Overview

• An independent randomized control trial by the University of Chicago’s Development Innovation Lab compared 60 treatment schools with 60 control schools over 17 months, covering roughly 14,000 students in Grades 6–9.
• Students using the personalised adaptive learning software learned at roughly twice the rate of peers, with average usage of 35.3 hours per student during the study period.
• Usage drove outcomes, with two scheduled 40‑minute math sessions a week in PAL labs equipped with 30 tablets per school and greater access in smaller classes linked to larger gains.
• Learning improvements were stronger for girls and younger grades, with reported gains of about 2.31 equivalent years of schooling for girls versus 1.54 for boys and larger effects in Classes 6–7 than in higher grades.
• Officials said Andhra Pradesh will extend PAL to roughly 1,224 schools and shift procurement toward Chromebooks, with the study estimating annual implementation costs at about $20–$25 per student including hardware and support.