Walden University’s Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership has announced the results of a new study that measured the effectiveness of Walden graduates in the classroom. Linking Teacher Learning to Student Success confirmed the findings of a 2003 study involving Washington state teachers enrolled in Walden’s M.S. in Education program with a specialization in Elementary Reading and Literacy (PreK–6). Both studies compared Walden teachers with non-Walden-master’s educated teachers.

“The study results really prove what our students have been telling us about our M.S. in Education program,” said Victoria Reid, vice president of The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership. “We will continue to seek out partnerships like the one we established with the Tacoma School District in order to evaluate our programs more effectively and find new opportunities to strengthen our instruction and curriculum.”

Walden collaborated with the Tacoma School District and an independent research firm to evaluate the efficacy of more than 700 teachers enrolled in its M.S. in Education program. Study findings evaluated student achievement based on oral reading fluency.

Key study highlights revealed

• The average gain in oral reading fluency of students taught by Walden graduates was 4.8 more words per minute than students taught by non-Walden-master’s educated graduates.

• From a practical stand, the 4.8 word-per-minute gain translates into about 10.6 weeks, or one-third of the school year.

• Within a larger sample of teachers, the study revealed a gain of 5.4 more words per minute for first-grade students taught by Walden graduates, and an estimated gain of 5.2 more words per minute for second-graders taught by Walden graduates.

More Information
Complete research findings are available online at www.WaldenU.edu/tacoma. Prospective students interested in learning more about Walden’s M.S. in Education program can call 1-866-492-5336.

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