Research and evidence
How to read claims about what works, and where the real disagreements sit. Here you'll find articles, research and podcast episodes on reading education research well, effect sizes, common myths such as learning styles, and the debates still going.
Practices in this area:Reading effect sizesStudy designCommon mythsLive debatesTechnology and AI
Explainer
Centre for Educational Neuroscience · 8:12 · UK
A short video from the Centre for Educational Neuroscience on facts and myths about dyscalculia. A sensible first watch before a staff discussion.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Daisy Christodoulou · About 1 hour · 2026 · UK
Daisy Christodoulou reviews what research shows about AI marking and feedback on student writing, drawing on No More Marking trials, and what assessment may need to change.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Benjamin Riley · About 1 hour · 2025 · USA
Benjamin Riley tells the story of how cognitive science emerged from the mid-century contest between behaviourism and mentalism, and argues it still matters for teaching today.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Alice Westera and Lisa Brodbeck · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · Australia
Alice Westera and Lisa Brodbeck introduce Engelmann's Direct Instruction, including Project Follow Through, the philosophy behind it and the teaching design shared by all DI programs.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Nathaniel Hansford · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · Canada
Nathaniel Hansford compares discovery, inquiry and explicit approaches in maths, reviews meta-analysis evidence and addresses common myths about conceptual knowledge, procedures and productive struggle.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Clarence Green and Iain Giblin · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · Australia
Clarence Green and Iain Giblin report a systematic review of genre theory and SFL-based literacy teaching, finding too little rigorous evidence to judge its effect on reading and writing.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Talk
Mornington Peninsula Foundation, with Pamela Snow · 2025 · Australia
Pamela Snow's 2025 La Trobe Oration asks why reading instruction is still contested after decades of research, what has slowed research reaching classrooms, and what needs to change in teacher education.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Interview
Speaking of Psychology (American Psychological Association), with Tim Odegard · About 35 minutes · USA
The American Psychological Association's podcast Speaking of Psychology talks with researcher Tim Odegard about myths, misconceptions and facts about dyslexia. This is the video recording of the episode.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Talk
A Learner's Toolkit, with Tanya Serry · About 1 hour 5 minutes · 2025 · Australia
Professor Tanya Serry's keynote at researchED Brisbane in 2025, titled A matter of translation and shared on the A Learner's Toolkit channel.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Talk
Five from Five, with Jennifer Buckingham · 42 minutes · 2022 · Australia
A presentation for Learning Difficulties Australia on how far Australian reading instruction has come and what still needs to change.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Explainer
Five from Five · 1:38 · Australia
A short animation explaining why guessing words from pictures and context is not an effective way to teach reading. Handy for a staff or parent conversation.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Reading science and classroom practice
Emily Hanford, APM Reports · Audio documentary and article · 2018 · USA
Emily Hanford's documentary on what research shows about how children learn to read, why many educators do not know that science, and how one Pennsylvania district set about changing its teaching.
FreeOpens at apmreports.org
Education Research Reading Room · with Adrian Simpson
Adrian Simpson critiques the use of meta-analysis and effect sizes to rank teaching strategies, questioning an approach that has shaped policy in Australia and the UK.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Education Research Reading Room · with John Hattie
John Hattie responds to Adrian Simpson's critique in the previous episode and defends meta-analysis as a way of identifying what works in teaching.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Dyslexia
Knowledge for Teachers · with Veronica Alexander
Veronica Alexander, CEO of SPELD NSW, addresses five persistent myths about dyslexia and explains the design of the SPELL systematic spelling program.
FreeOpens at knowledgeforteachers.podbean.com
Education Research Reading Room · with Daniel Willingham
Daniel Willingham discusses When Can You Trust the Experts? and offers ways for teachers to judge education research and separate sound claims from weak ones.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Chalk & Talk
In a solo episode, Anna Stokke examines five common beliefs about maths teaching that sound convincing but are not supported by high-quality evidence.
FreeOpens at chalkandtalkpodcast.podbean.com
Education Research Reading Room · with Josh Cuevas
Josh Cuevas examines whether learning styles exist and matter, then discusses dual coding and whether independent silent reading helps or hinders literacy gains.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Reading science and classroom practice
Emily Hanford, APM Reports · Podcast series · USA
Emily Hanford's investigative podcast on how children learn to read and why the research often does not reach classrooms. A second season looks beyond reading to teaching itself.
FreeOpens at features.apmreports.org
Education Research Reading Room · with Benjamin Riley
Benjamin Riley, founder of Cognitive Resonance and formerly of Deans for Impact, discusses human cognition, generative AI and the risks of AI in education.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Greg Ashman (Filling the Pail) · Substack · 2024 · Australia
Written as Australian governments fund evidence-informed reform, Ashman sets out a working definition of explicit teaching, how it works within a lesson and across a sequence, and which versions the evidence supports.
FreeOpens at fillingthepail.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Monthly research round-up · 2026 · UK
Opens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Paul Kirschner · Substack · 2026 · International
Kirschner outlines ten classroom practices that look effective but are not, such as busy engagement and motivation first, and explains what the research suggests teachers do instead.
