When visiting London, you’re likely to hear the phrase “Mind the gap,” which cautions riders to pay attention to the space between the train and the platform. On a recent trip, that gentle message brought to mind another gap, one that is particularly concerning to those of us who design, deliver, and evaluate educator learning.
In the U.S., much of professional learning for teachers remains stuck in a troubling gap: on one side, the realities of day-to-day classroom practice; on the other, decades of insights from cognitive science, psychology, and instructional design. Too often, those worlds don’t meet.
We know, for instance, that teacher education has failed to keep pace with the insights of evidence, instead relying on habit and tradition. Even upon entering the classroom, educators often default to what feels familiar (learning styles, anyone?) rather than what is effective. As a result, teachers find themselves recycling instructional practices that feel comfortable, like discovery learning with minimal guidance, even though evidence tells us these are inefficient ways to learn.
In response to these gaps and in the hope of addressing them, we founded Learning Science Partners: an organization striving to infuse the science of learning into K-12 schools and school systems. Over the last year alone, Learning Science Partners has supported the implementation of learning science in 11 public school districts in the United States, representing more than 800 schools, 37,000 teachers, and half a million children. These school systems encompass urban, suburban, and rural areas, reflecting the diversity of America’s public education landscape and the challenges shared by districts nationwide. By engaging in strategic and intentional professional learning centered around how learning happens and core learning science principles, such as cognitive load, prior knowledge, and effortful thinking, these districts are shifting instructional practice in ways that are practical and within reach.
Margaret Lee and Jim Heal are facilitating session PC07 | Learning Science: Real Research, Real Classroom Impact at the Learning Forward Annual Conference on Sunday, December 7.
Through this work, we have seen firsthand that understanding how learning happens and how to teach as a result can be transformative for teachers and students. Leveraging what we know about learning science and giving teachers tools that are both evidence-informed and immediately usable, we can do more than just increase student achievement and instructional effectiveness. We can provide a better roadmap for educators’ work/life balance. When teachers know what instructional practices work most consistently, they can make better decisions about how to allocate the most valuable resource they have – time.
Similar efforts to build evidence-informed classrooms and systems are cropping up all the time, both here in the U.S. and in other parts of the world. In the U.K., the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Frameworks, released in 2019 and implemented in 2021, aimed to close the gap by requiring trainees and novice teachers to demonstrate understanding of foundational aspects of learning science and how to apply evidence to instructional practice.
In the U.S., Maryland is leading the way as the nation’s first state to require teachers to have a foundational understanding of the science of learning, as outlined in MD Code, Education §6-1011. Districts across the state are now working to align their instructional practices with research findings on how learning occurs and how teaching can best support it. This commitment positions Maryland as a national model, and we believe other states will certainly follow.
When teachers understand cognitive load, they can design lessons that free up working memory for the most important to-be-remembered content. In several Maryland districts, leaders are helping educators simplify visuals, break tasks into manageable steps, and sequence practice in ways that reduce unnecessary mental clutter. The impact has been noticeable: teachers report that students are more focused, less overwhelmed, and able to better retain key concepts.
Effortful thinking reminds us that real learning requires a level of depth, intentional direction, and prolonged mental focus on key ideas. Maryland districts are incorporating protocols that ask students to explain their reasoning and connect ideas. Teachers describe students leaving class “tired in the right way,” because their brains (and not just the teacher’s brain!) have done the heavy lifting. The payoff is greater persistence, deeper understanding of core knowledge, and a stronger sense of confidence in tackling complex problems.
Building on prior knowledge ensures that new learning has something to stick to. Across Maryland, districts are training teachers to elicit what students already know before diving into new material. Some are using quick diagnostic questions at the start of units, while others are integrating concept maps that make students’ thinking visible. This simple shift allows educators to address misconceptions early and connect lessons to familiar contexts, preventing the widening of achievement gaps.
Indeed, Learning Forward’s own Standards for Professional Learning have a deep alignment with learning science principles. The standards emphasize rigorous content, educator expertise, and effective implementation, all of which rest on understanding how learning actually happens. Applying principles from cognitive science, psychology, and instructional design is how professional learning becomes not just inspirational, but effective.
Together, these approaches to evidence-informed instruction mean more educators are actively seeking better evidence for instructional decision-making. It’s allowing those educators to be critical consumers of evidence, and to apply these principles in accordance with their context and capacity. Through their enthusiasm for conferences like Learning & the Brain and researchED, as well as the proliferation of blogs and podcasts about learning science, it is clear that American teachers and school leaders have an appetite for closing this gap.
For Learning Science Partners, however, this is more than just a matter of better instructional practices. It is at the core of what we call instructional equity. Every child deserves to be taught by a professional who understands how learning happens. Every teacher deserves to understand how teaching happens in order to prioritize and focus the work. Every leader deserves to make evidence-informed decisions on behalf of the communities they serve.
Maryland’s statewide initiative illustrates that instructional equity is not an abstraction. By requiring every teacher and leader to engage with the science of learning, the state has created conditions where professional learning grounded in evidence-informed practice is not optional or uneven, but a shared expectation. Districts are using this foundation to ensure that all students, whether in rural schools on the Eastern Shore or large urban systems like Baltimore City, benefit from teachers who understand how learning happens and how to teach as a result. This leads to a common language and set of practices that can travel across classrooms and communities, ensuring equity in both access and outcomes.
The gap between what we know about learning and what happens in classrooms does not have to persist. Learning science gives us the evidence, the tools, and the growing momentum to close it. What’s needed now is the collective will – among policymakers, school leaders, and educators themselves – to ensure that every professional learning opportunity is grounded in the science of how people learn. When we do that, we not only honor the time and expertise of teachers, but we also deliver on the promise of instructional equity for every child. The message from the London Underground is clear: “Mind the gap between the train and the platform.” The message for American education must be just as clear: “Close the gap between evidence and instructional practice.”
