Is there research from the past 10 years on the effectiveness of any of the following curricula for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 3 at improving academic outcomes?

Thank you for the question you submitted to our REL Reference Desk regarding curricula improving academic outcomes for students in PreK through third grade. We have prepared the following memo with research references to help answer your question. For each reference, we provide an abstract, excerpt, or summary written by the study’s author or publisher. The references are selected from the most commonly used research resources and may not be comprehensive. References are listed in alphabetical order, not necessarily in order of relevance. Other relevant studies may exist. We have not evaluated the quality of these references, but provide them for your information only.

Research References

1. Barnett, W.S., Jung, K., Yarosz, D.J., Thomas, J., Hornbeck, A., Stechuk, R., & Burns, S. (2008). Educational effects of the Tools of the Mind curriculum: A randomized trial.
   Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23(3), 299-313.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ807583
   From the abstract: “The effectiveness of the Tools of the Mind (Tools) curriculum in improving the education of 3- and 4-year-old children was evaluated by means of a randomized trial. The Tools curriculum, based on the work of Vygotsky, focuses on the development of self-regulation at the same time as teaching literacy and mathematics skills in a way that is socially mediated by peers and teachers and with a focus on play. The control group experienced an established district-created model described as a “balanced literacy curriculum with themes.” Teachers and students were randomly assigned to either treatment or control classrooms. Children (88 Tools and 122 control) were compared on social behavior, language, and literacy growth. The Tools curriculum was found to improve classroom quality and children’s executive function as indicated by lower scores on a problem behavior scale. There were indications that Tools also improved children’s language development, but these effects were smaller and did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance in multi-level models or after adjustments for multiple comparisons. Our findings indicate that a developmentally appropriate curriculum with a strong emphasis on play can enhance learning and development so as to improve both the social and academic success of young children. Moreover, it is suggested that to the extent child care commonly increases behavior problems this outcome may be reversed through the use of more appropriate curricula that actually enhance self-regulation.”
2. Beneke, S., & Ostrosky, M.M. (2015). Effects of the Project Approach on preschools with diverse abilities. Infants and Young Children, 28(4), 355-369.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1074048
   From the abstract: “Mixed methods were used to study the impact of the Project Approach, a curriculum component that can engage and motivate children to participate in learning activities, on the play behaviors and language development of preschoolers. Participants included 4 children with disabilities and 4 children identified as at-risk. Six adults received support to implement the Project Approach. Choice time was videotaped over 14 weeks to assess the impact of the Project Approach on play levels and MLU"m". Results showed that play behavior and language development were positively affected following implementation of the Project Approach. In addition, adults perceived the Project Approach as having a positive impact on children's vocabulary development and play behavior. Limitations and suggestions for research and practice are discussed.”
3. Debs, M.C., & Brown, K.E. (2017). Students of color and public Montessori schools: A review of the literature. Journal of Montessori Research, 3(1), 1-15.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1161350
   From the abstract: “Students of color comprise a majority in public Montessori school enrollments around the United States, and practitioners are often asked for evidence of the Montessori Method's benefits for these students. This article examines the relevant literature related to the experiences of students of color in public Montessori schools. Research finds Montessori education offers both opportunities and limitations for students of color in attending diverse schools, developing executive functions, achieving academically, accessing early childhood education and culturally responsive education, minimizing racially disproportionate discipline, and limiting overidentification for special education. Public Montessori education's efficacy with students of color may be limited by several factors: the lack of diversity of the teaching staff and culturally responsive teacher education, schools that struggle to maintain racially diverse enrollments, and the challenge of communicating Montessori's benefits to families with alternative views of education. The review concludes with directions for future research.”
4. Laski, E.V., Vasilyeva, M., & Schiffman, J. (2016). Longitudinal comparison of placevalue and arithmetic knowledge in Montessori and non-Montessori students. Journal of Montessori Research, 2(1), 1-15.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1161325
   From the abstract: “Understanding of base 10 and place value are important foundational math concepts that are associated with higher use of decomposition strategies and higher accuracy on addition problems (Laski, Ermakova, & Vasilyeva, 2014; Fuson, 1990; Fuson & Briars, 1990; National Research Council, 2001). The current study examined base-10 knowledge, place value, and arithmetic accuracy and strategy use among children in early elementary school from Montessori and non-Montessori schools. Children (N = 150) were initially tested in either kindergarten or first grade. We followed up with a subgroup of the sample (n = 53) two years later, when the children were in second and third grades. Although Montessori curriculum puts a large emphasis on the base-10 structure of number, we found that children from Montessori schools showed an advantage on correct use of base-10 canonical representation in kindergarten but not in first grade. Moreover, no program differences were seen in place-value understanding in second and third grades. Although Montessori children used different strategies to obtain answers to addition problems in second and third grades as compared with nonMontessori children, no program differences in addition accuracy were found at any grade level. Educational implications are discussed.”
