Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Research topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District presentation: 'Finding Focus' pilot linked to measurable reading gains in high‑school study
Summary
Rochester Public Schools researchers presented 'Finding Focus,' an attention‑training program paired with a companion app that, in a ~1,000‑student pilot, produced reading‑score gains the presenters described as equivalent to roughly 15 weeks of additional instruction versus an active control.
Dr. Ruck, RPS director of research and evidence, told the school board on April 21 that a district research project called "Finding Focus" produced reading gains in participating high‑school students that the team quantified as roughly the equivalent of 15 weeks of additional reading instruction compared with the control group. The pilot enrolled just over 1,000 students across three comprehensive high schools in 40 classrooms and involved 13 teachers.
The study tested an 80‑minute, in‑class attention‑training curriculum delivered in 10 short lessons (roughly eight minutes each) plus a companion "focus coach" app. Students in the experimental condition practiced anchoring attention, deciding where to direct focus and sustaining it; teachers used a dashboard that did not display individual student details. The control group received an 80‑minute online mental‑health literacy course that researchers described as active and meaningful but not attention‑training.
Ruck said the district used an established, state‑approved adaptive reading screener as the outcome measure rather than a researcher‑created test. In the board presentation he emphasized the relative efficiency of the intervention: "If a typical intervention results in roughly three weeks of added reading instruction time, Finding Focus was able to expand that to almost 15 weeks of additional reading with far fewer hours involved in direct instruction," he said. He also reported high completion rates on the focus coach and that students’ self‑ratings of focus improved over time.
Board members pressed for detail. Dr. Marvin asked whether gains were durable; Ruck said follow‑up measures are planned later in the school year but noted some high‑school assessments timing posed limits. On program dosage, Ruck clarified that the in‑class delivery lasted about 10 weeks and produced the stated 15‑week equivalent gain in the reading screener. On equity, Ruck said the research team analyzed demographic indicators and “none of them ended up being [statistically different]” in outcomes, and that the ~90% completion rate was observed across subgroups as part of the research design.
District staff addressed logistics: the app is a companion that was reviewed by district technology and loaded on devices (presentation noted phones are not permitted in class for the activity), and teachers could monitor engagement via an aggregate dashboard. Board members asked whether the program could be repeated for sustained benefit; Ruck said he would anticipate benefits from additional exposures.
The presenters said two papers from the project are under peer review: one on attention training and reading achievement and a second on the control‑condition mental‑health literacy outcomes. Ruck characterized the mental‑health curriculum as beneficial in its own right, reporting increased help‑seeking motivation and reductions on some anxiety indicators for students in that condition.
The board did not take action on the presentation; members asked the administration to describe options for expanding district access if the research and peer review support broader use. The superintendent said the district will continue discussions with the researchers about access, licensing and next steps.