FreeOpens at paulkirschner173727.substack.com
Daniel Willingham · Substack · 2025 · USA
Willingham explains why the term science of reading is used loosely, separating what basic research shows about reading from claims about classroom practice.
FreeOpens at dtwuva.substack.com
Haili Hughes · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Hughes questions how Universal Design for Learning is presented to teachers, raising concerns about workload, unlimited student choice and drift towards learning-styles thinking.
FreeOpens at hailihughes.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Substack · 2025 · UK
Hendrick answers common criticisms of the science of learning, such as claims it is dogma or de-skills teachers, and sets out the research base and the equity case for it.
FreeOpens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Daisy Christodoulou (No More Marking) · Substack · 2026 · UK
Christodoulou explains why tailoring lessons to students' interests rarely improves learning, and warns that arguments for personalisation often promise better pacing but deliver isolated screen time.
FreeOpens at substack.nomoremarking.com
Trisha Jha (Publican Policy) · Substack · 2026 · Australia
A summary of new Australian research surveying teachers on what they know and do about explicit teaching, with replies to common criticisms of the findings.
FreeOpens at publicanpolicy.substack.com
Greg Ashman (Filling the Pail) · Substack · 2025 · Australia
The first in a series preparing teachers for common objections. Ashman examines the claim that explicit teaching only builds rote recall, drawing on empirical evidence and theory about understanding.
FreeOpens at fillingthepail.substack.com
Greg Ashman (Filling the Pail) · Substack · 2025 · Australia
Ashman tackles the claim that explicit teaching stifles creativity and higher-order thinking, tracing the idea to readings of Bloom's taxonomy and arguing for the whole explicit teaching process instead.
FreeOpens at fillingthepail.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Substack · 2026 · UK
Hendrick argues that minimally guided discovery learning shifts the work onto students and favours those who arrive with advantages, making explicit instructional design the more progressive and equitable choice.
FreeOpens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Paul Kirschner · Substack · 2025 · International
Drawing on their work on new Flemish primary goals, the authors answer five objections to knowledge-rich curriculum, such as that it is disconnected facts, stifles creativity or is too ambitious.
FreeOpens at paulkirschner173727.substack.com
Daniel Willingham · Substack · 2025 · USA
Willingham highlights Tim Shanahan's case against levelled reading, explaining why matching children to texts by reading level is inefficient and holds back weaker readers.
FreeOpens at dtwuva.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Substack · 2026 · UK
Hendrick reviews new evidence that growth mindset interventions do little for achievement on their own, and argues that real success through effective practice is what builds students' belief in themselves.
FreeOpens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Shanker Institute · Blog post · USA
Opens at shankerinstitute.org
The Hechinger Report · News analysis · USA
Opens at hechingerreport.org
The Reading League · Guide, free eBook · USA
The Reading League's guide to what the science of reading is and what it is not. The free eBook is a helpful shared reference when the term is being used loosely.
FreeOpens at thereadingleague.org
Greg Ashman (Filling the Pail) · Substack · 2024 · Australia
Ashman questions the popular idea, especially in maths, of designing lessons so students struggle first, examining the case for constructivism and productive failure and the ethics of deliberate difficulty.
FreeOpens at fillingthepail.substack.com
Craig Barton (Tips for Teachers) · Substack · 2026 · UK
Barton summarises Linda Graham and colleagues' review of differentiation research, which found the term used for very different, sometimes incompatible practices, and discusses what that means for teachers.
FreeOpens at tipsforteachers.substack.com
Doug Lemov (Doug Lemov's Field Notes) · Substack · 2026 · USA
Lemov recommends George Bonanno's research on resilience and cautions that loose use of the words trauma and trauma-informed in schools can lead to well-meant but counterproductive responses.
FreeOpens at douglemov.substack.com
Haili Hughes · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Hughes names ten ways research gets distorted on its way into schools, such as slogans and rigid rules, and suggests how leaders can keep the nuance of the original evidence.
FreeOpens at hailihughes.substack.com
Jamie Clark · One-page guide · Australia
Sets out why fully guided instruction beats minimal guidance for novices, drawing on Kirschner, Sweller and Clark, and shows the I do, we do, you do sequence with fading.
FreeOpens at jamieleeclark.com
Jamie Clark (DistillED) · Newsletter article · 2026 · Australia
Distinguishes a strategy (what you do) from a principle (why you do it) and argues professional learning should start from principles. Builds on a Haili Hughes article.
FreeOpens at newsletter.jamieleeclark.com
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2026 · USA
A detailed explanation of why the three-cueing approach confuses guessing from meaning with reading the word, and what code-based teaching of word identification should look like instead.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
Karen Vaites (The Curriculum Insight Project) · Substack · 2026 · USA
Karen Vaites traces how a stand-alone oral phonemic awareness program became widespread in US schools, and why recent research favours linking sounds to letters instead.
