What 300 million students can teach us

May 15, 2025

In education, two extremes threaten real progress. On one hand, schools can become stuck – clinging to outdated methods simply because “that’s how it’s always been done.” On the other, they can chase every trend – assuming something is better just because it’s new.

The truth is far more interesting, and far more complex. Yes, education must evolve. The world our children are growing into is fast-paced and constantly changing. But change alone isn’t the answer. The real question is: what should we change, and what must we preserve? What truly works – and how do we know?

This is where research matters.

Professor John Hattie’s work – synthesising over 2,100 meta-analyses, involving 300+ million students across more than 100 countries – reveals something surprising: almost everything in education works. Children are resilient. They learn, even under imperfect conditions.

But not everything works equally well.

Some strategies have only a small impact. Others – what we call Impactful Practices – are powerhouses of learning. These approaches align so closely with how the human brain learns that they produce consistently large and lasting gains.

At ThriveEd, we don’t guess. We equip our schools with a clear, evidence-based framework to identify and implement these high-impact practices. Not just occasionally – but with structure, intention, and support.

Why? Because every child matters – beyond measure.

We believe schools shouldn’t merely discover talent, passively accepting a bell curve of ability as if human potential were fixed. We know it isn’t. Every child is capable of far more than they believe. And helping every student reach their full, remarkable potential means we cannot afford to waste time, energy, or resources on anything less than what works best.

At ThriveEd, we believe in courage, caution, and wisdom – knowing when to embrace change, and when to hold fast to the tried and trusted. That’s why we innovate boldly, but never blindly.  After all, our commitment to evidence is rooted in a deeper purpose: doing what’s best for every single child and family we serve.