The iZone is committed to learning from and contributing to the knowledge base around what innovations increase student achievement.  The iZone partners with leading experts to conduct independent evaluations of iZone innovations and to guide the iZone's research agenda.

Research in the iZone

iZone research and evaluation efforts are helping schools evaluate their work through a series of questions, such as:

• What innovative strategies are being implemented in iZone schools? And which lead to the greatest gains in student achievement?
• What are the long-term benefits for iZone students in areas such as student engagement and motivation, on track for graduation, attending college, and performance on state tests?
• How does the iZone impact teachers?

Research Partners

The iZone is partnering with some of the country's leading research organizations to ensure rigorous evaluations. 

• Harvard EdLabs, led by Roland Fryer, is conducting a rigorous, two-year evaluation of the Personalized Learning Systems programs in 30 elementary schools.
• Research Alliance for New York City Schools at New York University is overseeing the evaluation of the i3 development project: InnovateNYC: An Innovation Ecosystem for Urban School Districts, studying the implementation and impact of the initiative over three years.
• Columbia University is conducting an evaluation of School of One, funded by an i3 development grant, tracking program implementation and the impact of School of One on student outcomes.
• The iZone Research Advisory Council, an independent expert advisory board, suggests research and evaluation designs to the iZone, reviews outcomes and findings and informs iZone plans with insights from national and international research on personalizing learning. The iZone RAC consists of members from the Center for Education Policy Research, SRI International Center for Technology in Learning, Teachers College, Center on Reinventing Public Education, Center for Technology and School Change, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, State and District Services of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), Stupski Foundation and the iZone Research team.
  

Featured Publication
		Preliminary Evidence on InnovateNYC's Personalized Learning Systems InnovateNYC, an iZone initiative, is conducting a pilot of three Personalized Learning Systems (PLS) at 30 elementary schools across New York City. All three systems assess each student's abilities at the start of a unit and chart their progress in real-time, allowing teachers to provide targeted support and appropriate content as needed.  Metis Associates, an independent research and evaluation firm, conducted a qualitative evaluation of the first year (school year 2010-2011) of the two-year PLS pilot. This report showed the PLS program improved teachers’ ability to identify and meet the needs of every student in their classroom.  Read more on this innovation and hear from an InnovateNYC principal here.