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2008Research Conference | June 10–12

This year attendees participated in 26 panel and open forum sessions, viewed over 340 poster presentations, and enjoyed many opportunities for dialogue and collaboration.
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
2660 Woodley Road, NW
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Agenda


  Tuesday  Wednesday  Thursday
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Noon-6:00 pm Conference Registration
5:30-6:30 pm Welcome Reception

Poster Presentations - Session A

6:00-8:00 pm Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
7:30 am-5:00 pm Conference Registration
7:30-8:45 am Continental Breakfast

Opening Plenary

9:00-9:45 am Presiding: Lynn Okagaki, Commissioner, NCER
Acting Commissioner, NCSER
  Opening Remarks: Beth Ann Bryan
Vice Chair, National Board for Education Sciences
  Plenary Address:
Education Research: What's Now? What's Next?
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst
Director, Institute of Education Sciences

Panel Sessions

10:00-11:30 am Reading First Impact Study (RFIS): Preliminary Findings
This panel will summarize the findings from RFIS's Interim Report. RFIS is a congressionally mandated evaluation of the federal government's $1 billion-per-year initiative to help all children read at or above grade level by the end of the third grade.
Presenters:
Beth Gamse, Abt Associates, Inc.
Jim Kemple, MDRC
Moderator:
Tracy Rimdzius, NCEE
Discussant:
David Francis, University of Houston
  Using the Instrumental Variables Estimation
Technique in Education Research

This presentation offers an introduction to the use of instrumental variables when estimating the impact of an educational intervention.
Presenter:
Website Larry Hedges, Northwestern University
  Developing Interventions Using Single Case Methodologies
Current IES grantees will present research results incorporating single subject methodology as an approach to develop behavior and/or academic interventions.
Presenters:
Website Stephanie Peterson, Idaho State University
Single Case Analysis of the Impact of Concurrent Schedules of Reinforcement on Problem Behavior, Requests for Breaks, and Work Choices
Website Kathleen Lane, Vanderbilt University
Using Single Case Design to Examine the Impact of Strategy and Self-Regulation Instruction on Students' Writing Performance and Behavior: Project WRITE
Website Amy Lederberg, Georgia State University
The Development of an Emergent Literacy Curriculum for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
Discussant:
Paul Alberto, Georgia State University
  Solving for X: Research on Improving Student Learning in Algebra
Current IES grantees will present research findings focusing on improved student learning and achievement in algebra.
Presenters:
Website Douglas Owens, Ohio State University
Learning and Teaching Algebra in a Connected Classroom
Thomas Hanson, WestEd
Kimberly Viviani, WestEd
Algebraic Interventions for Measured Achievement (AIMA): Not Business as Usual
Website Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Vanderbilt University
Compared to What? The Effects of Different Comparisons on Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge for Equation Solving
Discussant:
Robert Balfanz, Johns Hopkins University

Plenary Luncheon

11:30 am-1:00 pm Presiding: Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst
Plenary Address: In Defense of (Harder) Science: Observation, Experiment and the Challenge of Establishing Reliable Knowledge in Education
Gary Taubes, science writer and author of Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control and Disease (Knopf, 2007)

Panel Sessions

1:15-2:45 pm Avoiding False Discoveries: The Purpose of Multiple Comparison Adjustments
IES studies that examine the effects of interventions on key student, teacher, and school outcomes typically collect data on large samples and on many outcomes. In analyzing these data, researchers try to correct for the chance of finding at least one spurious impact in order to avoid drawing unwarranted conclusions. These corrections lower statistical power creating a trade-off between Type 1 error and statistical power. This discussion presents testing strategy guidelines to address this problem.
Presenter:
Website Peter Z. Schochet, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Moderator:
Robinson Hollister, Swarthmore College
Discussant:
Website Larry Orr, Independent Consultant
  Data Collection Methodologies for the Future
It has grown harder in recent years to gain cooperation for surveys and achieve acceptable response rates. This panel focuses on recent work using random-digit dial phone surveys to gather individual-level data, web-based surveys to collect data from college students, and the effective use of administrative records systems to supply basic information about individual educational experiences.
Presenters:
Website Chris Chapman, NCES
The Use of Random-Digit Dialing in Household Surveys
Website James Griffith and Ted Socha, NCES
Web Data Collection
Website Tom Weko, NCES
Support for and Use of Administrative Records Data Systems
  Improving Access to and Completion of Postsecondary Education
This session will address improving access to and completion of postsecondary education by high-risk students and students with disabilities. Panel members will examine the impact of college remedial courses and the transition of students with disabilities to postsecondary education.
Presenters:
Website Juan Carlos Calcagno, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
The Impact of Postsecondary Remediation Using a Regression Discontinuity Approach: Addressing Noncompliance and Retesting
Isaac McFarlin, Jr., University of Michigan
Help or Hindrance? The Effects of College Remediation on Academic and Labor Market Outcomes
Website Lynn Newman, SRI International
Postsecondary School Enrollment and Experiences of Youth With Disabilities: A National Perspective
Discussant:
Michal Kurlaender, University of California-Davis
  Interventions to Improve Academic Outcomes for English-Language Learners
Panel members will discuss the types of interventions demonstrating effects in supporting vocabulary acquisition for English Language Learners.
Presenters:
Website Jorge Gonzalez, Texas A&M University

Assessing the Effects of a Preschool Shared-Book Reading Intervention on Proximal and Distal Measures of Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Development
Website Diane August, Center for Applied Linguistics
Website David Francis, University of Houston
Project Quest: Developing Academic Language in Middle Grades Science Classrooms
Website Bridget Dalton, Vanderbilt University
Website C. Patrick Proctor, Boston College
Design and Testing of a Digital Literacy Environment that Integrates Universal Design for Learning and Research-Based Practice on Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Bilingual Students, and Struggling Readers
Discussant:
Website Judith Scott, University of California-Santa Cruz

Poster Presentations - Session B

3:00-5:00 pm Topics: Some poster topics will be presented on both days due to the number of presentations (indicated by I and II). All posters will be available for viewing in Exhibit Hall A from 3:00-9:00 pm on Wednesday, and from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Thursday, including predoctoral and postdoctoral presenters. Please note that presenters will only be available at the scheduled poster sessions.
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Cognition and Student Learning I
Early Childhood/Early Intervention I
Educational Leadership
High School Reform
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
Math and Science I
Math and Science Teacher Quality I
NCEE Evaluation Studies
Reading, Writing, and Language I
Reading and Writing Teacher Quality I
Regional Educational Laboratory Program (RELs)
Research and Development Centers I
Response to Intervention I
Social and Behavioral I
5:00-6:30 pm Open Forums
1. Observational Measurement for Understanding Experimental Treatment Delivery: Issues & Some Answers
Moderator: Russell Gersten, Instructional Research Group
2. Next Challenges for the What Works Clearinghouse: Suggestions?
Moderator: Stuart Kerachsky, NCEE
3. How to Recruit Schools for RCTs and Hold Them
Moderator: Audrey Pendleton, NCEE
4. What Level of Evidence is Needed to Choose Worthy Components of a Large-Scale Trial?
Moderator: Marsha Silverberg, NCEE
5. Tips for Young Investigators
Moderator: Lynn Okagaki, NCER
6. Challenges and Strategies for Accessing and Using Longitudinal Data
Moderator: Liz Albro, NCER
7. Teacher Quality
Moderator: Carol O'Donnell, NCER
8. Highlights of the Goal Requirements of IES RFAs
Moderator: Anne Ricciuti, IES
Thursday, June 12, 2008
7:30 am-12:00 pm Conference Registration
7:30-8:45 am Continental Breakfast

Panel Sessions

9:00-10:30 am Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools: Recommendations from a Practice Guide
This panel will present recommendations from the recently released Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools: A Practice Guide. Presenters will cover the nature and strength of the supporting evidence, gaps in the current evidence base and ways to address them. Practitioner leaders will address the utility of the guide in their efforts, as will federal officials involved in the Doing What Works project.
Presenters:
Website Becki Herman, AIR
The School Turnaround Practice Guide: Recommendations and Supporting Evidence
Website Nelson Colbert, Instructional Specialist for Curriculum Science, Richmond Public Schools
Using the Practice Guide in Turnaround Efforts: Reactions from a District
Website Natalie Elder, Principal, Hardy Elementary School, Chattanooga, TN
Using the Practice Guide in Turnaround Efforts: Reactions from a School
Website Rebecca Maynard, University of Pennsylvania
Searching for and Sifting Through the Evidence on Effective Strategies for Turning around Failing Schools
Moderator:
Steve Fleischman, AIR
Discussant:
Website Jennifer Ballen Riccards, U.S. Department of Education
  Introduction to Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort of 2001 (Part I)
This presentation will review early childhood data and research questions designed to address early childhood development and describe the design and sample from birth to kindergarten. It will feature cognitive and physical assessments used at each wave and demonstrate data file structure, documentation and the electronic code book. Technical issues in analyzing complex survey data will be discussed.
Presenters:
Website Chris Chapman, NCES
Gail Mulligan, NCES
Amy Rathbun, Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI)
  Research on Alternative Methods to Measure Accountability in Postsecondary Education
This panel will examine one of the key dimensions of accountability—the assessment of student learning outcomes. National test developers will offer perspectives on the vital link between accountability and assessment.
Presenters:
Website Roger Benjamin, Council for Aid to Education/Collegiate Learning Assessment
Website Brent Bridgeman, Educational Testing Service
Website Jim Sconing, ACT
Discussant:
T. Dary Erwin, James Madison University
  Do Your Assessment Instruments Measure Up?
During this session, panelists will discuss test selection, principles of test development and validation, and examples of student-level and teacher-level assessment instruments in IES-funded projects.
Presenters:
PDF File R. W. Kamphaus, Georgia State University
Tests in Search of Constructs Versus Constructs in Search of Tests: Clinical Test Selection for Research Purposes
Website Charles R. Greenwood, University of Kansas
Developing, Validating, and Scaling-up Continuous Progress Monitoring Measures for Intervention Research and Accountability in Early Childhood
Website D. Ray Reutzel, Utah State University
Website Richard R. Sudweeks, Brigham Young University
Assessing Teacher Knowledge in Reading and Writing Instruction: Perplexities, Problems, and Promises
Discussant:
Website Gerald Tindal, University of Oregon
  Presentations by the 2005 and 2006 Education Science Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
The first two education scientists to receive Presidential Early Career Awards in Science and Engineering will present their research. In addition, the first recipient of the Outstanding IES Predoctoral Fellow will be announced, along with a presentation of research findings.
Presenters:
Website Laura Justice, Ohio State University
Findings from Programmatic Research on Early Literacy: From the Minutiae to Momentous
Website Carol M. Connor, Florida State University
Individualizing Student Instruction Precisely: Effects of Child by Instruction Interactions on First Graders' Literacy Development
2007 Outstanding IES Predoctoral Fellow Award Presentation
Shayne Piasta

