Driving and Inspiring Greater Quality in Education Innovation

Our education system is going through a time of tremendous change and uncertainty. With challenges ranging from the demands of AI integration, looming budget cuts, teacher shortages, and significant cuts to education research by the federal government, the context of PreK-12 education is rapidly changing.

At the ISTELive25 and ASCD Annual Conference, the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF) led conversations aimed at learning and collaboration as a means to meeting the challenges of the moment and charting a path forward together.

As the nation’s first discovery and invention hub for education, we start at the front end of learning science and innovation, seeking the fundamental, cutting-edge research and new technical capabilities needed to solve for persistent, complex teaching and learning problems.

Through our portfolio of R&D programs, we combine scientific rigor with co-design to discover breakthrough solutions that unite educators, scientists, and technologists with students to tackle the public education’s most pressing challenges.

What Innovation Looks Like: AERDF Awardees at ISTE+ASCD

To demonstrate what’s possible when we break down siloes and center learners and educators in education R&D, AERDF debuted the latest advancements in math, literacy, assessment, and AI at this year’s ISTE+ASCD Annual Conference. From literacy screening in minutes to boosting math comprehension in the schoolyard to co-designing strengths-based formative assessments using the power of generative AI, AERDF’s R&D programs and awardees are generating new scientific research, technical advancements, and dynamic prototypes pushing on the edge of what’s believed to be possible in education.

In this blog, we share many of the latest inventions and developments from our AERDF Awardees and partners across our R&D Programs – EF+Math, Assessment for Good, Reading Reimagined, and AugmentED – including: Magpie Literacy, Juego, Stanford ROAR, Big Words Project, Read STOP Write, Achievement Network, Throughline Learning, MindCatcher, Playlab AI, MIND Research Institute, University of Tennessee, University of Buffalo, Texas A&M, Michigan State University, University of Denver, Georgia Southern University, Leanlab Education, Learner-Centered Collaborative, Alliance for Learning Innovation, InnovateEDU, and The Reinvention Lab at Teach for America.

Take a look at the evidence-backed education solutions and insights our R&D programs are generating. These are making their way into the hands of thousands of educators and learners and impacting math, reading, assessment, and the future of teaching in the age of AI.

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Boosting Math Learning Through Play

If we are to prepare learners with the skills they’ll need to lead in the 21st century, we cannot overlook their math skills and the challenges impeding their success. AERDF Awardees, Juego! and MIND Education, with support from our EF+Math R&D program, are tapping into the power of play to help students improve math learning and strengthen executive functions skills like.

Igniting Math Potential in Fractions and Decimals

Fraction Ball, created by Juego!, helps students experience fractions while playing on a basketball court. Designed at the suggestion of teachers at El Sol Academy in the Santa Ana School District with Dr. Andres Bustamante and his team at UC Irvine, Fraction Ball integrates fractions into the three-point arc and smaller arcs on the basketball court, creating a hands-on, engaging way for students to understand fractions.

Students who participate in Fraction Ball demonstrate significant improvements in their understanding of fractions and decimals, including better performance in fraction and decimal arithmetic, translating between representations, and placing numbers on a number line. Students who typically score around the 50th percentile have shown gains of up to the 75th percentile after participating in Fraction Ball. Additionally, studies have found that Fraction Ball not only enhances math achievement but also decreases students’ negative emotions toward math, increases their confidence, and fosters positive teamwork through its collaborative and engaging gameplay.

Ready to play Fraction Ball at your school? Juego! is partnering with schools and districts to bring Fraction Ball to 225 courts in 2025! When a district or regional group paints 5 courts, Juego! will provide 2 days of professional development at no additional cost. Schools pay only for court painting and a one-time licensing fee that includes our in-classroom and on-court curriculum, plus early access to Fraction Ball’s digital platform.

Enhancing Mathematical Fluency

MathFluency+, designed by MIND Education, uses online game-based learning to improve fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division alongside executive functions. The games are designed to be adaptive, so they meet each student at their level and help them progress over time. Through nine games that integrate executive functions skills into core math practice, students become more confident thinkers, all while playing engaging games.

Students using MathFluency+ achieved measurable gains in both math fluency and executive function compared to peers in comparison groups. These early pilots—spanning grades 3–5—found improvements in working memory, inhibitory control, and processing speed, all embedded within fluency practice. Teachers also reported greater student confidence, persistence, and willingness to tackle challenging problems.

Our EF+Math supported both Fraction Ball and MathFluency+ as they were developed alongside learners and educators. Each is backed by research and aligned with educational standards, so educators can fit them into their curriculum without much additional work. Imagine seeing your students excited about math and improving math learning while they play outside or in the classroom among their friends.