life-skills training, workforce preparation, follow-up services for one year, stipends for participation, and other forms of support.

Ungraded

Mathematics Design Collaborative (MDC)

2015

Mathematics Design Collaborative (MDC) provides Classroom Challenges that are two- to three-day formative assessment lessons (FALs) for use in middle and high school math classrooms to support the transition to Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Each Challenge follows a structured format: students complete a pre-assessment with challenging problems involving previously learned concepts; teachers review student responses to assess approaches and misconceptions; students engage in whole-class and small-group collaborative activities to discuss alternative approaches and deepen understanding; students return to initial problems, revise responses, and reflect on learning gains. The Challenges incorporate key pedagogical changes including students taking more responsibility for their work, engaging in productive struggle with rich tasks, studying fewer tasks in greater depth, and teachers acting as facilitators who use questioning to support student thinking rather than providing answers and solutions. Teachers implementing MDC had one to two years of prior experience and typically implemented six Challenges during the study year, with most participating in professional development to prepare for implementation.

9th Grade

Schema-Based Instruction (SBI)

2015

Schema-Based Instruction (SBI) is a mathematics intervention designed to improve seventh-grade students' proportional problem solving. The intervention emphasizes the underlying mathematical structure of problems, uses schematic diagrams to represent information in problem text, provides explicit problem solving and metacognitive strategy instruction, and focuses on the flexible use of multiple solution strategies. SBI consists of two replacement units (Ratio/Proportion and Percent), each comprising ten 50-minute lessons delivered five days a week across six weeks. Teachers receive 16 hours of professional development before implementation and are provided with a detailed teacher guide, teaching materials (visual diagrams and problem solving checklists), and student materials (workbook and homework book). The intervention uses a four-step problem solving strategy (DISC: Discover the problem type, Identify information in the problem to represent in a diagram, Solve the problem, Check the solution) and encourages students to use multiple solution methods such as equivalent fractions, unit rate, and cross multiplication.

7th Grade

Retired Mentors for New Teachers

2017

Retired Mentors for New Teachers is a two-year mentoring program at the elementary school level developed by Aurora Public Schools in Colorado. The program uses master educators who recently retired from the district to provide tailored one-on-one mentoring to probationary teachers (teachers in their first three years with the district, regardless of prior teaching experience). The program requires mentees to meet weekly one-on-one with their mentor and monthly in school-level groups over the course of two years. Mentees in their first year also receive the district's business-as-usual support and are assigned a buddy mentor. Retired educators can use a mix of supports, including modeling the classroom setup, co-teaching, classroom observation and feedback, modeling lesson design and delivery, analysis and reflection on data, literature studies, and organizing mentee visits to observe model classrooms. To participate in the program, retired educators must have at least five years of teaching experience in the district and a record of excellence as reflected by student achievement, performance reviews, leadership, and reputation as an effective educator.

1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade

Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System (EWIMS)

2017

The Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System (EWIMS) is a systematic approach to identifying students at risk of not graduating from high school on time, assigning them to interventions, and monitoring their progress. EWIMS targets first- and second-year high school students (grades 9-10) and uses research-based early warning indicators to flag at-risk students: chronic absence (missing 10% or more of instructional time), course failure (failing one or more courses), low GPA (2.0 or lower), and behavioral problems (suspensions). The intervention provides schools with guidance to implement a seven-step process supported by an early warning data tool. Schools establish an EWIMS team (typically 5-7 members including principals, teachers, counselors) that meets monthly to review data, interpret student needs, assign students to locally-determined interventions, and monitor progress. Implementation requires training and ongoing technical assistance, including regional trainings, tool trainings, site visits, and online WebShares. Schools import student data into the tool at multiple points throughout the year (after 20-30 days, after each grading period) to flag students and track intervention assignments.

