Our work: Education Policy and Systems Change

Systems change for advancing learning and equity

The vision of the Systems Change for Advancing Learning and Equity (SCALE) initiative is to transform student learning and equity at scale through collaborative research, support for implementation, and engagement of decision makers across contexts.

The Challenge

Effective interventions supported by research are abundant for K-12 education, but implementing these interventions at scale can be extremely difficult, regardless of the strength of the evidence. Scaling is not mere replication of a program; it is often context-specific and takes great effort to do successfully. A vast range of decision makers influence students’ access to educational opportunities.

The key ways to implement effective education interventions at scale are to engage and connect stakeholders across a decentralized education system; generate and test interventions quickly; and disseminate knowledge and solutions at scale. Universities possess the potential to play a crucial role in supporting these three activities in order to address the most pressing educational needs of learners.

 

Our Solution

The SCALE initiative collaborates with scholars across traditional disciplinary lines on fast-paced research to identify promising practices and to iterate on programs and approaches with strong potential to improve educational outcomes for K-12 students.

Its work consists of three overlapping strands:

  • Research
  • Tool development
  • Collaboration

SCALE convenes stakeholders across diverse contexts, generate high-impact tools and resources, and produce knowledge, in order to effect systems and policy change for educational good.

Faculty Director

Headshot of Susanna Loeb

Susanna Loeb

Faculty Director, Systems Change for Advancing Learning and Equity (SCALE) Initiative

programs

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TipsbyText

TipsbyText is an innovative texting program which supports parents and caregivers in creating positive educational environments and building social-emotional skills. Recognizing that home learning experiences affect children, our research program seeks to identify barriers to beneficial parenting and caregiving, and to develop, test, and refine interventions for parents and caregivers that overcome these barriers and promote learning and wellness.

Faculty lead

Susanna Loeb

Faculty Director, Systems Change for Advancing Learning and Equity (SCALE) Initiative

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The National Student Support Accelerator

The National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA) is devoted to translating promising research about how tutoring can benefit students into action on the ground. NSSA provides comprehensive resources for those interested in implementing high-impact tutoring and introduces a framework for structuring tutoring programs to suit their communities. Designed with the needs of tutoring organizations, schools and districts in mind, the NSSA tools articulate best practices, drawing on an extensive body of existing research, with the goal of making implementing high-impact tutoring programs at scale as straightforward as possible.

Faculty lead

Susanna Loeb

Faculty Director, Systems Change for Advancing Learning and Equity (SCALE) Initiative

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