Well-MeasurED: Equity and the Science of Learning with Dr Nidhi Sachdeva
Table of contents
Table of Contents
“Engagement could be, in many cases, a false proxy for learning…. We can’t be celebrating engagement all the time. We have to clelebrate learning.”
Equity, the science of learning, and closing the gap with what we know works.
For school leaders evaluating the tools and approaches in their classrooms, that distinction matters enormously. In this conversation with hosts Dr Jill McGuire and James Santure, Dr Nidhi Sachdeva states that when schools stop at engagement as a measure of success, they risk missing what the evidence actually asks of them.
Drawing on large-scale studies involving thousands of students, Sachdeva examines which instructional approaches consistently close the achievement gap and which ones, despite good intentions, have widened it. She makes the case that explicit instruction, retrieval practice, and formative assessment benefit the students who need the most support, and explains why teacher quality remains the single highest-impact factor in equitable outcomes.
Her definition of equity is a key pillar of the episode: every student reaching the target outcomes, on time, with the right support to get there. Lowering the bar, she argues, is not equity.
This is a practical, evidence-grounded discussion for school leaders who want to understand what evidence into equitable school practices actually suggests, and why it is critical for every student in their school.
What this episode covers:
- What equity actually requires, beyond good intentions and accessible tools.
- Why explicit instruction consistently benefits the students who need it most.
- How retrieval practice and formative assessment support students with less support outside the classroom.
- The difference between student engagement and student learning, and why it matters for how schools evaluate their tools.
- What school leaders should be asking before adopting any new approach or platform.
About the guest
Dr Nidhi Sachdeva is a Science of Learning researcher at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and Chair of ResearchED Canada. She specialises in evidence-informed learning design and co-runs The Science of Learning Substack with Dr Jim Hewitt. Her work bridges cognitive science and classroom practice, with a particular focus on what equitable, evidence-based instruction looks like at scale.
Meet the hosts
Dr Jill McGuire and James Santure host Well-MeasurED, Education Perfect’s interview series exploring what the evidence says about teaching, learning and the tools schools use. Jill leads Learning Innovation at EP; James leads Product Impact. Both bring years of experience working alongside teachers and school leaders across Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Dr. Jill McGuire
Group Head, Learning Innovation, Education Perfect
James Santure
Head of Product Impact, Education Perfect
Resources
Further resources
Don’t have time to listen to the entire episode? Read the blog diving into this episode’s key takeaways.
More from Well-MeasurED
Dr Nidhi Sachdeva is the first guest in the Well-MeasurED interview series exploring what we know works to improve student outcomes, and what doesn’t hold up under a microscope. Find the other episodes here.
