Researchers seeking to scale the impact of educational interventions or products often choose to release them free of charge with open licenses to maximize adoption.
Research suggests that the use of evidence-based and other high-quality instructional materials can offer significant improvements to learning outcomes. But how do evidence-based educational products make it into the hands of students and teachers?
The LEARN network recently hosted a panel discussion with scholars and practitioners who understand the unique considerations required to design, research, and scale evidence-based products in and across rural communities.
The LEARN Network’s Ela Joshi sat down with host of The SRI Homeroom podcast Kori Hamilton Biagas to break down the nuanced world of developing and scaling evidence-based products and practices, emphasizing the vital role of student input.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately one in five public school students are enrolled in a school with a rural designation. Rural schools face unique challenges such as a lack of adequate resources, high transportation costs, difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers, and a shortage of professional development opportunities and early childhood services.
School districts are typically the entryway for educational products to make it into the hands of students and teachers. However, the unique ecosystem of each district can make it challenging for product developers and vendors to know who to approach in a district to share information about a new educational product.