FreeOpens at curriculuminsightproject.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Substack · 2026 · UK
A history of how a 1956 handbook for classifying exam questions became a pyramid that ranks thinking above knowledge, and why that reading misleads curriculum and lesson planning.
FreeOpens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Paul Kirschner · Substack · 2025 · International
Kirschner sets out ten psychological, ideological and practical reasons discovery learning stays popular even though the research favours guided, explicit teaching for novices. Useful for staff conversations about pedagogy.
FreeOpens at paulkirschner173727.substack.com
Daniel Willingham · Substack · 2026 · USA
Willingham proposes a guiding rule for school AI policies, that students should only use AI for tasks they can already do well, so the tools do not replace important thinking.
FreeOpens at dtwuva.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Substack · 2025 · UK
Hendrick sets out five ways retrieval practice goes wrong in classrooms, including quizzing on material never learnt and skipping spacing, and discusses a study on retrieval with complex material.
FreeOpens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Greg Ashman (Filling the Pail) · Substack · 2024 · Australia
Ashman critiques Building Thinking Classrooms, arguing that it defines explained and modelled instruction as not thinking and that its claims are not supported by cognitive science.
FreeOpens at fillingthepail.substack.com
Daisy Christodoulou (No More Marking) · Substack · 2026 · UK
Christodoulou tests the claim that England's knowledge-rich reforms worsened young people's mental health, comparing trends across the UK nations and concluding the evidence does not support the link.
FreeOpens at substack.nomoremarking.com
Trisha Jha (Publican Policy) · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Reviews a trial in which professional development on teacher mindsets, called a culture of learning, lifted student outcomes, and argues it complements rather than competes with science of learning approaches.
FreeOpens at publicanpolicy.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Substack · 2025 · UK
Hendrick examines a careful replication of the famous 1978 scaffolding study that found no benefit from the classic rule of more help after failure, and considers what this means for teaching and tutoring.
FreeOpens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Haili Hughes · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Hughes reflects on the hostility in Australia's debates about explicit teaching and the science of reading, linking it to teacher identity and suggesting how leaders can help teachers reconsider practice.
FreeOpens at hailihughes.substack.com
Paul Kirschner · Substack · 2026 · International
Kirschner questions failure-first lesson designs, arguing that struggle before students have the knowledge to make sense of it is rarely a desirable difficulty, and that support should come first.
FreeOpens at paulkirschner173727.substack.com
Daniel Willingham · Substack · 2026 · USA
Willingham notes that Season 1 of Sold a Story disputed methods for a shared goal, while the newer debate over Direct Instruction is partly about what schooling is for.
FreeOpens at dtwuva.substack.com
Greg Ashman (Filling the Pail) · Substack · 2021 · Australia
Ashman discusses a paper drawing parallels between Universal Design for Learning and learning styles, and raises concerns about its evidence base, its planning workload and its spread into policy.
FreeOpens at fillingthepail.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Substack · 2025 · UK
Hendrick traces how translations and selective readings turned Vygotsky into a champion of discovery learning, and argues his own work placed far more weight on teaching systematic, scientific concepts.
FreeOpens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Douglas Carnine · 2000 · Foundational research
Opens at files.eric.ed.gov
Matthew Kraft · 2020 · Methods paper
Opens at annenberg.brown.edu
Zhang, Kirschner, Cobern and Sweller · 2022 · Review
Opens at link.springer.com
Allcott, Dee, Duckworth, Gentzkow and colleagues · 2026 · Quasi-experimental study
FreeOpens at web.stanford.edu
Australasian ADHD Professionals Association · Clinical guideline · 2022 · Australia
The national guideline for identifying, diagnosing and supporting people with ADHD, approved by the NHMRC. Written for clinicians, and worth knowing as the reference point behind advice schools receive.
FreeOpens at adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au
National Reading Panel (NICHD) · 2000 · Foundational research · USA
The summary report of the United States National Reading Panel, the review behind the five components of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
Opens at nichd.nih.gov
Ken Rowe and the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy · 2005 · Foundational research · Australia
The report of Australia's 2005 national inquiry, which reviewed the research on teaching literacy and how well new teachers were being prepared to teach reading.
Opens at research.acer.edu.au
Jim Rose, for the Department for Education and Skills · 2006 · Foundational research · UK
Jim Rose's 2006 review of the teaching of early reading for the Department for Education and Skills in England. Free to download from the Digital Education Resource Archive.
Opens at dera.ioe.ac.uk
Petscher, Cabell, Catts, Compton, Foorman and colleagues · 2020 · Open access · Reading Research Quarterly
Twelve researchers from the Florida Center for Reading Research sort the claims made for the science of reading into those with compelling evidence, promising evidence and little evidence. Free on PubMed Central.
Opens at pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Blog · Australia
Opens at pamelasnow.blogspot.com
Substack · Australia
Opens at fillingthepail.substack.com
Substack · International
Opens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Blog and books · International
Opens at 3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com
Blog and Substack · UK
Opens at learningspy.co.uk
Substack · USA
Opens at hollykorbey.substack.com
Guidance reports · Australia
Opens at evidenceforlearning.org.au
