Found effects

The WWC found Tools of the Mind to have no discernible effects for oral language, print knowledge, cognition, or math.

 

Improvement index

The WWC computes an improvement index for each individual finding. In addition, within each outcome domain, the WWC computes an average improvement index for each study and an average improvement index across studies (see Technical Details of WWC-Conducted Computations). The improvement index represents the difference between the percentile rank of the average student in the intervention condition versus the percentile rank of the average student in the comparison condition. Unlike the rating of effectiveness, the improvement index is based entirely on the size of the effect, regardless of the statistical significance of the effect, the study design, or the analyses. The improvement index can take on values between  –50 and +50, with positive numbers denoting results favorable to the intervention group.

The average improvement index for oral language is +6 percentile points in the one study, with a range of +4 to +8 percentile points across findings. The average improvement index for print knowledge is 0 percentile points in the one study, with a range of –1 to +1 percentile points across findings. The improvement index for cognition is +2 percentile points for a single finding of the study. The improvement index for math is +7 percentile points for a single finding of the study.

Summary

The WWC reviewed four studies on Tools of the Mind. One study meets WWC evidence standards and three studies did not meet WWC evidence standards; seven other studies did not meet eligibility screens. Based on the one study, the WWC found no discernible effects in oral language, print knowledge, cognition, or math. The evidence  presented in this report may change as new research emerges.

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