Curriculum

What Works? “I Can Learn” Math, Says Clearinghouse

By Sean Cavanagh — March 11, 2009 1 min read
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The federal What Works Clearinghouse, which offers reviews of education programs according to rigorous standards, has released three new reports. But only one of the programs reviewed, the I Can Learn focused on helping students with prealgebra and algebra, was found to have been studied enough to qualify for a rating—it was found to have positive effects on student achievement.

A new study that I wrote about this week also found that I Can Learn, which uses computer software and hardware, is effective, particularly in working with classes where students miss a lot of school.

Two other programs had not been studied sufficiently to merit a WWC rating. Those were Kumon Math, a supplemental math curriculum, and I Have a Dream, a dropout-prevention program. Links to the reviews of all three programs are provided, above.

The findings on I Can Learn could be of keen interest to educators, given the strong interest in preparing students for the challenges of algebra these days.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters blog.