EdWorkingPapers Policy and Practice Series

Asset‑Based Implementation of Structured Adaptations in an Online Third‑Grade Content Literacy Intervention

Scaling evidence-based programs often faces a tension: how can teachers adapt materials to their local context without losing the effectiveness that made the program work in the first place?

In education, strict fidelity to a program and local adaptation to meet student needs are not mutually exclusive; both happen in real classrooms, whether intended or not. Past reforms like Reading First show that prioritizing fidelity alone often fails to produce sustained improvement, as teachers inevitably adapt to fit their students, contexts, and professional judgment. These adaptations can either dilute or strengthen instruction depending on whether systems support teachers in making evidence-based adjustments. 

High School Equivalency Credentialing and Post-Secondary Success: Pre-Registered Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the GED® Test 

Nearly 10% of U.S. adults lack a high school diploma, limiting access to many jobs and postsecondary opportunities. For these individuals, high school equivalency (HSE) credentials, most commonly earned through the GED® test, serve as a primary “second-chance” pathway. However, most national evidence on the GED test’s educational value comes from cohorts in the 1980s–2000s, before test revisions in 2014 and 2016 raised academic standards and introduced “College Ready” designations intended to signal preparedness for college coursework. In light of these changes and substantial increases in both college enrollment rates and the share of jobs  requiring postsecondary training, this study uses current, representative data to examine “How, and for whom does earning an HSE credential or a GED College Ready designation improve college enrollment, persistence, and completion?”

Introducing a High-School Exit Exam in Science: Consequences in Massachusetts

How does a high-stakes science test shape opportunities for students from different backgrounds?

There have been growing concerns about stagnant or declining science achievement among U.S. students, evidenced by poor performance on international and national assessments. As a result, some states have responded by introducing science exit exams as a graduation requirement, aiming to raise standards and accountability. 

Education and Climate Change: Synthesizing the Evidence to Guide Future Research

As climate-related disasters close schools, damage infrastructure, and disrupt learning, it’s clear that education systems are on the front lines of a warming planet. But schools aren’t just victims. As the nation’s second-largest public infrastructure system and a central part of students’ lives, they are uniquely positioned to lead climate solutions by investing in more resilient facilities, reducing their environmental footprint, and preparing the next generation to meet the challenge head-on.

The Net Benefits of Raising Bachelor’s Degree Completion through the City University of New York ACE Program

A previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the impact of CUNY’s Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE) program on bachelor’s degree completion and found students offered ACE were 12 percentage points more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within 5 years compared to similar students not offered the program (Scuello and Strumbos, 2024). But how do these short-term outcomes translate into longer-term benefits to taxpayers and society?

Closing the Gaps: An Examination of Early Impacts of Dallas ISD’s Opt-out Policy on Advanced Course Enrollment

In Dallas ISD, a simple policy shift of automatically enrolling qualifying students in Algebra 1 resulted in a 13 percentage point increase in enrollment before high school, with particularly strong gains for Hispanic students. In 2019, the district moved from an “opt-in” to an “opt-out” system, automatically enrolling qualified 5th-grade students in advanced 6th-grade courses, shifting from an opt-in system that often relied on family or teacher advocacy. The results show that when schools remove hidden hurdles, more students, particularly those often left out, get on a path to rigorous coursework and greater opportunities.

Teaching Computational Thinking to Children in Head Start Classrooms: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

If we want a broader, more diverse pipeline into high-demand tech fields, the work starts in preschool. As the demand for digital skills continues to grow, early disparities in access to computing education are turning into long-term opportunity gaps. Students from low-income and historically marginalized communities are often the last to gain exposure to computer science, and by the time they do, the opportunity gap is already wide.

The Impact of High-Impact Tutoring on Student Attendance: Evidence from a State Initiative

This study provides compelling evidence that tutoring can do more than boost test scores; it can actually get students back in the classroom. On average, students were 1.2 percentage points less likely to be absent on days when they were scheduled to receive tutoring, suggesting that they are motivated to participate in tutoring. This impact was even greater for middle schoolers and students who’d missed more than 30% of school days the prior year. The study also found that the design matters: tutoring only improved attendance when it combined at least two evidence-based features like small groups, frequent sessions, and in-school delivery.

The Effects of High School Remediation on Long-Run Educational Attainment

Every year, millions of high school students take remedial courses. In Florida alone, nearly a quarter of high schoolers took a remedial English course during the 2022-23 school year. Remedial courses offer additional instructional time, often with smaller class sizes and differentiated support from qualified teachers, to help struggling students improve in the subject area. Yet despite how common these courses are, we still know very little about how they actually affect students’ chances of success in college.

The Four Day Gamble: The Quasi-Experimental Effects of Four-Day School Week Adoption on Teacher, Principal, and Paraprofessional Staff Turnover and District Financial Outcomes

With education budgets under strain nationwide, a growing number of districts, especially rural districts, have adopted four-day school weeks (4DSW) in an effort to reduce costs. Between 1999 and 2019, 4DSW adoption grew by over 500%, with further acceleration in the years following the pandemic, and nearly 90% of districts with 4DSW are rural. The primary motivators for adopting a 4DSW are to (1) generate cost savings, as one fewer day of classes each week means districts can use fewer resources, leading to lower spending (2) help rural and budget-constrained districts reduce educator turnover by offering improved work-life balance