It started in a Google Group
A post in the Tools Competition's Learning Engineering Google Group asked for a development partner for adaptive learning software. Maths Pathway, an Australian math program, replied with a different interest. The team wanted to show the research basis behind its Learning and Teaching Model and the rigor behind its learning materials. Dr. Kripa Sundar, who had helped other teams with the Tools Competition, reached out to offer support.
Wait for partners or start now?
Maths Pathway faced a choice. Should it wait for a bigger research partnership, or build a shared evidence base now that teachers and school leaders could read? Research partnerships for large scale empirical studies take time. In the meantime, the team wanted a common research base it could share with teachers and other stakeholders that was credible and catalyzed future partnerships. The team decided to start now, with an eye to the future.
Putting their IP on the page
As lead decision partner, Dr. Sundar started from Maths Pathway’s first draft and championed the team's early interest in research. After discussions with the team about the product, its implementation, and codesigning the outline of the whitepaper, Dr. Sundar updated the reference base to reflect the current offering, and tied it to stronger, current evidence. EdTech Recharge produced three whitepapers for Maths Pathway, each delivered in 60 days, with their own value-add and unique communication. For instance, in the first paper that grounds the offering’s evidence approach, plain-language "why" boxes paired each practice with the research behind it, bridging the gap between research and practice. In another paper, EdTech Recharge presented findings on students’ on/off task behavior patterns observed from product data, putting theory to test. A third paper presents the team's internal module review process as an exemplar of how teams could apply learning analytics while still holding their educator hat. Dr. Sundar's team set Maths Pathway's checks beside the questions any reflective teacher asks: How long did students take, and did that fit a real class? Did most learn it, or was it too easy or too hard? Were students ready, missing a skill, or past it already?
Together, these papers showed Maths Pathway's application of rigor in the design of their learning materials and offering implementation, as well as the intentional learning engineering that catered math learning to every student. Academic papers were supported with videos and blogs conveying the key information in more accessible and multimodal formats.
"Dr Kripa Sundar and Dr Katerina Schenke* have been an absolute joy to work with! They're a powerful duo, with very strong specialisms in various areas of research, analysis, and communication with different sorts of stakeholders. We were able to discuss our needs in an open way, make a plan together, and at one point had two simultaneous projects (one being led by each) which were both amazingly successful! Very flexible, and focussed on the needs of the clients, and seeing the objectives in the overall context of the research space. Working with them feels like having powerful, knowledgeable allies who are in your corner, working with you for the best possible outcomes."
— Justin Matthys, co-founder, Maths Pathway
What has happened since?
Dr. Sundar remained involved with the Maths Pathway team as part of their Research Advisory Board and supporting applications to the Tools Competition. In December 2025, Maths Pathway and Reflective announced a merger. As of May 2026, the Maths Pathway team reported that the team used the papers to communicate key parts of their work with stakeholders. They were also able to build upon the whitepapers to work with three independent schools to examine concrete outcomes, resulting in three new papers, demonstrating about 1.5 times the expected rate of learning in common standardized tests.
Your Takeaway
What does your team know about your product that no one outside the room can read yet? Building your evidence base does not have to mean a large or expensive impact study. It can start with smaller steps that show the evidence behind your design, or a process that sets you apart.
*Dr. Katerina Schenke was part of EdTech Recharge from Dec 2020 to May 2022.