National Research on AI-era Pedagogies
Dr. Robert Marzano and Dr. Sonny Magaña are selecting 30 middle school educators nationwide to participate in a landmark effect-size study on Agentic AI in the classroom — powered exclusively by Curriculum Genie.
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Cohort Benefits
Join the first national study on Agentic AI's impact on student outcomes. Free access to Curriculum Genie reduces your lesson-planning load, allowing the research to seamlessly absorb into your existing classroom schedule.
World-Class Mentorship
Professional development led directly by Marzano & Magaña.
Cutting-Edge AI Research
Participate in the first national effect size study on Agentic AI pedagogies.
Published Academic Credit
Earn co-author recognition on the final national meta-analysis.
The Study Design
A controlled effect-size study that measures whether AI-native, agency-based teaching actually deepens learning, compared head-to-head with a traditional baseline.
The Passive-Consumption Gap
Today's students interact with AI naturally, but most classroom use channels that fluency into passive consumption rather than deep learning. Traditional units treat technology as a content-delivery tool, leaving student agency, self-regulation, and ownership underdeveloped.
As districts adopt Portrait of a Graduate skills, they still lack a rigorous, research-based way to measure whether AI is actually strengthening student agency, or simply automating the old model.
AI-Native Unit (Curriculum Genie)
A landmark national effect-size study led by Dr. Robert Marzano and Dr. Sonny Magaña, measuring how Agency-Based Learning (ABL) and Place-Based Learning (PBL) strengthen student agency and deepen learning.
Using Intervention by Design, K-12 educators co-design an AI-native unit in Curriculum Genie, built on student voice, interests, and local context while staying aligned to required standards, then compare it against a traditional baseline. The difference in student growth, tracked through pre- and post-assessment and the validated HOPE scale, becomes the effect size: a research-based "strength score" on the same scale as John Hattie's Visible Learning, where 0.40 is the hinge point for above-average impact. The analysis is automated and validated by the research team, so educators focus on instruction.
Why This Study Matters
The first national effect-size study measuring agentic AI's impact on student agency and real learning outcomes
1
Agency-Based Learning
The study puts Agency-Based Learning at its core—measuring how students move from passive AI users to agents who set goals, co-create, and self-regulate. Every unit is built to strengthen student ownership, and that shift is exactly what the effect size captures.
2
National Scale
Up to 30 middle school educators from across the U.S. run the same study protocol in their own classrooms, generating the first nationwide dataset on how agentic AI shapes student agency in real learning environments.
3
World-Renowned Researchers
The study is led directly by Dr. Robert Marzano and Dr. Sonny Magaña, who design the methodology, guide baseline assessment, and mentor participating educators through every phase of the research.
4
Published Results
Findings are compiled into a national meta-analysis, and participating educators earn co-author recognition—turning their classroom work into a publishable contribution to AI-era pedagogy.
Trusted by Educators Nationwide
Practitioners already using Agency-Based Learning in their classrooms
Award-Winning Innovation
Back-to-back Tech & Learning Best of Show winner at ISTELive 2025 and 2026.
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Join the Research Cohort
Thirty educators. One national study. If your classroom belongs in the future of AI-era pedagogy, this is where it starts.