Panel Sessions

10:45 am-12:15 pm The New What Works Clearinghouse
With over 100 quality reviews of the evidence from studies on specific educational interventions, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) will provide examples of new products, including Quick WWC Reviews of pertinent studies and Practice Guides focused on relevant issues.
Presenter:
Website Mark Dynarski, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Moderator:
Stuart Kerachsky, NCEE
Discussants:
Website Antoinette Rath, Superintendent of Schools, Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey
Website Jane Plenge, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, Montgomery Township School District, New Jersey
Website Maureen Reusche, Assistant Superintendent, Cherry Hill Public Schools, New Jersey
  Introduction to Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort of 2001 (Part II)
This presentation will continue the review of early childhood data and research questions designed to address early childhood development begun in Part I.
Presenters:
Chris Chapman, NCES
Gail Mulligan, NCES
Amy Rathbun, ESSI
  Assessing Intervention Fidelity in RCTs: Concepts and Methods
Presenters:
Website David Cordray, Vanderbilt University
Website Joy Lesnick, Vanderbilt University
Website Chris Hulleman, Vanderbilt University
  Linking Educational Leadership to Student Achievement
Panel members will present research on the success of interventions intended to improve the performance of education leaders and indirectly improve teaching and learning.
Presenters:
Website Janet Quint, MDRC
Linking Instructional Leadership, Teaching Quality, and Student Achievement: Reflections from a Half-full Glass
Website Tim Sass, Florida State University
What Makes for a Good Teacher and Who Can Tell?
Website Jonathan Supovitz, University of Pennsylvania
The Long and Winding Road: The Relationship Between Leadership Practice and Student Performance
Discussant:
Website Anthony Milanowski, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Adaptive Computerized Tutoring and Science Learning
Panel members will discuss the use of adaptive computerized tutors to improve science achievement among middle and high school students.
Presenters:
Website Scotty Craig and Art Graesser, University of Memphis
Vicarious Learning and Human Tutoring
Website Gautam Biswas, Vanderbilt University
Building Students' Metacognitive Skills through Interactions with Computer-Based Teachable Agents
Website Carole R. Beal, University of Southern California
Dynamically Altering the Learning Trajectories of Novices with Pedagogical Messages
Discussant:
David Klahr, Carnegie Mellon University
12:15-1:15 pm

Networking Lunch

Poster Presentations - Session C

1:15-3:15 pm Topics: Some poster topics will be presented on both days due to the number of presentations (indicated by I and II). All posters will be available for viewing in Exhibit Hall A from 3:00-9:00 pm on Wednesday, and from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Thursday, including predoctoral and postdoctoral presenters. Please note that presenters will only be available at the scheduled poster sessions.
Cognition and Student Learning II
Early Childhood/Early Intervention II
Math and Science II
Math and Science Teacher Quality II
Methodology
Policy and Systems
Postsecondary Education
Reading, Writing, and Language II
Reading and Writing Teacher Quality II
Research and Development Centers II
Response to Intervention II
Secondary and Transition Services
Social and Behavioral II
2:30-3:15 pm Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Training Directors Meeting with Robin Harwood
3:30-5:00 pm Grantee Meetings
High School Reform: David Sweet
Math and Science: Christina Chhin
Policy and Leadership: Katina Stapleton
Reading and Writing: Elizabeth Albro
Cognition: Carol O'Donnell
SBIR: Edward Metz
Teacher Quality: Harold Himmelfarb
Individual Grantees: Caroline Ebanks and Dave Malouf
Postsecondary Education: Ram Singh

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