Learning Genie launches national AI pedagogy study with Marzano and Magaña

Learning Genie has opened a national research cohort led by Dr. Robert Marzano and Dr. Sonny Magaña to measure how agentic AI affects student agency and learning in middle school classrooms. Up to 30 educators will co-design and test AI-powered units this school year, with results compiled into a national meta-analysis.

Why it matters: - The study aims to produce the first national effect-size research on AI-era pedagogy centered on student agency. - The findings could give educators measurable evidence on whether agentic AI changes how students set goals, self-regulate and co-create learning. - The research may help define how AI tools are used in classrooms beyond simple content delivery.

What happened: - Learning Genie announced the Marzano & Magaña AI Research Cohort, a national study led by Dr. Robert Marzano and Dr. Sonny Magaña. - Up to 30 middle school teachers from across the U.S. can join the cohort. - Participating educators will co-design an AI-powered instructional unit in Curriculum Genie and compare it with a traditional baseline unit in their own classrooms. - Educators can apply now at the research cohort application page.

The details: - The study is powered exclusively by Learning Genie’s AI curriculum agent, Curriculum Genie. - Researchers will track differences between the AI-powered unit and the baseline unit through pre- and post-assessment data and the validated HOPE scale. - The study centers on two frameworks: Agency-Based Learning and Place-Based Learning. - Agency-Based Learning measures how students move from passive AI users to active participants who set goals, co-create and self-regulate. - Place-Based Learning connects instruction to students’ own communities. - Participating educators receive access to Curriculum Genie during the study. - Dr. Marzano and Dr. Magaña will provide direct mentorship throughout the research process. - Findings from participating classrooms will be compiled into a national meta-analysis. - Participating educators will receive co-author recognition on the final publication.

Between the lines: - Learning Genie is using the cohort to validate a core product and instructional philosophy: student agency can be measured and developed. - The design puts a traditional classroom baseline next to an AI-supported unit, which should make the comparison more useful for schools weighing adoption. - The focus on middle school classrooms and community-grounded instruction suggests an effort to show where agentic AI can fit into everyday teaching, not just pilot programs.

What's next: - Educators will apply for the cohort and, if selected, begin co-designing units in Curriculum Genie. - The participating classrooms will generate data for the national meta-analysis. - The final publication will include co-author recognition for participating educators. - Learning Genie is positioning the study as an early evidence base for how agentic AI can shift students from passive users to active drivers of their own learning.