9th Grade 10th Grade

Around the Corner

2016

Around the Corner (ATC) is a program for preschool and kindergarten students that combines and extends components of Curiosity Corner and KinderCorner curricula. The program uses embedded multimedia technology including computer activities and videos to show children how the world works for concepts not possible to illustrate with actual classroom objects. ATC targets language development, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension through thematic, holistic instruction. Students view educational videos in class and receive Home Links (DVDs) to watch at home with family members, providing repeated exposure to language concepts and vocabulary. The intervention is implemented over two years (preschool and kindergarten) and includes interactive, video-based professional development for teachers. Teachers receive initial professional development (6-12 hours for pre-K, 1-4 hours for K), classroom observation and feedback visits, full sets of lesson materials, and technology equipment.

Preschool Kindergarten

Playground Physics

2017

Playground Physics is a technology-based application and accompanying curriculum designed for middle school students (grades 6-8) to support science engagement and learning of force, energy, and motion. The program includes professional development (approximately 9 hours total across two sessions), the Playground Physics iOS app installed on iPads, and a curriculum aligned with New York State Learning Standards, Common Core State Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards. The app allows students to record and review videos through three "lenses": motion, force (Newton's third law), and energy. The curriculum integrates informal and formal, inquiry-based learning strategies using small groups and includes three units (motion, force, energy) that can be implemented using either a curriculum sequence approach (series of guided lessons) or a science investigation approach (student-designed experiments). Teachers received a class set of iPads with the app installed and the Playground Physics activity guide. The program was designed to be implemented in formal school settings during the regular school day, with teachers typically supplementing Playground Physics with their regular curriculum.

6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade

College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP)

2021

The College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP) is a professional development program designed to improve students' source-based argument writing by building teachers' understanding and skill in teaching argument writing. The program targets grades 4-5 and 7-10 teachers and students in rural districts. C3WP features three core components delivered cyclically: (1) intensive, sustained professional development (45 hours annually) focused on classroom enactment through strategies like demonstration lessons, co-teaching, and co-planning; (2) multi-day instructional resources (text sets with multiple perspectives) that teach discrete argument-writing skills progressively; and (3) formative assessment tools (Using Sources Tool and Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning Protocol) for analyzing student work to inform instruction. Teachers are expected to complete at least four cycles of instruction annually, with each cycle incorporating one multi-day unit, plus regular Routine Argument Writing exercises. The program is delivered by local Writing Project site leaders who train teacher leaders through 30-hour Advanced Institutes, where teacher leaders implement C3WP in their own classrooms before supporting other teachers. Local sites have flexibility to adapt the model to district needs while maintaining fidelity to the three core components.

7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade

Early College High School Model

2017

Early College High Schools are small schools located primarily on community college or university campuses that blur the line between high school and college. The model targets students who are underrepresented in college—including first-generation college-goers, low-income students, and racial/ethnic minorities. Students take a college preparatory curriculum and begin taking college courses as early as 9th grade, with the goal of earning both a high school diploma and up to two years of transferable college credit (or an associate degree) by graduation. Most early colleges are five-year programs. The model emphasizes personalized support, rigorous instruction aligned with college-level thinking, explicit college admissions and financial aid guidance, and a college-going culture. Students are physically located on college campuses to directly experience the college environment while still in high school.

9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade

Four Reading Interventions: Corrective Reading, Failure Free Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading

2006

This study evaluates four widely used remedial reading programs for struggling readers in grades 3 and 5: Corrective Reading, Failure Free Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading. The interventions were delivered as pull-out programs in small groups of three students, meeting five days per week for approximately 50-minute sessions from November 2003 through May 2004, totaling about 90 hours of instruction on average. Three interventions (Corrective Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading) focus primarily on word-level skills including phonemic awareness, phonemic decoding, and reading fluency through systematic and explicit instruction. Failure Free Reading focuses on building sight vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension through computer-based lessons, workbook exercises, and teacher-led instruction. Teachers were recruited from participating schools and received approximately 70 hours of professional development and support during the implementation year, including 30 hours of initial intensive training, 24 hours during a practice period, and 14 hours of supervision during the intervention phase.

3rd Grade 5th Grade