The Hechinger Report is a national nonprofit newsroom that reports on one topic: education. Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get stories like this delivered directly to your inbox.

RAND personalized learning study

As digital devices become more affordable – and prevalent – in classrooms, teachers and parents will hear more about the latest craze: “personalized learning.”

It’s also getting attention in other circles, with multi-million-dollar investments and big-name endorsements of technology that promises to make learning more personal. This raises an important question: Does it work? And the answer to that question does not come easily. But we do have some indications that it’s more than a fad.

A new report from The RAND Corporation suggest that schools that use “personalized learning” have higher rates of student success than those that do not. The long-term study, commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation*, tracked about 11,000 students in 62 public school districts and found students in personalized learning settings “made gains in mathematics and reading over the past two years that were significantly greater than a comparison group made up of similar students selected from comparable schools.”

This brings us to another question: What is personalized learning? As with many emerging terms in education, the definition shape-shifts depending on who is answering that question. And, as you probably know, the editor of The Hechinger Report loathes jargon that serves to confuse the issues. I’ve heard policy wonks say that something isn’t personalized if it’s individualized. Huh? This is the point in the conversation where the average person is hopelessly confused (and bored!).

Sign up for our Blended Learning newsletter



For the purposes of the RAND research, the authors defined personalized learning with these three points: “Systems that deepen and accelerate student learning by tailoring instruction to individuals’ needs, skills and interests; Approaches that offer a variety of learning experiences that prepare students for college and career; Teachers who play an integral role by managing the learning environment, leading instruction and guiding students to take ownership of their learning.”

That last point touches on a subject many parents wonder about: Will my child be taught exclusively by a computer? Will he or she spend the day pointing and clicking on a glowing screen? It is true that some schools have infused classrooms with a lot of computer clicking, but experts say just as many use a more sensible approach with technology. And many people – even advocates for education technology – agree that the human touch in school shouldn’t end. Teachers provide the guidance and emotional intelligence that can’t be replaced by a so-called teaching machine.

The latest RAND report is not the final say, but it gives us an idea of how various groups are trying to quantify how well personalized learning works. And, of course, that matters.

(*The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is among the many donors to The Hechinger Report. If you’re interested in joining our varied group of funders, please consider a donation, here. If you give before Nov. 25 your donation will be doubled.)

You can keep up with developments in blended learning through my weekly Blended Learning Newsletter. To have a free copy delivered to your inbox each Tuesday, sign up here for a free subscription, and invite a friend to subscribe.

And follow @HechingerReport on Twitter. Email blended learning news tips dobo@hechingerreport.org.

The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn't mean it's free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.

Join us today.

Letters to the Editor

At The Hechinger Report, we publish thoughtful letters from readers that contribute to the ongoing discussion about the education topics we cover. Please read our guidelines for more information. We will not consider letters that do not contain a full name and valid email address. You may submit news tips or ideas here without a full name, but not letters.

By submitting your name, you grant us permission to publish it with your letter. We will never publish your email address. You must fill out all fields to submit a letter.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *