REL Research Update Newsletter April 2013

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Research Update Newsletter April 2013 Vol. 2, No. 4
WelcomeREL Midwest is one of 10 regional educational laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and is administered by American Institutes for Research (AIR). Each edition of REL Midwest’s Research Update brings you news of how our scope of work is unfolding in your state and across the region, and offers information about resources available from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program and other research and technical assistance providers. This month, we discuss school improvement. School improvement is a critical issue for many states, and, as the following articles suggest, is often at the forefront of new education research and practice.	IN THIS ISSUE Featured Topic School Improvement News, Events, and Activities Learn about people, organizations, and issues in the region. Resources to Explore Contact Us REL Midwest 1120 East Diehl Road Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
Featured TopicNew Developments in School Improvement: District Leadership Policymakers and education practitioners have long called for the need to improve the nation’s most underperforming schools. Although this call for school improvement has remained consistent, the conversation about school improvement as a matter of policy and practice has undergone considerable change in recent years. The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act under the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 and the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 have provided states and local education stakeholders both the challenge of ensuring their students are making adequate yearly progress as well as the chance to improve student outcomes through flexible policy waivers and large increases in federal funding. At the same time, education practitioners have been developing and implementing new strategies for the school and the classroom with the goal of improving student performance. Practitioners often rely on the work of education researchers, such as those at REL Midwest, to identify evidence-based best practices for school improvement. As the conversation over school improvement policy and practice changes, one evidence-based best practice is receiving increased attention in the last few years in light of new research. Practitioners know the importance of strong school leaders in improving schools, and research has shown that these leaders, especially principals, can be critical to the school improvement process ( Herman et al., 2008; Kowal & Hassel, 2005 ). Strong leaders can set — and rally staff members around — a coherent set of measureable goals. They can manage a break from the status quo and provide a vision for school improvement that inspires not only teachers and students but the community as a whole. Strong leadership, in short, is important. But recent research suggests that its importance may go beyond the schoolyard. Researchers are now highlighting the role that strong leaders at the district level are playing in the improvement of student outcomes at the school level (Zavadsky, 2012). A study of more than 200 school district superintendents published last month found a statistically significant relationship between superintendent levels of leadership authenticity and their districts’ use of best practices in the school improvement process (Bird, Dunaway, Hancock, & Wang, 2013 ). Like school principals, strong district superintendents are providing a coherent set of “baseline” goals for schools. But, in many instances, they are doing so to encourage multiple approaches to school improvement in their districts, rather than dictating a single set of practices that all schools must follow (Anderson, Mascall, Stiegelbauer, & Park, 2012 ). These district leaders are serving as “catalysts” for school change — setting the goals for school improvement and then supporting principals and other school-level leaders in devising the means to achieving those goals (Hollingworth, 2012). Researchers are not alone. Last month, the Obama administration requested an additional $125 million in competitive grants to help expand district capacity to support school improvement efforts. It is not clear what — if any — additional funding will be made available to districts for school improvement efforts. However, the request itself is further acknowledgement by the education community that districts and their leaders have a potentially crucial role to play in helping low-performing schools. The research on school improvement and school or district leadership is promising, but also limited. More research is needed to identify how and why leadership is an important factor in helping schools improve student outcomes, and more evidence is needed to support the best research-based practices for school improvement. REL Midwest is actively engaged in research on school improvement through two of our research alliances. In Michigan, the Beating the Odds Research Alliance is working to identify the factors that contribute to some schools performing better than other schools with similar characteristics. In Iowa, the Leadership for School Improvement Alliance is working with stakeholders to design and implement evidence-based school leadership programs and policies in an attempt to encourage active leadership as well as data-informed professional development. As work on school improvement continues, REL Midwest is available to support informed decisions in policy and practice through rigorous, evidence-based education research. From Policy to Practice: School Improvement in Ohio As school improvement continues to be a topic of national, state, and local conversations on reform, Midwestern states and districts are seeking to identify persistently struggling schools and improve their practices and outcomes. In Ohio, turning around low-performing schools has become a priority area at the state level as it seeks to implement federal education initiatives, including the School Improvement Grant and Race to the Top programs. At the local level, districts have worked with state education officials to develop detailed plans outlining how to change the operation of their schools in a top-to-bottom school reform approach that has garnered national attention. To highlight and discuss the work being done in Ohio, REL Midwest and WVIZ Cleveland held the latest event in REL Midwest’s Making Connections series: “Using Research-Based Strategies for School Improvement in Ohio.” Featuring research expert Sam Stringfield, Ph.D., (University of Cincinnati) as well as Jessica Johnson (American Institutes for Research), Pamela VanHorn (Ohio Department of Education), Elaine Lawless (principal, North Franklin Elementary), and moderator Susan Therriault, Ed.D., (American Institutes for Research), the television panel discussed a number of important themes related to successful school improvement strategies. Data, and its proper collection and use, was an important element of successful school improvement according to the panel. Schools are often “swimming in data,” noted Johnson, with the challenge being how to use available data to improve student outcomes. On a state level, the Ohio Improvement Process leverages data to improve student outcomes by addressing the achievement gap among some subgroups of students. On a school level, Principal Lawless highlighted how student performance data collected in a continuous manner throughout the school year was a valuable resource for teachers seeking to change instruction based on student understanding. Professor Stringfield led a discussion on the importance of setting achievable goals for school improvement, stressing the need to work toward a handful of goals that can be easily prioritized. School improvement often requires a related vision or focus, sustained by a committed and engaged staff. Ohio has worked to support this strategy by helping districts and schools create leadership teams while experts, such as Johnson, work with all school stakeholders to help identify challenges and ways to address these challenges to improving student outcomes. The hourlong event also included discussion about the federal role in Ohio’s school improvement process as well as the importance of multiple stakeholders — including parents — in the school improvement process. News, Events, and Activities REL Midwest, along with its Rural and Virtual Education Research Alliances, is hosting a Making Connections event on the topic of online professional development for rural educators. Participants will have an opportunity to interact with nationally renowned researchers and practitioners on this important topic. We invite you to join us from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Central Time, on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, for our webinar. The event will feature Chris Haskell, Ed.D. (Department of Educational Technology, Boise State University). Dr. Haskell will share his research on game-based learning and discuss how “gaming” may provide new approaches and opportunities for the professional development of rural educators. The event also will feature presentations from Professor Simone White, Ed.D. (School of Education, Monash University), on Australia’s approach to the online professional development of rural educators as well as Evan Abbey (Heartland Area Education Agency) on the current strategies for online professional development being implemented in rural Iowa. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on the presentations and talk about the approaches they can implement in their school or district. Take time to visit REL Midwest’s event archive and view “Building Principals’ Capacity to Coach Professional Learning Teams.” Matthew Clifford, Ph.D., principal researcher at AIR, discussed principal professional development and strategies for increasing administrator capacity to support collaborative efforts among their staff members. A panel of experts also discussed efforts to provide inservice principals with executive coaching support. While you’re visiting the event archive, view REL Midwest’s recent webinar “Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance of Adolescents.” Jenny Nagaoka and Camille Farrington, Ph.D., from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research discussed the research as presented in their paper, Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners: The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance, and local practitioners reported on their efforts to develop students’ noncognitive skills in the classroom. REL Midwest welcomes Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard A. Ross, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Ross took office at a swearing-in ceremony on March 25, 2013. Prior to his selection as state superintendent, he had been leading Governor John Kasich’s Office of 21st Century Education. Resources to Explore The U.S. Department of Education’s School Turnaround Learning Community website “offers resources, training, and discussion tools that enable users to share school turnaround practices and lessons learned, and facilitate networking to support schools more effectively.” Find school improvement and turnaround resources specific to your state here: Illinois: http://www.isbe.net/sos/htmls/school.htm Indiana: http://www.doe.in.gov/improvement/turnaround Iowa: http://www.educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1558&Itemid=2342 Michigan: http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-28753_ 38959—,00.html Minnesota: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/SchSup/TurnSch/index.html Ohio: http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ ODEPrimary.aspx?Page=2&TopicRelationID=1911 Wisconsin: http://winss.dpi.wi.gov/winss_improvement_index The U.S. Department of Education School Improvement Grants help state education agencies fund local improvement efforts. The Handbook on Effective Implementation of School Improvement Grants can be found on the ED.gov website. Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools is a 2008 IES practice guide aimed “to formulate specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations for use by educators aiming to quickly and dramatically improve student achievement in low-performing schools.” Follow REL Midwest on Twitter. Ask a REL is a collaborative reference desk service designed to function in much the same way as a technical reference library. Following established search protocols, our researchers provide timely responses to your questions in the form of referrals and references. Submit your question online today. Contact Us For more information about any of the items in this newsletter or to speak with a member of our staff, please contact us by telephone (866-730-6735) or e-mail (relmidwest@air.org). We look forward to hearing from you. REL Midwest at American Institutes for Research 1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
This material was prepared under Contract ED-IES-12-C-0004 by Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest, administered by American Institutes for Research. The content of the publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce in whole or in part for educational purposes is granted.

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REL Research Update Newsletter March 2013

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Research Update Newsletter March 2013 Vol. 2, No. 3
Welcome REL Midwest is one of 10 regional educational laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and is administered by American Institutes for Research (AIR). Each edition of REL Midwest’s Research Update brings you news of how our scope of work is unfolding in your state and across the region and offers information about resources available from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program and other research and technical assistance providers. Research alliances figure prominently in REL work, and REL Midwest has 10 of them that drive our activities in research, evaluation, technical assistance, and dissemination. This month, we introduce you to our State Data Directors Research Alliance.	IN THIS ISSUE Our Work Meet our State Data Directors Research Alliance. News, Events, and Activities Learn about people, organizations, and issues in the region. Resources to Explore Contact Us REL Midwest 1120 East Diehl Road Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
Our Work State Data Directors Research Alliance The State Data Directors Research Alliance is linked to the overall goal of the REL Program to assist states in using their data systems and helping policymakers and practitioners incorporate data-based inquiry practices into their ongoing decision making. Being part of the state educational leadership structure, the data directors are influential in setting research and evaluation agendas within their states and linking data systems to school improvement. Collectively, alliance members focus on developing ideas for rigorous applied research and evaluation projects and technical assistance products within REL Midwest’s scope of work. AIR Principal Researcher Arie van der Ploeg leads the work of the alliance whose members include: Wes Bruce, Chief Assessment Officer, Indiana Department of Education Matt Cohen, Chief Research Officer, Ohio Department of Education Peter Godard, Chief Performance Officer, Illinois State Board of Education Kurt J. Kiefer, Assistant State Superintendent, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Joseph Martineau, Director, Bureau of Educational Assessment and Accountability, Michigan Department of Education Jay Pennington, Chief, Bureau of Information and Analysis, Iowa Department of Education Matthew Porett, Chief Information Officer, Minnesota Department of Education In 2012, alliance members asked REL Midwest to help them construct and implement a process to explore the current state of their districts’ research and evaluation efforts. Although school districts are asked, are required, or choose to conduct research or evaluate programs to make decisions about what works and to allocate resources, little is known about the frequency, content, and evidence produced by the work. In providing this technical assistance, REL Midwest is exploring the frequency with which local school districts initiate and conduct research or evaluation studies, the characteristics of districts that conduct local research and evaluation studies, and the quality of the evidence the studies produce. The alliance members want to use this work to inform their states’ efforts to develop and implement processes to support their districts’ capacity for using evidence. As part of its new work for 2013, REL Midwest is following up on a request by the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE’s) Office of Exceptional Children to assist in examining the state’s procedures to identify and support gifted students. Ohio legislation requires the publication of performance data, both status and growth, for students identified as gifted. Although Ohio’s state longitudinal data system tracks gifted students and programs, ODE staff members are interested in learning about more rigorous methods to examine the performance and growth of gifted students. To address this request, REL Midwest proposed a project that will introduce ODE staff to alternative rigorous analytic approaches to estimate performance differences related to the classification of students as gifted and assist them in understanding the strengths and limitations of the approaches. The proposal for this work is pending IES approval. For more information about the alliance, contact Arie van der Ploeg at avanderploeg@air.org. News, Events, and Activities Register now to join REL Midwest and WVIZ/PBS ideastream on Monday, April 15, 2013, at the Idea Center at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for “Using Research-Based Strategies for School Improvement in Ohio.” One of REL Midwest’s Making Connections events, this program aims to help educators, education leaders, and policymakers better understand research-based strategies that can be implemented in schools and districts to advance school improvement and turnaround efforts. Featured presenters include Sam Stringfield, Ph.D., professor and director, University of Cincinnati School of Education; Pamela VanHorn, ODE; Jessica Johnson, AIR; and Patrick Callaghan, Southwestern City Schools. The program will be taped with a live studio audience for later broadcast. There is no registration fee, but space is limited. Take time to visit REL Midwest’s event archive and view the webinar “Using Data to Prepare Students for College and Careers.” Chrys Dougherty, Ph.D., senior research scientist at ACT, Inc., and the National Center for Educational Achievement, discussed his report, Using the Right Data to Determine if High School Interventions Are Working to Prepare Students for College and Careers, which focuses on identifying students who have large academic preparation gaps upon entering high school and