IES Staff
Wai-Ying Chow
Education Research Analyst
NCER
About
Effective Instruction, Writing Research to Improve Teaching and Evaluation (WRITE) Center for Secondary Students, National Center for Teacher Effectiveness: Validating Measures of Effective Math Teaching
Associated IES Content
Grant
Assessing the Potential of Outcomes-Based Licensure Test Standards
Researchers propose a framework for informing revisions to state licensure testing requirements, which researchers refer to as outcomes-based licensure test standards. Researchers plan to link domain-level test information for individual teacher candidates from the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) to various measures of teaching effectiveness in Massachusetts. This will allow researchers to test how different domains of content knowledge predict teacher and student outcomes...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220058
Grant
Sustaining Literacy Practices Over Time: Codifying Knowledge Through Micro-Credentialing
Learning to read in the early elementary grades is the foundation on which academic success is built. As a nation, we are failing to provide that foundation to the majority of students-particularly low-income students and students of color-despite a solid research base on teaching reading. Teachers are not being prepared to teach reading effectively, leaving districts to find a solution to address this critical gap in teacher capacity. An ongoing partnership between the District of Columbia ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220121
Grant
Supporting Teachers in Engaging Parents (STEP): The Development of a Teacher Training Curriculum and Coaching Model to Foster Family Engagement
The purpose of this project is to address the lack of evidence-based teacher training programs to support family engagement in education. Using an iterative process, the research team will develop a new teacher training curriculum and coaching model called Supporting Teachers in Engaging Parents (STEP). The STEP Model will focus on using feasible, efficient, and sophisticated methods for training and supporting teachers in developing communication and culturally responsive skills necessary t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210126
Grant
The Development and Validation of the Social and Emotional Learning Observation Checklist for Elementary School (SELOC-ES)
The promotion of social and behavioral outcomes alongside academic development is a primary goal of education in the U.S. Yet, in the absence of a high-quality measure of teachers' SEL pedagogy, little is known about how SEL practices promote student development. The purpose of this project is to support educators in improving student social, behavioral, and academic success, as well as educators' own professional growth through the development and validation of the Social and Emotional Lear...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210262
Grant
Examining Recruitment Policies and Pathways to Diversify the Teacher Workforce
Research identifies large benefits of access to same-race/ethnicity teachers for Black and Hispanic students. However, the teacher workforce is overwhelmingly White, and little is known about the system-level strategies that are successful at diversifying the profession. In this Exploration project, researchers will explore 3 "grow-your-own" programs and pathways that school districts and higher education institutions have implemented at different stages of the school-to-career pipeline in t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210031
Grant
Exploration of Departmentalized Instruction
Researchers will investigate the effects of departmentalized instruction in primary schools with a focus on assessing implementation in routine settings and the contributions of specific causal mechanisms. Researchers will study whether the effects of departmentalization on student outcomes change with the number of years of implementation. Researchers will explore the extent of teacher specialization in the years following the policy change. This analysis will both provide evidence on the i...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210008
Grant
Culturally Responsive Teaching for Student Equitable Achievement (CuRTSEA): A Professional Development Program
The purpose of CuRTSEA is to develop, refine, and test a teacher professional development (PD) program for culturally responsive teaching (CRT) designed to improve teacher knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to historically underserved minority students. The project will focus on Hispanic students and their teachers in 9th grade to address research-based needs of the Hispanic population and the importance of the 9th grade learning. CuRTSEA aims to improve Hispanic students' engagement ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210146
Grant
Reading and Playing With Math: Promoting Preschoolers' Math Language Through Picture Books and Play Activities
The purpose of this study is to develop, refine, and evaluate a new math language intervention, Reading and Playing with Math (RP-Math). Math language is the specific content language (e.g., words and concepts such as more, fewer, a lot, many) that has distinct meanings when used in math contexts. It is one of the strongest predictors of growth in numeracy skills, and it underlies acquisition of numeracy skills. Yet there are currently no empirically supported tools for providing instruction...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200389
Grant
ACES-2: Development and Validation of the Revised Academic Competence Evaluation Scales
The Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (ACES) are multi-informant rating scales designed to efficiently assess social, behavioral, and academic skills associated with learning in schools. Published 20 years ago, the ACES are even more relevant today given increased recognition of the importance of such social and behavioral variables by parents, teachers, and policy makers. As such, the purpose of this project is to refine and develop the next generation of student and teacher versions of...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200134
Grant
Collective Capacity (Project C2): Professional Learning to Improve the Quality of Language and Literacy Instruction for English Learners
The purpose of this project is to develop, refine, and pilot test a job-embedded professional learning model for fourth- and fifth-grade teachers focused on increasing the quality of language and literacy instruction for English Learners (ELs). This project builds on the team's previous Model Demonstration work as leaders of Project ELITE, funded by the Office of Special Education Projects, U.S. Department of Education, which focuses on building educators' capacity to meet the language and l...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200516
