Fall 2026 Newsletter

We are excited to announce next year’s registration has begun for READS for Summer Learning — a flexible evidence-based summer reading program! READS is available to districts and non-profits for $99 per student.

Spots are limited! Register your interest and a READS Lab staff member will reach out with more information.

Learn more about READS for Summer Learning and explore the FAQs.

We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Denver Public Schools! As part of our Education Innovation and Research grant, Denver will be part of our second cohort implementing MORE and testing its scaling strategies. Denver will also be the pioneers in implementing MORE (MÁS) in Spanish.

District leaders, principals, and teacher innovators gathered in Cambridge this summer to learn about the why, what, and how behind MORE and kick off the school year. We are so excited to be working with such an amazing group of educators!

READS Lab is excited to share that we have been selected as part of the LEVI Literacy cohort! Through Renaissance Philanthropy’s Learning Engineering Virtual Institute (LEVI), we’ll work alongside three other teams toward the moonshot goal of halving the number of struggling K–2 readers.

We will be testing a new model of MORE — MORE TEAMS — which pairs our rigorous MORE research with tier 2 instruction and AI-powered platforms that provide coaches and teachers targeted professional learning and automated feedback based upon classroom discussions. We’re honored to contribute our expertise and look forward to collaborating with researchers, educators, and innovators to improve literacy outcomes for young learners.

In our latest paper, READS Lab’s Ethan Scherer and Jimmy Kim analyze more than 10,000 students using the MORE web app that complements and reinforces grade-level vocabulary introduced during whole-group lessons. Students who engaged in activities for 60+ minutes per year improved on end-of-year standardized word recognition assessments.

The field debates whether “screens” are beneficial or harmful. But, based upon our results, we conclude that policymakers and practitioners need to be asking: Where does educational software excel and how can we better allocate instructional time across teacher-led and technology-supported activities to maximize learning?

Read the two-page research brief (PDF) · Read the full paper (PDF)

READS Lab principal investigator James Kim and Center for Education Policy colleagues Tom Kane and Heather Hill were part of a group of experts consulted by the New York Times to share what might help the decade-long slump of math and reading scores. NYT analyzed ideas based on their effectiveness and cost. Implementing reforms and professional learning based upon the science of reading research was rated collectively by the group as both highly effective and relatively low cost.

Read the full New York Times article.

READS Lab is thrilled to share Dr. Mosher has accepted a new position as Assistant Professor in Literacy and Education at Columbia University Teachers College! The lab will deeply miss seeing him in the office every day. Dr. Mosher started at the lab in 2018 as one of Dr. James Kim’s Ph.D. advisees and continued with the lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow upon completion of his degree.

Dr. Mosher has been an integral part of our teacher-language research and assessment design. Although he will not be working with us full-time, Dr. Mosher will continue with the lab as affiliated faculty and remain involved with our research. We wish you nothing but the best, Doug!

Keep an eye on our website and LinkedIn for more information about purchasing MORE for the 2027–2028 school year.

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