For the past decade, MDRC has evaluated a number of interventions designed to improve the outcomes of community college students, including enhanced counseling, learning communities, and financial incentives. Encouragingly, many of these strategies have produced positive effects, affirming that changes in institutional practices and policies can…

Using the example of a ten-year-old boy working on a science project, the author discusses the question of when and how much the teacher should intervene and direct a child's independent learning activity. (SJL)