Grant
Initial Efficacy Study of Data Wise
In this Efficacy project, researchers propose to examine the impact of Data Wise on Grade 5 teacher instructional practice and student test scores. This 2-year intervention targets the collaborative processes and data use within instructional teams. This study will provide evidence of the implementation, impacts, costs, and sustainability of this fully developed and widely used approach to data-driven instruction that has no prior evidence of efficacy.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200292
Grant
Developing Positive Family Support for Students Exposed to Trauma
This project will adapt an evidence-based school parent engagement program, Positive Family Supports (PFS), to be trauma-informed. By addressing students' traumatic experiences, the adapted program is intended to reduce income-related educational disparities. Addressing the traumatic experiences of students is critical for many reasons including that many low-income children are exposed to traumatic events and the presence of trauma negatively impacts biological development, mental health, a...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200238
Grant
Development of an Innovative Digital Intervention to Enhance the Social-Emotional Skills and School-Based Adjustment of Early Elementary Students
The purpose of this project is to develop and test Emotion Explorer, adigital social emotional learning (SEL) intervention for kindergarten through second grade (K-2). Emotion Explorer will include digital, self-paced, and personalized student components (e.g., interactive e-books) blended with teacher-led discussions. Educators are increasingly aware that later academic success stems from a strong foundation of SEL skills in the early grades. Targeting SEL efforts at K-2 grades can be parti...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200239
Grant
Developing and Testing Training Modes for Improving Teachers' Race-Related Competencies to Promote Student Learners' Academic Adjustment
This project will develop and test three modes of delivery for a program designed to prepare educators to implement the Identity Project curriculum, a school-based curriculum that aims to build students ethnic-racial identity (ERI) to improve academic outcomes. Compared to non-Latino White youth, Black and Latino youth are less likely to meet grade-level expectations in math and reading and to graduate from high school. These inequities are explained, in part, by ethnic-racial minority youth...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200278
Grant
Web-Based Assessment of Social-Emotional Skills in Middle School
The ability to understand and effectively interact with others is a critical determinant of academic, social, and life success. In recognition of this fact, education policy and practice increasingly focus on teaching students the social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies they need to succeed in school and life. For example, a growing number of states have adopted social-emotional learning (SEL) standards. Despite the importance of SEL skills, few assessments are available for educators t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200220
Grant
Building and Sustaining the Capacity of Local Math Coaches to Support College- and Career-Ready Mathematics Instruction
In this project, the project team will develop, refine, and evaluate a coaching intervention for elementary math teachers to be implemented by local district coaches. A math-specific observational coding system, the Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI), guides 1:1 and group coaching activities that emphasize teacher video analysis and practice with feedback. The pilot study will assess the implementation and promise of the fully developed intervention on teacher practice and student ach...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A190195
Grant
Assessing the Use of Assessments: Assessment, Instructional Practices, and Math Gains in Kindergarten
This study will explore whether and how the use of formal and informal math assessments is associated with greater child math gains. The use of assessments has expanded rapidly in recent years, driven in part by federal initiatives. However, the research basis for these assessments is limited, especially in terms of linking the use of assessments to improved student outcomes. Researchers will examine direct associations between math assessment use and student learning gains. They will also e...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A190037
Grant
Systematic Teacher Talent Management: Partnering to Support Beginning and Struggling Veteran Teachers
Starting from 2018-19, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) will embark on a joint labor management program-Peer Assistance and Review (PAR)-with the teacher union. The PAR system will apply to all beginning and veteran teachers who are identified as needing improvement based on annual evaluation ratings. This partnership will focus on three aims: (a) to gather information on teacher effectiveness and human resource practices; (b) to conduct data inquiries to study the initial PAR implementation and...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H190021
Grant
MERC School-Based Action Research Team Professional Development Model to Support the Use of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices that Impact Student Learning
The goal of this project is to develop, in an iterative fashion, a teacher professional development model for culturally responsive teaching (CRT) -a networked School-Based Action Research Team (SBART) model. Partners will study the model's relation to teacher professional growth and change in CRT practice. Partners will also begin to examine the relation between teacher participation in this intervention and student learning outcomes.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H190053
Grant
Changing Together: Classroom Observation for Peer Feedback and Reflection (C2)
The use of an observation protocol by teachers is a potential leverage point for the improvement of teaching practice. However, there is currently limited research on the use of observation protocols by teachers, especially those designed to support improvements in formative assessment practice through peer observation and feedback. Researchers will refine the initial version of an observation system - the Formative Assessment Rubrics, Reflection, and Observation Protocol (FARROP) system (i....
