Colleagues and friends,

As part of our Exponential Learning Initiative, The Learning Accelerator (TLA) team is working to quickly identify and share lessons from across our network of partners. I’m excited to share our new brief, developed with our research partners at Mathematica, which offers early insights from implementations of our Accelerating Adoption Network across 30+ states.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, our findings reinforce well-established lessons from research on effective edtech and instructional innovation: success depends on strong implementation. Sustained support, alignment with local priorities, and embedded professional learning — not one-off rollouts — remain critical.

At the same time, what stands out in this moment is how early implementations are succeeding despite stretched capacity and competing priorities. Making explicit connections to visible priorities and gnarly problems is a key lever. For example, Coursemojo’s AI-powered platform gives middle schoolers real-time feedback on core ELA assignments, closing the gap between curriculum goals and what teachers can realistically support. Success also hinges on finding the right change agents. At Rock by Rock, implementation has scaled rapidly in microschools by tapping deeply into educator networks. Across grantees like ASU Prep, which is seeking to use AI to boost Algebra proficiency, progress has depended on early planning around tech infrastructure and hands-on support for setup.

For those leading or supporting instructional transformation, this paper offers some concrete takeaways for driving forward amidst what can charitably be called a moment of continued disruption and distraction. It’s never felt more important to bring new resources to tackle persistent challenges and get local implementations right.

In partnership and curiosity,

Beth Rabbitt, Chief Executive Officer (she/her)

TLA Resources

NEW Brief: Innovative Approaches to Learning Acceleration Within the Core of K-12 Instruction

Cover of a report titled "Innovative Approaches to Learning Acceleration Within the Core of K-12 Instruction: Initial Observations About Scaling and Implementation." The design features a blue background, the Mathematica and The Learning Accelerator logos, and images of a student holding a small globe.

How can school system, technology, and research partners understand and scale technology-enabled, evidence-based innovations to help close learning gaps? Members of our Accelerating Adoption Network are paving the way with inspiring, gap-closing solutions and are the subject of our latest brief, which focuses on 10 technology-enabled innovations designed to accelerate student learning from within the core of instruction.

Our evaluation partner Mathematica identified critical factors for successful scaling and implementation based on lessons learned from building system partnerships and early implementation:

Understand system needs and highlight how the innovation is positioned to address them
Build trust with stakeholders and align with existing systems
Identify and engage aligned potential partners through strategic recruitment and outreach strategies
Support implementation through change agents
Offer ongoing training to meet teacher implementation needs
Sustain investment through proactive relationships
Anticipate and plan for technology integration issues and collaborate to find solutions

Read the Summary

Read the Full Brief

Promising Practices From the School Teams AI Collaborative

We’re proudly sharing new resources to integrate AI into classroom instruction. Curated by The Learning Accelerator and Leading Educators, these insights, gathered from educators and leaders across the country, highlight innovative approaches and practical tools to enhance student-centered learning and transform teaching.

Explore strategies like:

🤖 Chatbots for Civics Projects – Students create AI chatbots to tackle community challenges

📝 AI-Powered Feedback – Teachers use Claude to generate personalized writing feedback

🚦 The Stoplight Framework – Protocol to help students gauge when AI is appropriate in their work

🔗 Access the strategies here.

Upcoming Opportunities

Impacts of Executive Orders: Short Survey

Education and nonprofit leaders nationwide face urgent and complex challenges navigating a shifting and fragmented political, legal, support and funding landscape. Our partners at Catalyst:Ed have created a 5-minute survey to help sector intermediaries and funders gain a deeper understanding of the needs that exist and where their support and investments will provide the most impact. The survey will close on Friday, April 4th.

Link to survey here.

School Wellbeing Program Grant

GiveThx’s partner organizations will fully fund 100 schools or districts to use the GiveThx School Wellbeing Program during the 2025-26 school year. Selected schools will commit just 5 minutes per week for staff and 15 minutes per week for students to engage in these practices, with ongoing support and training from GiveThx.

Interested? Apply today to be one of the 100 schools selected for this program here.

TLA Webinars

ICYMI Tech Meets Text: Accelerating the Science of Reading Adoption with EdTech

Cover image titled: "Tech Meets Text: Accelerating the Science of Reading Adoption with EdTech."

TLA Partner Megan Benay was joined by colleagues from Coursemojo, Magpie Literacy, Rock by Rock, and the Teaching Lab for a lively discussion on how technology can support the Science of Reading adoption in elementary and middle school classrooms.

We covered:

✅ Barriers to Science of Reading adoption

✅ How edtech tools can embed evidence-based strategies

✅ Personalization with tech for larger classrooms

✅ Advice for educators and school/system leaders looking to integrate technology with the Science of Reading

Watch the recording.