Dr. Pooja K. Agarwal (she/her) is co-author of the book Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning and she is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She earned her Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011.

Dr. Agarwal’s research has been published in leading peer-reviewed academic journals; featured in The New York Times, Education Week, Scientific American, NPR, and SXSW EDU; recognized by the National Science Foundation; and highlighted in numerous books, podcasts, and videos.

She specializes in applied research on retrieval practice in authentic K–12 classrooms. Dr. Agarwal’s love of learning formed at the outset of her career as a 4th and 5th grade teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. She serves as a consultant and facilitates professional development workshops on the science of learning around the world.

Additional language spoken: Spanish (beginner)

Key finding from Dr. Agarwal’s research: In a review of the literature, retrieval practice consistently increased students’ long-term learning in real classrooms, from K-12 to medical school, across 50 experiments and more than 5,000 students. The majority of effect sizes (57%) revealed medium or large benefits from retrieval practice.

Agarwal, P. K., Nunes, L. D., & Blunt, J. R. (2021). Retrieval practice consistently benefits student learning: A systematic review of 50 experiments in schools and classrooms. Educational Psychology Review, 33(4), 1409-1453.