New National Study Uncovers Proven Pathways to Accelerating Student Learning

CHICAGO, Nov. 19, 2025 — Leading Educators today released Scaling What Works: Proven Pathways to Results That Matter, one of the most comprehensive analyses to date on how professional learning systems improve student outcomes at scale.

The report examines 42 professional learning programs across U.S. school systems between 2015 and 2024, revealing that when professional learning is coherent, sustained, and connected across roles, student achievement improves dramatically — outpacing results for similar schools even in challenging contexts.

Twenty-one cases demonstrated positive student impact that meets ESSA Tier 3 evidence standards or above, and on average, improved systems achieved the equivalent of nine months of additional learning.

Among the study’s key findings:

• Supported schools improved 8–34% in math and 12–18% in English language arts, outpacing growth in comparable schools after implementing systemic supports for teachers that focused on using high-quality curricula and strengthening content pedagogy.
• Three factors were present in every high-impact partnership: leaders learning alongside teachers, sustained coaching, and ongoing professional learning focused on practicing subject-specific pedagogy and curriculum-based instructional routines.
• Impact was achieved at relatively low cost, ranging from $10 to $300 per student per year.

These findings offer a hopeful direction for school system leaders who anticipate making difficult decisions about where to invest as budgets tighten in upcoming school years and as shifts in the world raise questions about how teaching and learning need to evolve.

Improvement isn’t an accident—it’s a design choice,” said Chong-Hao Fu, CEO of Leading Educators. “This research gives school systems and funders the evidence they need to invest in what works — coherent, high-quality professional learning that supports great teaching every day.”

The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Passau, ETS Research Institute, and Civilytics Consulting, with support from the Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL) at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University. RPPL, of which Leading Educators is a founding member, aims to bring together the teacher professional learning field to study the practices that support student success across various contexts. This research adds to a growing body of evidence focused on design features, measurement tools, and practical examples.

Leading Educators has contributed one of the most thoughtful and critical analyses of professional learning design features we’ve seen in recent years,” said Dr. Stacey Alicea, Executive Director of RPPL. “Their findings advance our shared goal: building a stronger evidence base for what truly helps teachers and students thrive, while simultaneously providing the type of learning that fuels RPPL’s research agenda. We’re grateful to have partnered with their team on this effort and excited to see these insights inform the broader education ecosystem.”

In addition to research findings, Scaling What Works highlights practical system design practices—such as strategic advising, coaching, and learning walks—that help leaders align vision, curriculum, and professional learning for sustained improvement.

Scaling What Works is available at www.leadingeducators.org/resource/scaling-what-works. Additional resources and technical details are available upon request.

About Leading Educators

Leading Educators partners with school systems to help educators and leaders unlock the power of high-quality, future-ready teaching for every student. Founded in 2011, the organization has supported over 50 systems and 1.5 million students nationwide through long-term partnerships that strengthen teaching, instructional leadership, and learning innovation.

To learn more about partnership opportunities or support their work, visit leadingeducators.org/get-support. 

Media Contact:
Adan Garcia
Senior Director of Communications, Leading Educators
[email protected]