developing databases that can be used to identify promising interventions. While you’re visiting the event archive, check out “Implications of Virtual Education for State Longitudinal Data Systems.” This webinar featured a national overview by Dorothyjean (DJ) Cratty, associate research scientist at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and state-level perspectives from John Brandt, Ph.D., information technology director with the Utah State Office of Education, and Kurt Kiefer, assistant state superintendent with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Resources to Explore The U.S. Department of Education (ED), federally funded technical assistance providers, and other organizations offer information on a variety of topics, including data use. Check out the following resources: Need data in a hurry? Among the many resources available on the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) website is “Fast Facts,” a source of concise information on a range of education issues. The site also features a number of data tools, including state education data profiles, district mapping and demographics, and district profiles from the 2010 Census. The ED Data Express site is designed to improve public access to state-level education data collected by ED. Data.gov/education lists a variety of resources for teachers. Follow REL Midwest on Twitter. Ask a REL is a collaborative reference desk service designed to function in much the same way as a technical reference library. Following established search protocols, our researchers provide timely responses to your questions in the form of referrals and references. Submit your question online today. Contact Us For more information about any of the items in this newsletter or to speak with a member of our staff, please contact us by telephone (866-730-6735) or e-mail (relmidwest@air.org). We look forward to hearing from you. REL Midwest at American Institutes for Research 1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
This material was prepared under Contract ED-IES-12-C-0004 by Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest, administered by American Institutes for Research. The content of the publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce in whole or in part for educational purposes is granted.

This email was sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com

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REL Research Update Newsletter February 2013

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Research Update Newsletter February 2013 Vol. 2, No. 2
WelcomeREL Midwest is one of 10 regional educational laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and is administered by American Institutes for Research (AIR). Each edition of REL Midwest’s Research Update brings you news of how our scope of work is unfolding in your state and across the region and offers information about resources available from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program and other research and technical assistance providers. Research alliances figure prominently in REL work, and REL Midwest has 10 of them that drive our activities in research, evaluation, technical assistance, and dissemination. This month, we introduce you to our Teacher Effectiveness Research Alliance.	IN THIS ISSUE Our Work Meet our Teacher Effectiveness Research Alliance. News, Events, and Activities Learn about people, organizations, and issues in the region. Resources to Explore Contact Us REL Midwest 1120 East Diehl Road Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
Our WorkTeacher Effectiveness Research Alliance With a state-specific focus, the Teacher Effectiveness Research Alliance provides Minnesota with research and technical assistance to evaluate and scale up effective teaching practices in the state. AIR Senior Researcher Jim Lindsay, Ph.D., leads the work of the alliance whose members include: Karen Balmer, Executive Director, Minnesota Board of Teaching Rose Chu, Ph.D., Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Education Steve Dibb, Director, School Support Division, Minnesota Department of Education Erin Doan, Researcher, Educator Licensing, Minnesota Department of Education Greg Keith, Evaluation Specialist, Office of Innovation, Minnesota Department of Education Richard Wassen, Director of Educator Licensing, Minnesota Department of Education In 2012, alliance members requested REL Midwest’s technical assistance in redesigning their existing teacher supply-and-demand study to address additional policy-relevant research questions. State education agencies (SEAs) conduct supply-and-demand studies to help ensure adequate staffing in terms of subject areas, grade levels, and other considerations. REL Midwest researchers conducted a search of literature relevant to the topics that alliance members and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) wanted to examine. REL Midwest researchers also conducted a gap analysis to determine whether sufficient data already existed to address the research questions or whether additional data collection would be necessary. These efforts resulted in a description of methodologies from which MDE can choose for its supply-and-demand study. Alliance members also reported a dearth of information about the mobility of teachers within Minnesota and between the neighboring states of Wisconsin and Iowa. Mobility can be costly to both states and districts. It hampers state initiatives to create equitable distributions of educators in districts and it harms districts that educators leave because of the substantial expenses associated with staff recruitment and placement. The SEAs in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin are interested in examining the state policies related to educator mobility across states (e.g., licensing, pension benefits) and school-related factors that may be related to mobility. REL Midwest—in partnership with Michael Podgursky, Ph.D., at the University of Missouri and alliance members—is planning a two-year study that examines states’ policies related to mobility and patterns of intrastate and interstate educator mobility. REL Midwest will submit the full study proposal to IES soon for review and approval. For more information about the alliance, contact Dr. Lindsay at jlindsay@air.org. News, Events, and Activities REL Midwest welcomes Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz to its board of directors. Ms. Ritz was elected to Indiana’s chief education post in November 2012 and assumed the post in January 2013. Plans are under way for a public television event on school improvement in Cleveland, Ohio. The event is scheduled for April 15, 2013, and will be held in collaboration with WVIZ/PBS ideastream. Details will available in mid-March on the REL Midwest website. Take time to view the archived 2012 REL Midwest webinar on evaluating teachers of untested subjects. Lisa Lachlan-Haché, Ed.D., of the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality discussed research, emerging field practices, and her experiences in supporting states and districts in developing teacher evaluation systems. Also featured was a conversation among school district representatives from around the country that have implemented systems for evaluating teachers of untested subjects. “Connect-Inform-Advance: Promoting Academic Success of Rural Students,” the 2013 national conference on rural education hosted by the National Center for Research on Rural Education (R²Ed), will be held April 3–4, 2013, in Omaha, Nebraska. The event will feature research presentations and moderated panel responses, each including representatives from the research, practice, and policy communities. Nebraska Commissioner of Education Roger Breed, Ed.D., and Cindy McIntee, J.D., past president of the National Rural Education Association, will deliver keynote addresses. Visit the R²Ed website for details. Resources to Explore The U.S. Department of Education, federally funded technical assistance providers, and other organizations offer information on a variety of topics, including educator effectiveness. Check out the following resources: The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) continues the work of the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center). A Practical Guide to Designing Comprehensive Teacher Evaluation Systems is just one of many resources available on the GTL Center website. A 2012 U.S. Department of Education report entitled Providing Effective Teachers for All Students: Examples From Five Districts addresses three questions: 1) How did the districts identify effective teachers and what were some of the challenges associated with the measures that the districts used? 2) How did the districts use information about teachers’ effectiveness in human resource policies? 3) How did the districts use information about teachers’ effectiveness in their efforts to make the distribution of effective teachers more equitable? Included among the five study districts was Columbus City Schools in Ohio. The IES-funded National Center for Teacher Effectiveness (NCTE) seeks to join together existing strands of teacher-effectiveness research in the quest for a valid, scalable measure of teacher effectiveness. The NCTE website includes publications developed by NCTE researchers for policymakers, educators, and other researchers. Among the featured resources for teachers and leaders on the website of Public Impact is the slide deck from a presentation entitled How Should States Define Teacher Effectiveness? This presentation discusses basing the definition of teacher effectiveness on student learning outcomes and behaviors linked to those outcomes, and using rigorous research about top teachers to determine what behaviors to include in the definition. The Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project, a three-year study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation involving six school districts and 3,000 teachers, sought to build and test measures of effective teaching. Publications and project reports, including the final research report released in January 2013, are available on the MET project website. REL Midwest and the Indiana University School Administrators Association cohosted a 2012 conference focused on teacher effectiveness and evaluation. Laura Goe., Ph.D., of ETS discussed her research on evaluating teacher effectiveness and her experience supporting states, teachers’ unions, and regional comprehensive centers in considering different approaches to teacher evaluation. Dr. Goe’s presentation and other meeting materials are available in the REL Midwest event archive. Follow REL Midwest on Twitter. Ask a REL is a collaborative reference desk service designed to function in much the same way as a technical reference library. Following established search protocols, our researchers provide timely responses to your questions in the form of referrals and references. Submit your question online today. Contact Us For more information about any of the items in this newsletter or to speak with a member of our staff, please contact us by telephone (866-730-6735) or by e-mail (relmidwest@air.org). We look forward to hearing from you. REL Midwest at American Institutes for Research 1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
This material was prepared under Contract ED-IES-12-C-0004 by Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest, administered by American Institutes for Research. The content of the publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce in whole or in part for educational purposes is granted.