5. Lillard, A.S. (2012). Preschool children’s development in classic Montessori, supplemented Montessori, and conventional programs. Journal of School Psychology, 50(3), 379-401.
   http://faculty.virginia.edu/ASLillard/PDFs/Lillard%20(2012).pdf
   From the abstract: “Research on the outcomes of Montessori education is scarce and results are inconsistent. One possible reason for the inconsistency is variations in Montessori implementation fidelity. To test whether outcomes vary according to implementation fidelity, we examined preschool children enrolled in high fidelity classic Montessori programs, lower fidelity Montessori programs that supplemented the program with conventional school activities, and, for comparison, conventional programs. Children were tested at the start and end of the school year on a range of social and academic skills. Although they performed no better in the fall, children in Classic Montessori programs, as compared with children in Supplemented Montessori and Conventional programs, showed significantly greater school-year gains on outcome measures of executive function, reading, math, vocabulary, and social problem-solving, suggesting that high fidelity Montessori implementation is associated with better outcomes than lower fidelity Montessori programs or conventional programs.”
6. Lin, Y. (2015). Using Readers Theater as a facilitator in elementary school English training. Journal of Education and Learning, 4(2), 43-52.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1075166
   From the abstract: “The purpose of the study aimed to investigate the effect of the Readers Theater (RT) training on elementary school students. In particular, changes in the students' English reading comprehension before and after the RT show, comparison of the students' responses to English learning, especially English reading, the students' opinions on the RT activities, and the students' responses to English books were examined and analyzed. Additionally, the students' cooperative learning during the RT training was explored. The subjects of the study were 32 students in the sixth grade of a Taichung elementary school. Thirty-two students participated in RT training for almost forty-four days in order to perform in an RT show. Before the RT training, the subjects were requested to take the standardized English proficiency pretest and pre-study questionnaire. While participating in the RT training, the subjects needed to finish reading the selected English scripts. In the process of reading English scripts, the subjects were engaged in the reader's theater activities, including reading English scripts aloud, performing on the stage, and group work. After the RT training, the subjects were asked to take the standardized English proficiency posttests and post-study questionnaires. Considering the study findings, it was suggested that the teachers were able to utilize the RT activities in instructing students' English reading. With the stimulation of the RT activities, students could be motivated to be engaged in appreciating English books and obtained meaningful experiences from the characters in the plot. In addition, the teachers could foster students' cooperative learning through group work and enhanced the students' interest in learning English.”
7. Schneider, B.H., Manetti, H., Frattini, L., Rania, N., Santo, J.B., Coplan, R.J., & Cwinn, E. (2014). Successful transition to elementary school and the implementation of facilitative practices specified in the Reggio-Emilia philosophy. School Psychology International, 35(5), 447-462.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1038388
   From the abstract: “Systematic, mandated facilitation of school transitions is an important but understudied aspect of the Reggio-Emilia approach to early childhood education admired internationally as best practice. We studied the links between Northern Italian transition practices and academic achievement, school liking, cooperativeness, and problem behaviors. We followed 288 students across a transition from preschool to elementary school. Schools varied in their implementation of transition practices. High implementation of Reggio-type transition practices was related to significantly more school liking and significantly fewer problem behaviors after the transition. At follow-up at the end of the post-transition year, high-implementation schools were still characterized by lower levels of problem behavior. These data indicate that the facilitation of school transitions in the Reggio-Emilia tradition is associated with successful post-transition adjustment.”
8. What Works Clearinghouse. (2008). Tools of the Mind: What Works Clearinghouse intervention report. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED502623
   From the abstract: “Tools of the Mind is an early childhood curriculum for preschool and kindergarten children, based on the ideas of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky. The curriculum is designed to foster children’s executive function, which involves developing self-regulation, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Many activities emphasize both executive functioning and academic skills. One study of Tools of the Mind meets the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. The study included more than 200 three- to four-year-old children attending preschool in a low-income, urban school district. The WWC considers the extent of evidence for Tools of the Mind to be small for oral language, print knowledge, cognition, and math. No studies that meet the WWC evidence standards with or without reservations addressed phonological processing or early reading/writing.”
9. Young, C., Valadez, C., & Gandara, C. (2016). Using performance methods to enhance students’ reading fluency. The Journal of Educational Research, 109(6), 624-630.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1110664
   From the abstract: “The quasi-experimental study examined the effects of pairing Rock and Read with Readers Theater and only Rock and Read on second grade students' reading fluency scores. The 51 subjects were pre- and post-tested on five different reading fluency measures. A series of 3 × 2 repeated measures ANOVAs revealed statistically significant interaction effects on three of the five outcome measures: expression and volume, phrasing, and pace. The analysis of simple effects showed large mean difference effect sizes in both treatments.”

