A study has found that giving middle school math teachers access to inquiry-based lesson plans and online support significantly improved student achievement—and benefited weaker teachers the most.
The effect on student learning was about the same as moving from an average-performing teacher to one at the 80th percentile.
Northwestern University researchers conducted the study with about 360 teachers in three Virginia districts. Teachers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group that maintained business as usual, a group that received a login for the online curriculum, and the group that saw the most success, which received both a login and online supports for using the lesson plans.