This email was sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com

 

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REL Research Update Newsletter January 2013

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Research Update Newsletter January 2013 Vol. 2, No. 1
Welcome REL Midwest is one of 10 regional educational laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and is administered by American Institutes for Research (AIR). Each edition of REL Midwest’s Research Update brings you news of how our scope of work is unfolding in your state and across the region and offers information about resources available from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program and other research and technical assistance providers. Research alliances figure prominently in REL work, and REL Midwest has 10 of them that drive our activities in research, evaluation, technical assistance, and dissemination. This month, we introduce you to our Virtual Education Research Alliance.	IN THIS ISSUE Our Work Meet our Virtual Education Research Alliance. News, Events, and Activities Learn about people, organizations, and issues in the region. Resources to Explore Contact Us REL Midwest 1120 East Diehl Road Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
Our Work Virtual Education Research Alliance Midwestern states are using virtual education to enhance‚ supplement‚ and in some cases replace traditional brick-and-mortar K–12 public schools. The Virtual Education Research Alliance (VERA) has two main goals: (1) to develop the capacity for the states of Wisconsin and Iowa to collect and use data in order to implement effective high-school virtual learning programs‚ and (2) to develop and carry out a research agenda that focuses on specific questions about student achievement and virtual learning conditions. AIR Senior Technical Assistance Consultant Pam Jacobs‚ Ph.D.‚ leads the work of the alliance‚ and Peggy Clements‚ Ph.D.‚ research scientist at Education Development Center‚ Inc. (EDC)‚ serves as principal investigator. Alliance members include: Mary Corwin Herring‚ Ph.D.‚ Associate Dean of the College of Education‚ University of Northern Iowa Marcel Kielkucki‚ Director‚ High School Completion Programs‚ Kirkwood Community College Gwen Nagel‚ Director‚ Iowa Learning Online‚ Iowa Department of Education Michele Nickels‚ Director‚ Wisconsin Virtual School Dawn Nordine‚ Executive Director‚ Wisconsin Virtual School During 2012‚ VERA met three times‚ offering alliance members the opportunity to broaden their understanding of rigorous research and the process of developing a research agenda. Among the key issues that emerged were the need for information on how and for what reasons schools in their states are using online courses‚ and the need for research on professional development programs that target support mechanisms for students enrolled in online courses. The REL Midwest research team is working with VERA members on two research efforts related to these key issues. The first involves developing and administering a survey that VERA member states can administer to determine the extent to which schools are utilizing online course options for their students‚ the reasons why schools are turning to online course options‚ and the policies and practices schools employ to support students enrolled in online courses. In addition‚ the research team is planning a series of studies building toward a potential randomized controlled trial that will investigate the effect of student support on student success in online courses. In November 2012‚ REL Midwest hosted a Making Connections event in collaboration with VERA. Presented as a webinar‚ the event focused on the implications of virtual education on state longitudinal data systems; it is archived on the REL Midwest website. For more information about the alliance‚ contact Dr. Jacobs by e-mail.   News‚ Events‚ and Activities AIR Principal Researcher R. Dean Gerdeman‚ Ph.D.‚ became REL Midwest acting director effective January 1‚ 2013‚ following the resignation of Matt Dawson‚ Ph.D. Senior Researcher Chris Brandt‚ Ph.D.‚ has moved into the position of REL Midwest deputy director. Dr. Dawson‚ who served as REL Midwest director from 2006 through 2012‚ is now with AdvancED in Georgia. The 29th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning‚ sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison‚ will be held August 7–9‚ 2013‚ in Madison. Visit the conference website to receive more information. The International Association for K–12 Online Learning (iNACOL) will hold its 2013 Virtual School Symposium October 27–30‚ 2013‚ in Orlando‚ Florida. Visit the iNACOL website to learn more about its events and resources. Plans for REL Midwest’s 2013 Making Connections event series include a February webinar on college and career readiness‚ an April public television event in Ohio on low-performing schools and school improvement‚ and an in-person event in Indiana in June on college and career readiness. As we finalize arrangements‚ we will post details on our website. There is still time to register for “Connect-Inform-Advance: Promoting Academic Success of Rural Students‚” the 2013 national conference on rural education hosted by the IES-funded National Center for Research on Rural Education (R2Ed). The conference will be held April 3–4‚ 2013‚ in Omaha‚ Nebraska. Visit the R2Ed website for details. REL Central is offering a webinar from 10 to 11:30 a.m. (Mountain Time) on January 30‚ 2013‚ titled Interpreting the Evidence Around College Access Strategies. Featuring IES practice guide coauthor Neal Finkelstein‚ Ph.D.‚ the webinar will focus on curricula that prepare students for college‚ what assessments can be used to estimate college readiness‚ how to engage students in completing steps to gain college entrance‚ and how to work with families to obtain financial assistance for college. Visit the REL Central website for details.   