Harvard officials are looking at a new study aid, Dreambox learning, to decide if this is the next big thing in helping children excel in school, or is it an empty promise in a long line of technology that will never pan out. Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research began the study in 2014.
Harvard researcher’s study proves Dreambox software is effective for students.
Increased time spent with Dreambox Learning increases grades.
Initial findings seem to be positive. Researchers have found a positive correlation between amount of time spent with Dreambox and improved scores in mathematics. Scores on standardized testing also improved. Researchers also point out that additional study is in order to evaluate if the students who spend more time with Dreambox were already naturally inclined to study and achieve more or if the Dreambox itself had something to do with it.
The Harvard researchers evaluating DreamBox Learning start their study bluntly: “There is little evidence yet that educational software is actually helping students progress more rapidly.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- Students, who spend more time using the Dreambox software, saw positive gains in education.
- The Dreambox software will be even more effective when all students get the recommended amount of time with the software.
- It is possible, that the reason students, who used the Dreambox more, achieved more academic gains because they were already predisposed to study more.
Take the dyscalculia test
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
