History
The Institute for Learning at the University of Pittsburgh was founded by Lauren Resnick in 1995. Resnick, an internationally renowned cognitive psychologist, Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center of the University of Pittsburgh, and leader in the standards movement, was asked by leading practitioners to help them achieve the goals of the standards movement—giving all students the opportunity to reach or exceed world-class standards.
Resnick gathered a team of expert practitioners in instruction and in school and district leadership. At the outset, Resnick and these expert practitioners, IFL Fellows, developed the Principles of Learning, nine condensed research-based statements summarizing decades of learning research. These principles are a foundation of our work. They provide a common language for analyzing and improving teaching and learning.
The IFL's work has continued to expand and grow in order to support the improvement of education and achievement of all students, especially those traditionally underserved. This includes both leadership tools and instructional materials in each of the four core content areas—English language arts, mathematics, science, and history/social studies for grades Pre-K through 12—that combine curriculum design and assessments with professional development tools to build capacity to support implementation at the classroom, coach, and school and district levels.
Because of the IFL's commitment to bridging research with practice, we have welcomed studies by numerous independent researchers including Joan Talbert, Jane David, Paul Cobb, Robert Flodden, Lindsay Clare Matsumura, RAND, and MDRC.
The Institute for Learning continues to work with districts, schools, and individual educators through seminars and customized training, both online and in person. Since its founding, the IFL has reached millions of students in over 60 districts and 20 states.