When a psychologist and Feuerstein practitioner in Taunton, Massachusetts, saw that the students in her area were performing significantly below grade level, she devised a plan to improve test scores. She worked with the superintendent to identify two classes, one to serve as a control group that would receive additional lessons in reading and a second experimental group that studied Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment. The results were significant, with the FIE group making considerable gains in their scores on the Stanford Achievement Test for Reading compared to the control group.
Pleased with the results, the superintendent expanded the project and began implementing FIE in all of the primary and middle schools in the Taunton school district. The Feuerstein staff trained the teachers and worked closely with them throughout the implementation to ensure success.
The district saw tremendous improvement throughout the period that FIE was employed in Taunton. Enrollment increased by 13%, while the dropout rate dropped from 42% to 13%. Overall attendance shot up to a considerable 98.5%, the highest it has ever been in Taunton.
Researchers: Dr. Meir Ben Hur and Dr. William Kopp
Publication:
- Williams, J. and Kopp, W. (1994). Implementation of IE and cognitive modifiability in Taunton schools. In M.Ben Hur (Ed.), On Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment (pp. 261-271). Palatine, IL: IRI Skylighty Publishing.