In partnership with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the Education Lab evaluated a whole-school personalized learning reform model to bolster student achievement, particularly in high-need communities.

Challenge

Differences in academic achievement across student groups are persistent (and worsened in the pandemic), but research has shown that individualized instruction can be effective in rapidly improving academic achievement, offering one potential solution for closing educational gaps. However, these programs have historically been relatively small in scale.

Opportunity

To accelerate learning using an evidence-based approach, Chicago Public Schools launched an ambitious $25 million effort to embed personalized learning into elementary schools in low-income neighborhoods in Chicago. The Elevate model, implemented over 2.5 years, embeds a student-centered instructional model that infuses personalized learning practices into elementary schools on a scale not previously attempted by a large urban school district. The Education Lab conducted an implementation evaluation and randomized controlled trial to determine the impact of the Elevate initiative on student experience and achievement in three cohorts of schools across a 2.5-year period.

Project overview

Many education reforms focus on addressing differences in academic achievement between students with different backgrounds. Research in Chicago and elsewhere has shown that individualized instruction can be particularly effective in improving academic achievement. In light of this, in 2015, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) launched Elevate, an ambitious $25 million effort to embed personalized learning into elementary schools in low-income Chicago neighborhoods. Schools participating in Elevate received resources to develop the personalized learning environment, including intensive professional development support for administrators and teachers, technology devices to achieve 1:1 device-student ratios, education technology programs, and both a CPS Instructional Coach and a CPS social/emotional learning Coach to provide in-school support for individualized instruction and culture.

The University of Chicago Education Lab is currently evaluating the impact of the Elevate model on students’ learning and behavior with a randomized controlled trial of 45 elementary schools. This evaluation also includes a three-year implementation study by partners at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Findings from AIR’s implementation study suggest consistency in the delivery of district-level supports to participating schools over the entire span of Elevate since these categories had the highest implementation fidelity for both cohorts and all participation phases. Moreover, the findings also highlight the need to re-examine the implementation of teacher training for any continued implementation or expansion of Elevate since this category has the lowest implementation fidelity for both cohorts and all participation phases.

The Education Lab is currently analyzing the impact of the Elevate model on student outcomes.

Years Active

2017 – present

Project Leads

Salman Khan

Salman Khan

Research Director

Fatemeh Momeni

Fatemeh Momeni

Research Director

Monica Bhatt

Monica Bhatt

Senior Research Director

Jon Guryan

Jon Guryan

Faculty Co-Director

Related Resources
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Briefing for Chicago Public Schools Elected School Board Candidates

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How to Build It and Ensure They Will Come: Educators’ Advice on High-Dosage Tutoring Programs
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How to Build It and Ensure They Will Come: Educators’ Advice on High-Dosage Tutoring Programs

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NBER Working Paper: Can Technology Facilitate Scale? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation of High Dosage Tutoring
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NBER Working Paper: Can Technology Facilitate Scale? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation of High Dosage Tutoring

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This paper outlines results from the Education Lab’s study of a high-dosage tutoring model–what we call “Saga Technology”–which found that substituting some tutor time with educational technology can reduce costs by one-third and halve the number of tutors needed without compromising effectiveness.

Realizing the Promise of High Dosage Tutoring at Scale: Preliminary Evidence for the Field
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Realizing the Promise of High Dosage Tutoring at Scale: Preliminary Evidence for the Field

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This technical report outlines preliminary results from the Personalized Learning Initiative showing that high dosage tutoring can be scaled and can work–even when delivered in the aftermath of the pandemic and in diverse academic settings.