What Was Project Follow Through?

Project Follow Through was a federally sponsored education study launched in 1968 to identify the most effective ways to teach at-risk children in kindergarten through grade 3. It involved more than 200,000 students across 178 communities, representing diverse geographic regions, racial and ethnic groups, and income levels. Families in each community selected the instructional model their schools would implement.

The goal was to determine which instructional approaches produced the strongest outcomes for students facing the greatest educational challenges. With strong federal funding, implementation support, and accountability measures, Follow Through was designed to be a rigorous, real-world test of competing educational models.

What Were the Results?

After nine years, the evaluation results were clear: Direct Instruction (DI) outperformed all other models. Students in DI programs showed significantly higher academic achievement, stronger self-confidence, and better long-term outcomes, including higher rates of high school completion and postsecondary participation. No other model produced comparable or replicable results.

The Findings Were Never Shared

Despite the strength and consistency of the findings, the U.S. Office of Education chose not to disseminate the results. Although policymakers accepted the data as valid, the outcomes challenged prevailing educational beliefs. Rather than promoting the one model that consistently succeeded, all models were treated equally, and the most effective approach was not broadly shared with states and districts.

Project Follow Through remains the largest and most consequential educational experiment in U.S. history, and its findings continue to inform NIFDI’s work to promote evidence-based, replicable instructional practices.