The Power of Evidence-Based Education
How John Hattie’s Research Continues to Shape the Foundation of The Pathways School
I remember the exact moment I first started reading John Hattie’s Visible Learning research. A head of school I was working under in Hawai‘i handed it to me and said, “This will be transformative—not just for your own learning, but for your messaging.”
At the time, I was a new high school principal, struggling to communicate clearly and consistently with parents, students, and teachers. I had the experience, I had the instincts—but I didn’t yet have the data to support what I knew to be true. Then along came Hattie, with empirical evidence drawn from thousands of studies showing what actually drives effective learning.
His research—what he calls “evidence-based education”—emphasized helping students become their own teachers. It wasn’t about what might work, or what had worked for some; it was about what worked best, statistically, across broad contexts. Reading Hattie helped me connect what I was seeing, reading, experiencing, and feeling through years of working in international schools. The impact of his work on my own educational journey can’t be overstated.
In Visible Learning, Hattie outlines the “effect size” of various factors influencing student achievement. Anything with an effect size over 0.4 has what he considers a meaningful, positive impact on learning. Anything below that has little to no impact—or may even have a negative one.
Feedback: 0.73
Metacognitive strategies: 0.69
Self-reported grades: 1.44
That last one is astonishing: students are the most accurate predictors of how they will perform. (Source: Visible Learning Glossary)
Using Hattie’s research, I began to reframe the narrative around core teaching principles. Self-assessment, rapid formative assessment, and self-reported grades consistently show the highest effect sizes, meaning they have the strongest positive impact on student learning.
Many of us already knew this intuitively. But seeing the data made it easier to bring others along—to support teachers in aligning their practice, to show parents the value of student reflection, and to speak directly to students about how to take charge of their own learning. Hattie’s research helped guide my emails, my coffee mornings, my professional development sessions, and especially my one-on-one conversations.
Now, as Pathways continues to take shape, I find myself thinking of Hattie often. His work helped crystallize many of the core beliefs I hold about education—beliefs that form the foundation of Pathways:
Self-directed learning
Continuous formative feedback
Metacognition and creativity as teachable, central skills
These practices don’t just “work.” They have an outsized impact on how students learn best—and they’re at the heart of how Pathways is designed to help young people become the best versions of themselves.
Warmly,
Rob
Founder & Director, Pathways
About Rob & The Pathways School
Rob Wilson is an educator, writer, and father of two with over 20 years of experience in international, progressive, and experiential education. From rural Maine to Hong Kong, and now Spain, his journey has always revolved around one question: how can we help young people learn in ways that are meaningful, joyful, and truly prepare them for the future?
Born out of this question, The Pathways School is Rob’s answer. Launching in Southern Spain in 2027, Pathways is a high school that blends personalized, project-based learning with real-world readiness and ecological living. At Pathways, students design their own educational journeys—with the guidance of mentors, experts, and peers—rooted in curiosity, purpose, and deep connection to the world around them.
To follow the journey or get involved, subscribe to the blog or reach out. Let’s build something better—together.
