Anna Hart Erickson is a senior project manager for the Youth Policy Lab, focusing on education and early childhood research. Prior to joining the Lab, Anna taught high school social studies and was an account manager for a marketing firm. She holds a...
Deb has a BS in Computer Science from MSU and a MA in Education Studies from UM with certification in secondary education math. She has an interest in work that improves the educational experience of young people, particularly in middle school math. ...
Math education across the country is in urgent need of redesign, and recent NAEP scores confirm there is no time to waste, with students showing the largest decline in math scores for 4th and 8th graders since 1990. Recent findings from the EdWeek Re...
NEW YORK, NY- Chancellor David C. Banks today announced that 20 Community Schools have been selected to participate in the Next Generation Community Schools (NGCS) pilot program. The K-8 pilot program is supported through the Robin Hood Foundation in...
TAYLOR—While groups of first graders work in clusters at pods around the classroom, four children face their teacher at a U-shaped desk, backs straight and eyes alert as she deals cards to each of them.
They're playing "Chocolate Chip Count," a ...
Immediate academic gains from early-childhood programs often fade as children move into upper elementary school. But a new study suggests math supports in the earliest grades may build on each other over years to create longer-term benefits in math a...
We describe the findings from a randomized evaluation of a one-year kindergarten math enrichment program, the High 5s program. The program was designed to provide small-group math enrichment in a fun, club-like format to children who had received enr...
High 5s is a kindergarten small-group math enrichment program, developed at the University of Michigan with the help of MDRC and leading early childhood math experts Doug Clements and Julie Sarama.. A rigorous evaluation of the out-of-classroom model showed positive impacts of the program on student outcomes, and feasibility research of the in-classroom model suggests that it can be implemented in a variety of settings and is well-received by school staff. The kindergarten program is available for district use now. The team is looking for opportunities to extend the curriculum to include grade...
YPL concluded a two and a half year project with the New York City Public Schools Next Generation Community Schools (NGCS) pilot in June 2025. In partnership with Bank Street College of Education, YPL supported the implementation of High 5s, a game-b...
Working closely with teachers and schools in Taylor, MI, and New York City, NY, High 5s, a math enrichment program developed at the U-M Youth Policy Lab, is hoping to close the achievement gap between low-income children and their peers. The program ...