Resources to Explore The U.S. Department of Education‚ federally funded technical assistance providers‚ and other organizations offer information on a variety of topics‚ including virtual education. Check out the following resources: Education administrators and policymakers who want to better understand the potential impact of online learning on educational productivity may find Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity helpful. The Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International prepared this 2012 issue brief for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology. The 2010 revision of the U.S. Department of Education report Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies involved a systematic search of the research literature from 1996 through July 2008. The main finding of the literature review was that few rigorous studies of the effectiveness of online learning for K–12 students have been published. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology has released the draft report Expanding Evidence Approaches for Learning in a Digital World for public comment. Developed in partnership with a technical working group of learning technologies experts‚ the report “discusses the promise of sophisticated digital learning systems for collecting and analyzing large amounts of fine-grained data…as users interact with the systems.” Interested in some background information on collecting useful data about virtual education? Review the recommendations in the Forum Guide to Elementary/Secondary Virtual Education. Published in 2006 by the National Forum on Education Statistics‚ the guide is geared toward staff of state and local education agencies. Follow REL Midwest on Twitter. Ask a REL is a collaborative reference desk service designed to function in much the same way as a technical reference library. Following established search protocols‚ our researchers provide timely responses to your questions in the form of referrals and references. Submit your question online today. Contact Us For more information about any of the items in this newsletter or to speak with a member of our staff‚ please contact us by telephone (866-730-6735) or by e-mail (relmidwest@air.org). We look forward to hearing from you. REL Midwest at American Institutes for Research 1120 East Diehl Road‚ Suite 200 Naperville‚ IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
This material was prepared under Contract ED-IES-12-C-0004 by Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest, administered by American Institutes for Research. The content of the publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce in whole or in part for educational purposes is granted.

This email was sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com This email was sent by: American Institutes for Research 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007-3835 USA We respect your right to privacy – view our policy
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REL Research Update Newsletter December 2012

From late Wednesday night…

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Research Update Newsletter December 2012 Vol. 1, No. 9
Welcome REL Midwest is one of 10 regional educational laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and is administered by American Institutes for Research (AIR). Each edition of REL Midwest’s Research Update brings you news of how our scope of work is unfolding in your state and across the region and offers information about resources available from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program and other research and technical assistance providers. Research alliances figure prominently in REL work, and REL Midwest has 10 of them that drive our activities in research, evaluation, technical assistance, and dissemination. In previous issues, we introduced you to seven of our research alliances, and you will meet the State Data Directors, Teacher Effectiveness, and Virtual Education Research Alliances early in 2013. This month, in the spirit of year-end reflection, we invite you to join us in taking a look back at 2012.	IN THIS ISSUE Our Work Take a look back at our first year. News, Events, and Activities Learn about people, organizations, and issues in the region. Resources to Explore Contact Us REL Midwest 1120 East Diehl Road Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
Our Work The Year in Review Busy, exhilarating, challenging, exciting–that’s our description of REL Midwest’s first year in this new five-year contract. In general, we enjoyed a quick start-up, convening 10 research alliances that informed16 project concepts to address the region’s priority areas of early childhood education, college and career success, educator effectiveness, and support for low-performing schools. Our Reference Desk/Ask a REL staff responded to research and information requests from teachers, administrators, and policymakers, about topics that ranged from funding dual enrollment programs to recruiting minority candidates for classroom and leadership roles. We launched a website and Twitter feed, offered “REL 101″ webinars in three states, and shared our monthly e-newsletter with more than 3,000 readers. We planned nine events that connect research, practice, and policy and delivered them as in-person meetings, webinars, or public television broadcasts. Participants consistently agreed that presenters clearly explained research evidence and connected it to practical implementation. REL Midwest’s analytic and technical support services help to build constituents’ knowledge and capacity. The technical assistance activities undertaken in 2012 were designed to build the capacity of research alliance members to use data wisely, address alliances’ specific research questions (i.e., requests for knowledge), and inform development of future applied research and evaluation studies. We proposed nine analytic technical support activities, all of which received IES approval. Following are examples: One project helps districts use an early warning (indicator) system automated tool to identify students at risk of dropping out of high school or failing to graduate within four years. Another project will inform the design of an evaluation of a new professional development program for principals and is scheduled for implementation in the fall of 2013. A