Students stop attending school, or markedly reduce the amount of effort they put into learning while in class for a myriad of reasons. Policy responses to truancy often focus on policing and punishing bad behaviour. Some innovative programs targeting at-risk students in disadvantaged communities are trying a different approach by providing positive reinforcement for good behaviour. However, to date only limited attention has been paid to the importance of goals – what does (and could) motivate students to start attending school regularly and devote effort to learning; and how individual goals (and goal setting) could be incorporated into the classroom.

Momentum Cloud is providing a pathway to an open framework that provides transparent engagement with students, teachers and parents that will provide qualified analyses on the effectiveness of goal setting.

Momentum Cloud and Harvard University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enter into agreement to conduct research into the effectiveness of goal-setting to improve outcomes for students, parents and teachers.

The aim of this research is to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of online goal-setting for improving outcomes for students, parents and teachers in Australian schools. In particular, the research will measure the impacts on student attendance, effort, performance, parental engagement, and teachers' experiences.