Learning by Scientific Design Network

The Learning by Scientific Design Network is a group of 14 educator-preparation programs and their school district partners redesigning preparation coursework and clinical experiences around our best scientific understanding of how students learn. Together, they’re working to ensure aspiring and novice teachers understand the basic principles of cognitive science and know how to apply these principles during instructional decision-making.

Logos of all programs and districts involved in this network

What is learning science and why does it matter in teaching practice?

All educators enter the classroom with beliefs about how students learn based on their own experiences and learning. These beliefs may be aligned to some research but too often, we have misconceptions about the mind and learning that ultimately lead to less effective teaching.

Even when it comes from good intentions, less effective teaching harms our vulnerable students most – students of color, students with learning disabilities, multilingual learners, and students with unfinished learning. Understanding how the mind works is a critical tool for disrupting inequities and providing every student with the high quality, research-aligned instruction they deserve.

By supporting educator-preparation programs and partnering schools to ground instruction in a scientific understanding of how students learn, we ensure that every aspiring and novice teacher receives the tools and knowledge to engage all students in rigorous, affirming learning experiences.

A teacher standing in front of a group of young students sitting on a colorful mat

What We Do

Since 2019, we’ve supported teacher-educators in teacher-preparation programs and K-12 school districts through LbSD in the following ways:

Providing professional development and instructional resources to support both teacher-educators and aspiring teachers to learn the why, what, and how of teacher actions grounded in learning science principles
Providing coaching and support to teacher-educators to redesign courses and collect, analyze, and use data to continuously improve them
Fostering a community of practice, through in-person and virtual gatherings, that brings together programs and districts from across the network to learn best practices, collaborate on addressing challenges, and keep up-to-date on the latest learning science research

Our approach is grounded in the science of learning. Download the report

Our Impact

14 educator-preparation programs across 3 cohorts of LbSD

8400 teacher-candidates served annually

16000 K-12 students impacted

See our impact data, anecdotes, insights, and more from the first two cohorts of LbSD:

Learning by Scientific Design

Science of Learning, Data and Assessments

Learning by Scientific Design

Dive into results in a first-of-its-kind formative assessment given to 1000+ future teachers & teacher-educators on using & applying learning science.

View Resource

Closing the Loop

Science of Learning, Data and Assessments, High-Quality Instructional Materials

Closing the Loop

This report shows how we are closing the loop between learning and practice from the second cohort of our Learning by Scientific Design Network.

View Resource

“It is so important to use research-based practices in your teaching. Learning science is a proven, effective method for students to have deeper understanding and more long-term memory. It really is the road to equitable education for all of your students. By encouraging them to think deeply in the early years, you set the foundation for all future learning.”

-Roxanne Biedermann, Teacher and Graduate, Temple University

“This work is connected to a social justice effort. The quality of your teacher should not be considered a privilege. Focusing on deepening meaning and learning gives us all the tools to develop our teachers so that all students have a quality teacher who can prepare them to think critically about the content that they’re learning.”

-Chanua Ross, Director of Program Operations, Department of Professional Learning & Innovation, University of Missouri - St. Louis

“Deans for Impact has transformed how we approach course design. Not only does our coursework focus on teaching learning science principles; we now also design our courses with learning science principles in mind so we can prompt our practitioners to effortfully think and ensure learning sticks.”

-Adam Gordon, Former Director of Training and Instruction, Louisiana Resource Center for Educators