Additional Organizations to Consult

• American Montessori Society (AMS): https://amshq.org/
  From the website: “The American Montessori Society (AMS) is the foremost advocate for quality Montessori education, an innovative, child-centered approach to learning. AMS sets the high professional standards that inform Montessori education as practiced in AMS-accredited schools and taught in AMS-affiliated teacher education programs. A not-for-profit organization based in New York City, with nearly 13,000 members worldwide, AMS is also a hub of all things Montessori: an information center for its members, the media, and the public; a voice in the public policy arena; and a mobilizing force for the global Montessori community, through support services, research, and professional development events.”
• North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA): https://www.reggioalliance.org/
  From the website: “At NAREA, we base our efforts on the fundamental values and principles of the Reggio Emilia approach, and endeavor to offer unique experiences for deepening awareness and supporting ongoing connection among members. We believe, as did Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia municipal education project, that intelligent children deserve intelligent teachers, and through knowing children well, we can learn more about our roles as adults in children’s lives. We envision a world where all children are honored and respected for their potential, capabilities, and humanity.”

Methods:

Search Strings. Reggio Emilia approach student achievement OR Reggio Emilia approach academic outcomes elementary OR Montessori OR Project Approach student achievement elementary OR Tools of the Mind curriculum student academic outcomes OR Readers Theater elementary student achievement OR Games for learning curriculum academic outcomes elementary students

Searched Databases and Resources.

• ERIC
• Academic Databases (e.g., EBSCO databases, JSTOR database, ProQuest, Google
  Scholar)
• Commercial search engines (e.g., Google)
• Institute of Education Sciences Resources

Reference Search and Selection Criteria. The following factors are considered when selecting references:

• Date of Publication: Priority is given to references published in the past 10 years.
• Search Priorities of Reference Sources: ERIC, other academic databases, Institute of Education Sciences Resources, and other resources including general internet searches
• Methodology: Priority is given to the most rigorous study types, such as randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs, as well as to surveys, descriptive analyses, and literature reviews. Other considerations include the target population and sample, including their relevance to the question, generalizability, and general quality.