It’s a breakthrough in the field of random walks.

After years of assigning the kind of homework she had done as a student and observing students’ disengagement with it, a teacher overhauled how she assigns math practice.

By explicitly modeling each step of a problem and gradually fading away supports, teachers can give students a clear path to mastering new content.

LEHI, Utah — It was the last class before Thanksgiving break, and high school math teacher Sarah Gale was dishing out more than her usual lessons on data science. “I can smell it,” said one student, ...