How to Close Student Achievement Gaps

In almost every school I've ever visited, the issue isn't the teachers. It's not the leaders. And it's definitely not the kids. But here's the reality in too many schools: inconsistent instruction, stagnant student achievement, frustrated teachers, and overwhelmed leaders. That story was no different in a network of 7 schools we've been working with this year. But it's not the story now. Let me share what we did, not because I think it's magic, but because I think anyone can do it. Here's what we did: 1. Defined the vision for every block of the day: We mapped out what excellence looked like in every key instructional block: - What should an effective reading lesson look like? - What are non-negotiables in math instruction? - How do we leverage history to build background knowledge? - How does science become high rigor and high engagement? - What does student engagement actually look like, sound like, and feel like when we walk into any space in the school? That level of clarity removed guesswork for teachers and gave leaders a shared framework for observations. 2. Every teacher was coached, every week. - Short, focused observations (15-20 minutes, not full-period evaluations) - Immediate, actionable feedback on one key lever, not a laundry list of suggestions - Weekly one-on-one coaching meetings held sacred 3. Set weekly goals to measure progress: Instead of waiting for benchmark assessments, we built simple, weekly indicators of progress: - Are students engaged in learning in every block of the day? - Are students getting plenty of time to independently practice? - Are math exit tickets showing mastery of the lesson objective? - Are teachers implementing feedback from the last coaching session? Small wins led to big momentum. A narrow focus helped teachers and leaders stop feeling like they were doing the most and not seeing any progress. 4. Action planning based on data: No more “data meetings” that were just numbers on a slide. - We reviewed student work together, identified breakdowns, and built immediate next steps. - Teachers left each meeting with a plan they could apply the next day, not vague goals for next quarter. The results: Student proficiency increased by double digits in both reading and math benchmarks within one year. Teachers felt more supported and reported higher confidence in their instruction. Leaders shifted from putting out fires to proactively coaching and driving instructional improvement. If your school or network is struggling with initiative overload, the answer isn’t more programs. It’s more clarity. And the discipline to do some simple things really, really well.

The IEP Was the Key: How We Moved from a F to a B in One Year As the principal of a struggling school, I realized we couldn’t talk about schoolwide progress until we got honest about one thing: we were ignoring the students whose scores counted the most—those with IEPs. So, I called a meeting with my Assistant Principal and our Special Education (SPED) team. We laid the data bare. There were students in SPED who, if given direct access to grade-level instruction—with scaffolds and support—could rise. And they did. We launched a bold shift: ✅ Integrated instruction: SPED students were moved into classrooms where they learned with their grade-level peers, not isolated from them. Instructional assistants helped bridge the learning gaps. ✅ Teacher training: Many of our SPED teachers had never taken a formal reading course in college. We fixed that. ✅ IEP accountability: Some students’ IEPs hadn’t been updated since entry into the program. We worked with parents—many of them single mothers—to revise those plans with high expectations and real opportunity. ✅ Dual teaching: We taught between the gaps, aligning cognitive growth with grade-level standards. And the result? We moved from a F school to a B school in just one year. This wasn’t a miracle. It was a mindset. A refusal to let the label limit the learner. It proved what we’ve always known deep down: All students are capable of the 95%. They just need the 100% from us.

For decades, we've sorted kids into neat little boxes—A, B, C—letting labels define their potential and future. But what if I told you there's no such thing as a "C student"? There are only students with knowledge gaps—and the right technology can close them. Picture this: Two 5th graders tackle fraction division. - Olivia masters it effortlessly, scoring an A - Leo struggles, earning a C What happens next is where our system fundamentally fails. Class marches on while Leo—carrying critical knowledge gaps—falls further behind until he eventually says "I'm just not a math person." Think about that child labeled as "struggling." What if they just needed: • A concept explained differently • Time to recover missed material when sick • Simply more time with the lesson Data tells us that performance on 3rd-grade tests strongly predicts academic outcomes in 10th grade. Students struggling with reading in 3rd grade are 4x less likely to graduate on time—1 in 6 never complete high school. We're essentially determining children's educational destiny before they lose all their baby teeth. Miss a foundation piece, and everything above becomes unstable. This is why so many students decide: "Math isn't for me" "I can't do science" "Maybe college isn't my path" Self-limiting beliefs close doors to university opportunities, scholarships, and future career paths. But it doesn't have to be this way. Stop accepting the myth of "average students." AI-powered educational technology is the great academic equalizer: • Identify knowledge gaps • Develop personalized learning paths • Make learning engaging through personalization • Adjust teaching in real-time based on performance Ready to revolutionize learning outcomes? 1. Embrace the AI paradigm shift. Stanford University research confirms AI chatbots haven't increased student cheating rates. Instead of fearing misuse, imagine students "chatting" with historical figures or receiving bite-sized, gamified lessons instead of slogging through dense textbooks. 2. Become a discerning edtech evaluator. Seek platforms that deliver personalized tutoring, interactive mastery exercises, and data-driven insights that guide intervention. 3. Leverage AI as your educational partner. The path forward combines cutting-edge technology with human guidance—setting ambitious goals, tracking metrics, and fueling motivation. 4. Stay ahead of the curve. The tool that will revolutionize your students' outcomes might be launching tomorrow. Here's what I know to be true: Your child isn't defined by their current grades. They simply need the right tools to fill their knowledge gaps. Every student can excel when given the proper support. The traditional notion of A, B, or C students belongs in education's past. Let's reframe the "C student" as what they really are: a learner who just hasn't mastered the material *yet*. With the right technology and mindset, today's struggling students could become tomorrow's innovators.