third project focuses on building capacity to conduct sound research on effective professional development programs for online teachers and school staff. REL Midwest staff and research alliance members developed field-driven research agendas toward the goal of developing and implementing research studies on programs and policies aligned with each alliance’s research agenda. In 2012, REL Midwest proposed seven studies across six alliances. The majority of the studies are linked to related technical assistance activities to support an integrated research agenda. Examples of study topics include local validation of early warning indicators, incorporating student and teacher feedback surveys into principal performance evaluations, and examining ratings and dimensions of quality in an early childhood education quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). Our rigorous scope of work is designed to meet the educational needs of the seven states that we serve. We invite you to contact your REL Midwest state liaison for additional information about any of our projects and events or to discuss a state-specific issue. Illinois, Indiana: Sheila Rodriguez, Policy Analyst Iowa, Michigan, Ohio: Lisa Shimmel, Policy Analyst Minnesota: Alicia Garcia, J.D., Policy Analyst Wisconsin: Briana Martin, Policy Analyst Overall, 2012 was a successful first year. We appreciate the opportunity to be of service, and we offer special thanks to the REL Midwest Board of Directors for their commitment and guidance.   News, Events, and Activities IES released reports this month from two REL Midwest randomized controlled studies conducted during the previous REL contract. The Impact of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Program on Student Reading Achievement was a two-year study involving 32 elementary schools in five districts in Illinois. The study was designed to address questions from Midwestern states and districts about the extent to which benchmark assessment may affect teachers’ differentiated instructional practices and student achievement. The second report, Evaluation of the Content Literacy Continuum: Report on Program Impacts, Program Fidelity, and Contrast, presents the findings of a rigorous experimental impact evaluation and implementation study of the Content Literacy Curriculum (CLC) intervention. Thirty-three high schools in nine districts across four Midwestern states agreed to participate in this evaluation, and 28 of those 33 schools continued their participation throughout the entire study period. Full implementation of this intervention began in the 2008-09 school year and continued through the 2009-10 school year. Given that CLC was designed to address the dual needs of high schools to support both the literacy and content learning of students, the evaluation focused on program impacts on reading comprehension test scores and students’ accumulation of course credits in core content areas. Teacher Strategies for Engaging Girls in Math and Science, a Minnesota Public Television broadcast, will air Sunday, December 23, 2012, at 8 p.m. and again on Sunday, December 30, 2012, at 12 noon. Presented by REL Midwest and Twin Cities Public Television (tpt), the event was taped with a studio audience in November for broadcast on tpt stations. Kathryn Wentzel, Ph.D., professor at the University of Maryland and an author of the IES Practice Guide Encouraging Girls in Math and Science, discusses the research-based recommendations found in the Practice Guide. Doug Paulson of the Minnesota Department of Education discusses state-level initiatives in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and Cathy Kindem, Ed.D., discusses her experiences implementing research-based strategies for encouraging girls in mathematics and science. Check for Minnesota stations in your area. The program will be archived online early in 2013. Making Connections: Dropout Prevention Strategies, presented by REL Midwest and Wisconsin Public Television, will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on Thursday, December 27, 2012, and at 12 a.m. on Friday, December 28, on the Wisconsin Channel. Taped with a studio audience on December 18, the program features AIR Senior Researcher Susan Therriault, Ed.D., who presents current research related to dropout prevention. Also included are Steve Fernan from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, who focuses on current Wisconsin initiatives to decrease dropouts, and Sally Schultz, a local Wisconsin practitioner who discusses how schools and districts can implement dropout prevention efforts. Check Wisconsin stations in your area. The program will be archived online early in 2013.   Resources to Explore The U.S. Department of Education, federally funded technical assistance providers, and other organizations offer resources on a variety of other topics. Check out the following websites: Follow REL Midwest on Twitter. Ask a REL is a collaborative reference desk service designed to function in much the same way as a technical reference library. Following established search protocols, our researchers provide timely responses to your questions in the form of referrals and references. Submit your question online today. Contact Us For more information about any of the items in this newsletter or to speak with a member of our staff, please contact us by telephone (866-730-6735) or by e-mail (relmidwest@air.org). We look forward to hearing from you. REL Midwest at American Institutes for Research 1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 Naperville, IL 60563-1486 866-730-6735 www.relmidwest.org
This material was prepared under Contract ED-IES-12-C-0004 by Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest, administered by American Institutes for Research. The content of the publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce in whole or in part for educational purposes is granted.

This email was sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com This email was sent by: American Institutes for Research 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007-3835 USA We respect your right to privacy – view our policy