This year, a lot of my reporting focused on the dismantling of federally funded education research and statistics inside the Department of Education. (If you want the full post-mortem, you can read my year-end recap.) But 2025 wasn’t only about watchdog work. Week after week, I also dug into new studies that reveal what is and what isn’t working in American classrooms.
When I look back at the most-read stories, the pattern is unmistakable. You were hungry for clarity on special education, reading instruction, cellphones in schools and, of course, AI. Here are the 10 Proof Points that cut through the noise in 2025.
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1. Top scholar says evidence for special education inclusion is ‘fundamentally flawed’
Analysis of 50 years of research argues that there isn’t strong evidence for the academic advantages of placing children with disabilities in general education classrooms
In this story, I explained how the vast majority of research on inclusion is marred by a methodological problem called “selection bias.” Children with less severe disabilities are more likely to be allowed to remain in the general education classroom and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that their academic outcomes are better than children with more severe disabilities.
The story elicited a torrent of reader comments, both for and against, and was reprinted in publications around the world, including Australia.
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2. Reading comprehension loses out in the classroom
New study says few teachers use methods tested by years of research
School systems around the country are embracing more phonics instruction to help kids learn to read, but helping them understand what they read remains a big nut to crack. This Harvard study, about how little time teachers spend on reading comprehension, struck a chord. So did related columns on debates about what the evidence says for teaching reading comprehension. One of those was about how to teach kids to identify the main idea, and the other was about the importance of building background knowledge.
3. Cellphone bans can help kids learn — but Black students are suspended more as schools make the shift
Analysis of Florida school district after 2023 classroom cellphone restrictions shows reading and math test score gains
This story highlighted a double-edged outcome: slight academic improvements following Florida’s cellphone bans, and a disproportionate rise in suspensions for Black students. The most fascinating part, for me, was learning that student cellphone usage in schools can be tracked through private businesses that collect and analyze cellphone data.
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4. Tutoring was supposed to save American kids after the pandemic. The results? ‘Sobering’
Logistics made it difficult to deliver the amount of tutoring that could produce a real difference
Education research has never produced clearer, more overwhelming evidence for a solution that really moves the needle for students. Yet, tutoring didn’t work as well as hoped. This self-reflective study by tutoring proponents explains what went wrong after tutoring went nationwide in America, and it sheds light on why large-scale educational reform is so challenging.
5. Writing notes instead of typing pits scholars against each other
A widely cited neuroscience study is contested
Sometimes Proof Points answers fundamental questions we all have about how we learn best. Should you whip out a computer or a notebook when taking notes? (Observant Proof Points readers may notice some nepotism in this story. My daughter’s hands and her school work are featured in the photo illustration.)
6. University students offload critical thinking, other hard work to AI
Two studies indicate students are using chatbots in a way that undermines what they learn
Kudus to AI company, Anthropic, for sharing hard truths about how college students are really using AI every day. It’s hard to convince humans to avoid shortcuts when they’re freely available.
7. One state made preschool free. Then dozens of child care centers closed in its largest city
Universal preschool promised equity but benefits went to the wealthy
An important study from California should be a lesson for those who care about public policy. Fix one problem, and you can inadvertently create another.
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8. Why one reading expert says ‘just-right’ books are all wrong
In a new book, researcher Timothy Shanahan argues that giving students easy texts is holding back US reading achievement
A counter-intuitive manifesto argues that tailoring reading instruction for each student can backfire.
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9. 7 insights about chronic absenteeism, a new normal for American schools
Even high-income students are skipping more school, but absenteeism rates are highest among low-income students
Absenteeism is arguably the most important problem in education at the moment. I was surprised to learn that everyone, not just low-achieving or poor students, is skipping a lot more school. Also, I recommend this companion story about solutions that are working.
10. A researcher’s view on using AI to become a better writer
Rethinking praise lavished by chatbots and knowing when to ask ChatGPT for help instead of a handout
All students can use this news on how to make the most of AI. One approach, getting feedback on a rough draft, already has evidence behind it. A second approach, on using AI to create a model essay, is worth testing.
Contact staff writer Jill Barshay at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or barshay@hechingerreport.org.
This story about education research was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up forProof Points and other Hechinger newsletters.
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