Achievement not where you want it? Most leaders respond with more change and more programs. We've got to change the curriculum, add a tier 2 intervention block, remix the schedule for flexible intervention groups, ensure objectives are posted each day, really double-check this year that the best work board is A+ each month. My experience is that all of that is just "noise" that gets in the way of the core. I wouldn't add or change anything about staffing, curriculum, or schedule until the following are true: - Teachers understand how the curriculum is structured for daily instruction ... and what the most important parts of each lesson are. (Hint: In reading, it's the part where you actually read and annotate and then answer rigorous questions about the text. In math, it's the part where you practice problems with teacher feedback.) - Teachers know the critical time stamps for each part of a lesson (e.g., the do now should be done by minute 4, there should be at least 15 minutes for independent practice before the exit ticket) - Teachers take the unit assessment before each unit and discuss what will be challenging for students and what are the most important standards, helping them identify the power lessons of the unit. - Teachers consistently intellectually prepare (IP) for lessons -- doing ALL the student work, identifying the 2-3 meatiest portions, creating criteria for success for these meaty portions, and pre-planning responses to misconceptions. And they teach with this IP in hand. - Leaders share a clear vision of great teaching that includes classroom environment, rigor, feedback, and thinking. - Leaders set aside two hours/week to review and give feedback on intellectual preparation to ensure excellence - Leaders book one hour/day for real-time coaching of all teachers in their portfolio, supporting them in real time to - Leaders lead a one-on-one, practice-based coaching session for all teachers in their portfolio based that focuses on one action step - Leaders lead a staff-wide, practice-based PD each week that centers in on one action step of great teaching Leaders have a choice this summer. They can continue tinkering with the doom loop of low achievement, hoping that this new program or initiative will finally make the difference. Or they can double-down on the clear, simple, effective strategies that great schools use to rapidly improve teacher practice in service of student achievement.

What if a simple phone call could revolutionize education for thousands of students? In Latin America and the Caribbean, the COVID-19 crisis led to the world's longest school closures: 237 days of closure 165 million students were affected. This not only widened existing educational gaps but also increased school dropout rates, especially among low-income students struggling with digital access. The key challenge became: Reducing the educational gap Keeping children in school Improving personalized learning Faced with this enormous challenge, agile, scalable, and efficient solutions were needed. The answer came through something as simple as a phone call. The IDB funded six remote tutoring pilot programs in Argentina, Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Here's how it worked: Focus: Transition between primary and secondary education, a critical point where many students leave the system Target: Most vulnerable areas with poor connectivity Method: Weekly math tutoring for eight weeks via phone calls and SMS Results: Over 3,000 students benefited. More than 300 tutors were involved. Students accelerated their learning by up to 50%. Provided socio-emotional support, motivating improved performance and continued studies. The initiative plans to: In Paraguay and mathematics: - Goal to reach 10,000 students - Targeting over 200 public schools - Covering 15 departments and Asunción  Expand to other countries in the region (Uruguay, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Brazil) Incorporate more subjects. This innovative approach shows that sometimes, the most effective solutions can be surprisingly simple. By leveraging widely available technology like phone calls and SMS, we can bridge educational gaps and provide crucial support to students in need. We firmly believe in the large-scale adoption of this innovative approach. #education #innovation #socialdevelopment #edtech Pablo Zoido Mercedes Mateo Diaz