In a Policy Forum, Noam Angrist and colleagues discuss a science-backed research agenda for understanding how to successfully implement educational programs at scale. “The frontier of education research and practice is to improve implementation,” Angrist et al. write. “There is growing evidence on what works – now we need to translate that evidence into action and systematically study the process, so that we can do it repeatedly and at increasing scale to achieve effective, equitable, and enduring learning for all.” Although most children around the globe attend school, learning outcomes remain low in many parts of the world. A growing body of research has identified programs that can improve learning, yet interventions that succeed in small, controlled studies often lose effectiveness when implemented at scale and by governments. According to the authors, a major obstacle is that education research rarely measures how faithfully programs are implemented or how widely they are adopted, making it difficult to determine whether poor outcomes result from flaws in the program itself or from shortcomings in its implementation. Here, Angrist et al. call for stronger implementation science in global education, modeled partly on efforts in health care, to close the gap between research discoveries and real-world practice. The authors propose a four-stage framework to turn educational research into effective, equitable practice at scale: efficacy trials, effectiveness trials, policy plans, and large-scale implementation. This approach emphasizes testing whether interventions work across diverse populations and real-world settings, as well as whether they are affordable and sustainable. “We hope the implementation science for global education agenda motivates a shift toward research that informs the decisions and challenges that confront implementers and government decision-makers,” the authors write. “By ensuring that more science makes it into implementation and that more implementation is made scientific, implementation science can support the ultimate goal of all children learning.”

NSF grant awarded to Rice University in order to determine scale of foriegn influence on US research in light of new research security policies. Findings will be used to advocate for sensible and effective policy development.

Fanghui Shi’s faculty career is just beginning, but she’s already been awarded more than $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health. The newly minted health promotion, education, and behavior research assistant professor will use the five-year NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to identify patterns of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which can help researchers predict who is at more risk for HIV infection and who might have difficulty managing the condition. Her team will also develop practical guidelines for healthcare providers.

A new book from a University of Kansas scholar and alum aims to help women anticipate and overcome the challenges present in becoming a school leader. "Leading Without Apology" provides a roadmap to help women advance to roles such as superintendents and budget directors by anticipating challenges and obstacles and building strategies to move into positions they are qualified for without being overcome by doubt or need to apologize for leading.

The National Science Foundation awarded North Carolina State University a five-year, $20 million grant to support research on AI tools that can generate interactive narratives effective at engaging K-12 students and improving learning.