University of Chicago Education Lab

Chicago friends and colleagues: Join The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Roman Family Center for Decision Research on Wednesday, 5/7 for the latest installment of the Think Better Speaker Series. Details below:

Vote for our #SOCAPOpen session: AI as a Force For, Not Against, Economic Mobility — featuring our faculty director, Jens Ludwig. This session explores concrete examples of how AI tools are already expanding access to quality education, improving workforce development, and making social services more efficient and equitable. Check out all the SOCAP25 session proposals, including ours, and vote for the sessions you’d like to see at SOCAP25, held Oct. 27–29 in San Francisco. Community voting ends April 13th. Link to voting page: https://lnkd.in/gBFJZFae

Tutoring works. But will we keep it?   In our latest newsletter, we highlight a recent op-ed from our Executive Director Sadie Stockdale Jefferson, PhD and Accelerate CEO Kevin Huffman who argue that we must double down on investments in tutoring – one of the few interventions with clear, measurable gains in student learning – as federal aid runs out.   Other highlights: ◾ Our faculty director, Jens Ludwig, authored a book that explores how behavioral science gives us a new way to understand – and solve – gun violence in America, including the role education plays in addressing crime. Learn more about Unforgiving Places, available April 21: https://lnkd.in/gjW_37r2 ◾ Education Lab researchers penned an op-ed for The Brookings Institution about a study of restorative practices, an alternative approach to discipline that focuses on harm reparation and community dialogue rather than punishment. Read the piece: https://lnkd.in/g2yMdbmu   Read the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gCmJuDcJ   Subscribe to get the latest updates: https://lnkd.in/gqjEGwyC

Last week, our Research Director Matteo Magnaricotte shared new findings from our Personalized Learning Initiative at the Association for Education Finance and Policy conference in Washington, DC. He highlighted our partnership with the New Mexico Public Education Department, where we’re studying how intensive, individualized tutoring is being delivered in predominantly rural schools—places where students often lack access to critical learning supports. Our goal: Understand how high-dosage tutoring can serve as a scalable, effective strategy to close education gaps in communities that need it most. Learn more about the Personalized Learning Initiative: https://lnkd.in/enHCfyUE

Tutoring is one of the most effective ways to bridge learning gaps and support students’ academic success – and we can’t afford to lose it.   In an op-ed published by The 74 Media, our executive director Sadie Stockdale Jefferson, PhD and Accelerate’s Kevin Huffman call for doubling down on investing in tutoring programs as federal aid winds down and academic gaps persist five years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Read the op-ed: https://lnkd.in/e4XfA7Ae

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Lessons learned from Fulton County Schools on embedding high-dosage tutoring in secondary math classes Our MDRC partners published a blog post highlighting key takeaways from the implementation of a tutoring program in Fulton County, Georgia as a part of our Personalized Learning Initiative. The piece offers a deeper look at the strategies that make tutoring successful and how schools can effectively implement them. Read the blog post: https://lnkd.in/gfQQ-8Z6

We’re excited to join Chicago Public Schools and our fellow research partners today for a conversation on how evidence is shaping policy and practice in schools. The webinar, "Improving Education with Evidence: Research Partners & CPS," will feature insights from across the partnership—including from Monica Bhatt, Senior Research Director from the Education Lab team. Together, we’re working to ensure that rigorous research leads to real-world impact for students. 🗓️ Today, March 13 ⏰ 2:00 - 3:00 PM CST 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gZzFJH94

Join us on Thursday at 2pm. Our Senior Research Director Monica Bhatt will talk about our portfolio of work, implemented in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, that shows promise in improving educational attainment and youth outcomes. Register below.

Thank you to the Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) for featuring our Executive Director Sadie Stockdale Jefferson, PhD and for lifting up our mission to generate evidence for real-world impact. We are grateful to be a part of this coalition of organizations committed to strengthening education research.

Data + schools + collaboration across Chicago… Join us March 13 at 2pm CT to: ➡️ Learn what’s working for students and schools across Chicago Public Schools, and what we need to better understand and address—together. ➡️ Hear from Elaine Allensworth Jenny Nagaoka Dominique McKoy Terri Sabol Meg Bates Monica Bhatt Sarah Dickson Pranav Kothari Can’t join live? Register to receive a recap & recording after: https://lnkd.in/g5S6rrUQ