What Works Clearinghouse Confirms Pathway Project Report

Publication: Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse
Date: August 27, 2012

Summary: The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), was created be a central source of scientific evidence for what works in education. The study "found, and the WWC confirmed, a statistically significant positive effect of the Pathway Project intervention on student outcomes in the spring of the implementation year in the English language development domain." The Pathway Project study was conducted by UC Irvine Writing Project Director Carol Booth Olson, Robert Land, and others.

Excerpt from Article

The Pathway Project is a professional development intervention that trains teachers to enhance the reading and writing abilities of mainstreamed English Language Learners (ELLs). This study examined the impact of the Pathway Project intervention on students who were mainstreamed Latino ELLs. . . .

The study found, and the WWC confirmed, a statistically significant positive effect of the Pathway Project intervention on student outcomes in the spring of the implementation year in the English language development domain.

The average effect size calculated by the WWC for the English language development domain was 0.22.

The study did not find a statistically significant or substantively important effect in the reading domain.

Citation
Kim, J. S., Olson, C. B., Scarcella, R., Kramer, J., Pearson, M., van Dyk, D., . . . Land, R. E. (2011). A randomized experiment of a cognitive strategies approach to text-based analytical writing for mainstreamed Latino English language learners in grades 6 to 12. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 4 (3), 231–263.

Read the Full Report

Read "WWC Review of the Report 'A Randomized Experiment of a Cognitive Strategies Approach to Text-Based Analytical Writing for Mainstreamed Latino English Language Learners in Grades 6 to 12'" from the Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse website.