Overview
With a focus on what moves each learner, HMH delivers what educators need to foster growth and build lasting momentum. The company creates integrated K–12 learning solutions for core, supplemental, intervention, assessment, and professional learning—delivered on one streamlined platform.
There is a need to understand how to better support Read 180 students in developing and applying complex comprehension skills, given current performance levels and limited in-task support. To inform this, the study gathers teacher perspectives to identify which scaffolds are most effective for intervention students and how they should be integrated into the learning experience.
Note
Please note that only a few parts of the projects (i.e., prototype, questions, findings, and recommendations) are shared to ensure compliance with HMH NDA.
Method and Analysis
Research Method: Qualitative
Research Design: 1:1 Interviews
Data Collection:
Tool: User Interviews
Main study: 10 participants
Team
Number of Team Members: 10
My Role: Principal Researcher
Sample Questions
Prototype
Key Insights
Teachers across grade bands see the compare-and-contrast instruction as useful, but they consistently point to a mismatch between the lesson design and students’ readiness: it assumes prior knowledge for younger students, places reading demands that some students avoid, and feels too simple and passive for older students.
Teachers said the supports effectively draw attention to compare-and-contrast elements, but their effectiveness may be limited if students do not understand what they are comparing, if the text and blurbs are too high level, if audio read-aloud is not available, or if the supports are optional and may be skipped.
Across participants, the main view is that an animated badge alone is unlikely to motivate students to access the prompts. Multiple participants say students won’t click unless there is an end prize, a contest/collection incentive, or the prompts are required to move forward.
Impact
The global education industry is a $7–8 trillion market, projected to reach nearly $10 trillion by 2030, with increasing demand for effective, technology-enabled learning solutions. Within this space, HMH is a multi-billion-dollar company, valued at approximately $2.8 billion and generating over $1 billion in annual revenue.
Despite this scale, Read 180 students currently average only ~50% accuracy on Reading Zone comprehension questions, signaling a meaningful gap in how effectively complex comprehension skills are being supported. This research plays a critical role in identifying which instructional scaffolds best support intervention students and how to embed them directly into the learning experience. By improving comprehension outcomes, this work not only impacts student success but also strengthens HMH’s ability to compete in a rapidly evolving, high-stakes education market.