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Landmark College Takes Part in Research to improve EF Skills in Math

Landmark College has been named a sub-awardee in a $1.35 million grant from the EF+Math Program to design and develop a learning system that embeds executive function (EF) supports within high-quality math content and instruction.

The proposed three-year project led by CueThink will focus on understanding the science behind how students learn and building the most powerful solution from the evidence base. The resulting CueThinkEF+ product will combine EF scaffolds, metacognitive thinking, problem-solving, social presence and discourse in one package.

According to Dr. Rick Bryck, dean of the School of Education Research and Innovation at Landmark College, data collection in students will include executive function computerized tasks, qualitative and quantitative measures of metacognition, standardized tests of mathematics, and survey data on student math anxiety and evaluations of the CueThinkEF+ platform. Teacher data will include personal math anxiety and math beliefs, and evaluation of the platform.

“CueThinkEF+ has tremendous potential for increasing access to deep learning of math for all students”, says Bryck. “It will achieve this by uniquely combining executive function scaffolds, Universal Design elements, and structured student discourse to foster student metacognitive and problem-solving skills.”

EF skills are critical to engage in rigorous math problem-solving and create a path to student agency and empowerment. CueThink founder and CEO Sheela Sethuraman says Landmark College and other co-investigators were selected with the goal of having CueThinkEF+ being built with an equity focus from the ground up for learners in grades 6-8 who have been traditionally underserved in K-12 schools.

“We are excited to collaborate with so many prolific researchers, practitioners and thought leaders to develop a solution that is centered around equity and student voice,” says Sethuraman. “EF+Math is not just a funder but an active partner in this work and has assembled a remarkable team of advisors to support our efforts. This award is a validation of CueThink’s baseline platform and the potential for it to serve as a vehicle for cutting-edge research.”

For more details about the project, contact [email protected].

ABOUT THE EF + MATH PROGRAM

EF+Math is an ambitious initiative to fund bold approaches through inclusive discovery and development, with the goal of dramatically improving math outcomes for students in grades 3–8. The organization invests in inclusive research and development (R&D) teams to create breakthrough approaches that will tackle long-standing learning challenges. This work is equity focused, research-informed and designed with educators at the center. Visit www.efmathprogram.org for more information.

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