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Chin, M., Kane, T., Kozakowski, W., Schueler, B., & Staiger, D. (2017). Assessing the Impact of the Newark Education Reforms . Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.Abstract
newark_ed_reform_synopsis.pdf
Aided by $200 million in private philanthropy, city and state leaders launched a major school reform effort in Newark, New Jersey, starting in the 2011–2012 school year. In a coinciding National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper, we assessed the impact of those reforms on student achievement growth, comparing students in Newark Public Schools (NPS) district and charter schools to students with similar prior achievement, similar demographics, and similar peers elsewhere in New Jersey. This report includes key findings.
Hill, H. C., Kraft, M. A., & Herlihy, C. (2016). Developing Common Core Classrooms Through Rubric-Based Coaching . Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.Abstract
Read the early research findings report.

The project team is still awaiting student test data to complete the evaluation, but this brief provides a short update on survey results. Students of MQI-coached teachers report that their teachers ask more substantive questions, and require more use of mathematical vocabulary as compared to students of control teachers. Students in MQI-coached classrooms also reported more student talk in class. Teachers who received MQI Coaching tended to find their professional development significantly more useful than control teachers, and were also more likely to report that their mathematics instruction improved over the course of the year.

Kane, T. J. (2016). Let the Numbers Have Their Say: Evidence on Massachusetts' Charter Schools . Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.Abstract
Read the report

In Massachusetts, the charter school debate has centered on four concerns:

  • that the achievement of the high-scoring charter schools is due to selective admission and retention policies and not the education that the charter schools provide,
  • that charter schools are underserving English language learners and special education students,
  • that charter schools are disciplining students at higher rates in order to drive troublesome students back to traditional schools, and
  • that charter schools are undermining traditional public schools financially.

This report summarizes the evidence pertaining to these four concerns.

(2015). Research Project Overview: The Study of Pre-College Math Remediation Programs in Tennessee . Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.Abstract
sails-research-project-overview.pdf

In an effort to promote college enrollment and degree completion, the state of Tennessee has invested a student-centric, technology-based blended learning model of high school mathematics instruction, The Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS).

The SAILS program provides high school seniors likely to require math remediation in college with coursework equivalent to college-level developmental education classes. Eligible students who complete the program are able to satisfy math require-ments for high school graduation and, upon postsecondary matriculation, to enroll directly in credit-bearing coursework toward a college degree.

Researchers at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education are partnering with the SAILS Program and Tennessee state leadership to conduct an evaluation of SAILS. Using a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study will examine the impact of participation in SAILS on students’ short- and long-term outcomes and investigate the mechanisms by which the program may promote students’ postsecondary success.

NCTE Student Assessments

Developed jointly by Harvard and Educational Testing Services (ETS), the NCTE Student Assessment is an open resource for use by researchers and practitioners (not commercial ventures). The assessment was designed to be sensitive to teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching and instruction, and to measure gains resulting from teacher professional development. Additionally, the NCTE Student Assessments are aligned to the 4th and 5th grade Common Core Standards in Mathematics.

The items on the NCTE assessment have a unique "nested set" design which assesses the understanding...

Read more about NCTE Student Assessments
(2013). Graduate Exit Survey Toolkit . Strategic Data Project.Abstract

This toolkit provides useful resources for designing and rolling out a high school graduate exit survey, as well as effectively analyzing survey results in a school district. Anyone who is interested in implementing a high school exit survey, reworking a current exit survey, or effectively analyzing survey results in a school district can leverage this resource.

Learn more about the [Graduate Exit Survey].