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Perspectives: Generative Artificial Intelligence May Help Teachers. Does It Work for Students?

Teachers and students are increasingly experimenting with generative AI tools, both in and out of the classroom. But, rapid changes in technology and the speed of adoption are far outpacing the field’s understanding of impacts on teaching and learning. Meghan McCormick examines what we know about the impact of genAI on education, calling for rigorous, evidence-based evaluation of what’s being used in schools.

Spotlight On Evidence: Investing in Family Engagement Programs That Work

As schools face increased student disengagement and uneven academic recovery, there’s a critical need to identify effective approaches to strengthen family-school partnerships—starting with investments in evidence-based solutions. Meghan McCormick details the evidence base guiding our Foundation's decision-making for investments in this space.

Perspectives: Latest Debate on Pre-K Ignores the Impact of High-Quality Curricula and Aligned PD

Decades of research have demonstrated the positive impact of Pre-K, yet critics argue that much of this evidence is old and that the impacts of modern-day programs are smaller and unlikely to be sustained—ignoring the research we do have on what works to strengthen Pre-K quality. Meghan McCormick dives into the current body of evidence, urging states and districts to follow the research when investing in early childhood education.

An Update to Our Foundation’s Research Strategy

We’re refreshing our Foundation's research strategy informed by what we’re seeing across the education landscape and hearing from our grantee partners. Here, we highlight our vision for investing in evidence-building, with insight into the types of research grants we seek to fund in 2024, as well as the substantive areas we’re eager to learn more about.

2023 Bright Spots: Unlocking Evidence

Here, we highlight stories of how our funding helped FIRST, LENA, New Jersey Tutoring Corps, and OnYourMark unlock evidence to advance field knowledge or validate program models.

2023 End-of-Year Research Update

We are committed to promoting transparent research practices by lifting up timely findings. Here, we share the results of 15 grantee research efforts that concluded at the end of this year.

Students work on computers with teacher support

When It Comes To Purchasing EdTech Solutions, Evidence-Based Decision-Making Is More Important Than Ever

In today’s K-12 education market, there is strong demand for technology-fueled solutions to close achievement gaps, but little to no guidance for educators on making decisions based on evidence of impact. Melanie Dukes and Lina Eroh outline the critical role philanthropy can play in strengthening evidence-based decision-making for edtech solutions, ultimately leading to better student outcomes.

Teacher stands in classroom with students raising their hands

Q2 2023 Research Update

Overdeck Family Foundation is committed to promoting transparent research practices by lifting up timely findings. Here we share the results of three grantee research studies that concluded in or prior to the second quarter of this year.