Long ago, I toured West Germany, visiting some family friends near Hanover. They suggested I go see Duderstadt, a picturesque town nearby (see picture of it below). My wife, Nancy, and I drove into…| Robert Slavin's Blog
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.” –Albert Einstein Last Friday, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a $1.9 t…| Robert Slavin's Blog
“Had we but world enough and time…” wrote Andrew Marvell, an English poet in the late 1600s (He also had another job, highly relevant to this blog, which I will reveal at the end. No peeking!). Mar…| Robert Slavin's Blog
A long-ago rock song said it first: “There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues.” &nbs…| Robert Slavin's Blog
4 posts published by Robert Slavin's Blog during March 2021| Robert Slavin's Blog
“There is much technique to master in creating educational programs, evaluating them, and fairly summarizing their effects. There is even more technique in implementing proven programs in schools and classrooms, and in creating policies to support use of proven programs. We must care about technique because we care about children. All of us go into … Continue reading What Bob Slavin Would Want Us To Remember→| Robert Slavin's Blog
Today, my colleagues and I are launching www.ProvenTutoring.org. The purpose of this website is to help make certain that the opportunities made available by the American Rescue Plan and other funding actually have their intended impact on the school success of America’s children. Websites are launched every day. Why is this one special? ProvenTutoring.org introduces … Continue reading Launching ProvenTutoring→| Robert Slavin's Blog
Dear Reader, Every Thursday for the past nine years, except for major holidays, I have produced my blog on educational research and practice. However, this week, I am running my blog on Monday. Why? Because on Monday, we are launching our tutoring website, the one I’ve been hinting about for weeks. And for some technical … Continue reading Out to Launch→| Robert Slavin's Blog
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 130 biotech companies have launched major efforts to develop and test vaccines. Only four have been approved so far (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca). Among the others, many have outright failed, and others are considered highly unlikely. Some of the failed vaccines are small, … Continue reading Lessons for Educational Research from the COVID-19 Vaccines→| Robert Slavin's Blog
Last July, I wrote a blog about a Year 6 (fifth grade) student in England, “Richard,” who just happened to transfer to one of our Success for All schools in spring, 2020. The school staff tested him. He had no reading skills at all. None. Because they only had a few months to prepare him … Continue reading Message From NorthBay: All Students Can Learn to Read→| Robert Slavin's Blog
In speaking and writing about tutoring, I am often asked about where limited tutoring resources should be concentrated. My answer is this: “Make certain that every single child in America who needs it gets enough tutoring to be proficient in phonics. All other priorities are tied for second place.” There are many pragmatic reasons why … Continue reading Prioritize Tutoring for Low-Achieving Readers→| Robert Slavin's Blog
Over the past 20 years, there has been a major increase in the number of educational programs that have been developed, evaluated in rigorous (usually randomized) experiments, found to make a substantial difference in achievement, and then offered to schools by non-profit or for-profit organizations. Educators can easily find out about these proven programs in … Continue reading Getting Proven Tutoring Programs Into Widespread Practice→| Robert Slavin's Blog
Whenever I talk to educators and mention effect sizes, someone inevitably complains. “We don’t understand effect sizes,” they say. I always explain that you don’t have to understand exactly what effect sizes are, but if you do know that more of them are good and less of them are bad, assuming that the research from … Continue reading Another Way to Understand Effect Sizes→| Robert Slavin's Blog
The American Rescue Plan was passed in the U.S. Congress this week. This $1.9 trillion bill provides funding for a lot of things I care about as a citizen, but as an educator, I’d like to focus on the portion of it allocated to healing Covid learning loss. This is $29 billion, or roughly double … Continue reading The American Rescue Plan Can Rescue Education, If We Use It to Fund What Works→| Robert Slavin's Blog
If you follow my blogs, you’ll note that I have been writing recently about the ineffectiveness of summer school (here, here, and here). Along with colleagues, I wrote a review of research on summe…| Robert Slavin's Blog
Today, my colleagues and I are launching www.ProvenTutoring.org. The purpose of this website is to help make certain that the opportunities made available by the American Rescue Plan and other funding actually have their intended impact on the school success of America’s children.| Robert Slavin's Blog
After a harsh winter, spring has come. It’s May. The weather is gorgeous on the Chesapeake, the weather is getting warm, the air is delicious, the flowers are blooming. From a slight distance, ev…| Robert Slavin's Blog
