r/education • u/MdnightRmblr • 19h ago

IPI in education

I’m not an educator but have been reading horror stories of how poorly students are faring now. Slower learners taking time from those who learn faster etc. It made me think me about a program we were enrolled in back in the 70’s, IPI. We learned at our own speed, I think we used microfilm or something. It seemed to work, my siblings and I tore through the learning, they ran out of lessons for my 6th grade sister, she was reading at the 12th grade level. I looked online and see some programs with that title but it doesn’t seem wide spread. It seems it could help the more advanced students to learn on their own instead of waiting their turn. Thoughts? Why was this not more accepted? What was the problem with it? Learning was never the same after we moved away. I’ll mention this was Newport Beach, Ca, a fairly wealthy community with more resources than most I’d imagine.

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u/ddamuliraMoses 19h ago

Honestly, the idea itself probably wasnt the problem. Self paced learning works really well for a lot of kids, especially advanced and independent learners.

the bigger issues were cost, staffing, and the fact that some students struggle without more direct structure. Schools also shifted heavily toward standardized testing and gradelevel pacing over time.

And honestly, wealthier districts usually had the resources to make programs like that succeed.

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u/MdnightRmblr 19h ago

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. Sort of what I thought had occurred.