A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that simple, behaviorally informed email nudges to teachers can slightly improve elementary students' math progress. Led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative (BCFG), the study involved nearly 3 million students and found that personalized messages were particularly effective, with the best intervention increasing progress by 5.06%.

The study, one of the largest of its kind, tested 15 different email interventions on over 140,000 teachers. These messages were designed using insights from behavioral science, such as prompting teachers to create specific plans for using the educational platform Zearn Math or appealing to their empathy for students. Compared to standard reminders, the behaviorally informed emails improved student progress by 1.89% during the four-week intervention period.

The most successful intervention provided teachers with weekly, personalized reports on their students’ progress. “Capitalizing on teachers’ intrinsic motivation to help their students may be a cost-effective approach,” said lead author Angela Duckworth, co-director of BCFG. However, the researchers noted that the effects were modest, highlighting the challenges of changing human behavior.

“Our results showed that simple, low-cost nudges can help teachers support student progress in math,” said Duckworth. Co-author Katy Milkman added, “These findings underscore the need for more research to understand why some interventions work better than others.”

While the study demonstrates the potential of behaviorally informed nudges, the researchers emphasize the need for further investigation into their long-term effects and scalability. Future research could explore how such interventions might complement other strategies, like performance bonuses, to enhance educational outcomes.