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180149
Grant
Efficacy Replication Study of the Impact of MyTeachingPartner-Secondary (MTP-S)
In this project, researchers will evaluate the impact of MyTeachingPartner-Secondary (MTP-S) on classroom practice, student engagement, and student achievement, and explore moderating and mediating effects. In contrast to two prior MTP-S trials, which relied on vendor-based coaches, this study will examine a scalable model for implementation in which school districts select local coaches who are to be trained and supported by Teachstone, the licensed vendor for MTP-S. This study will build...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180241
Grant
Follow-up to the Replicating the CGI Experiment in Diverse Environments Study
The purpose of this efficacy follow-up study was to evaluate the long-term effects of a teacher professional-development program based on Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) on school mathematics achievement in grades K through 5, which had been previously evaluated under an earlier IES grant (R305A120781). A further purpose was to conceptualize and develop an observational measure of the facets of mathematics instruction that are consistent with implementation of CGI principles to be used ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180429
Grant
What is the Value of Apprenticeship for Teachers? Linking Preservice Mentor Quality to Inservice Teacher and Student Outcomes
Student teaching experiences are recognized as the key component of an effective teacher training program and often provide prospective teachers with their first teaching experiences before entering the workforce. Emerging literature suggests that the type and quality of student teaching placements is associated with increased student teacher satisfaction and self-efficacy and future teacher effectiveness. However, there is little empirical evidence linking any characteristics of cooperating...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180023
Grant
Advancing Middle School Teachers' Understanding of Proportional Reasoning for Teaching
A key strategy for addressing students' poor mathematics achievement is to improve professional learning opportunities for middle school teachers. Researchers propose to develop an interactive, personalized computer-based professional development intervention to increase middle school teachers' content knowledge of proportional reasoning and pedagogical content knowledge of proportional reasoning and, in turn, improve their students' understanding of proportional reasoning.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180392
Grant
PDConnect: A Scalable Community Approach to Improving Instruction in AP Chemistry Nationwide
In this project, researchers propose to develop an online teacher-professional development community (PDConnect) that leverages social processes hypothesized to be central to the diffusion of teaching reform. Students need to be better prepared to participate in a workforce which evolves as rapidly as the technological advances that drive the U.S. economy. Consequently, educators are faced with the task of both fostering student proficiency on the current state of knowledge, and preparing th...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180509
Grant
Efficacy of ASSISTments Online Homework Support for Middle School Mathematics Learning: A Replication Study
The purpose of the project was to conduct a replication study of the impact of a fully developed, widely adopted intervention called ASSISTments on student mathematics outcomes. Findings from a previous IES-funded efficacy study, conducted in Maine, indicated this intervention led to beneficial impacts on student-learning outcomes. The current study examined the impacts of this intervention with a more diverse sample and relied on mathematics coaches (instead of the intervention developers) ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170641
Grant
Teacher Metalinguistic Awareness in Writing Instruction: Links among Teacher Knowledge, Teacher Practice and Student Learning
This study will examine upper elementary (grades 4-6) teachers' critical metalinguistic awareness (CMA) and related instructional enactments as potential malleable factors associated with student reading and writing outcomes. Mounting research evidence indicates that students' literacy growth is supported by metalinguistic skill. To initiate their students into the complexities of academic language, teachers need their own critical metalinguistic awareness. The specific aims of the project a...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170112
Grant
Tailoring Teaching to Fit the Class: Teaching Practice and Classroom Composition Under Random Assignment
This project will explore how classroom composition (based on student initial achievement, race, socioeconomic status, and gender) is related to different teaching practices and how teaching practice is linked to classroom composition and student outcomes. Researchers will explore how teachers adapt to different classroom compositions, whether these adaptations predict student outcomes, and which teacher characteristics predict adaptation. Findings from this project will have implications fo...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170269
Grant
Testing the Efficacy of the Academic Language and Literacy in Every Subject (ALLIES) Professional Learning Program
Meeting the needs of English learners (ELs) in U.S. schools is an urgent focal area for education; however few teachers report feeling prepared to meet the needs of ELs. This proposed study aims to test the efficacy of the Academic Language and Literacy in Every Subject (ALLIES) initiative. This intervention was designed to build mentor and teacher capacity across disciplines to promote ELs academic language and literacy development.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170316
Grant
Examining Teacher Math Anxiety as a Malleable Factor Related to Student Outcomes
Teacher math anxiety consists of anxiety about their own math skills (general math anxiety) and anxiety about teaching math. In this study, the research team will examine how teacher math anxiety is related to math instructional practices and student outcomes (i.e., math attitudes and achievement). They will also examine math instructional practices as a potential mediator of the relation between teacher math anxiety and student outcomes. Researchers will follow students over two years to ex...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170463
Grant
Middle School Matters: Promoting Research- and Evidence-Based Practices to Support Reading Comprehension (MSMPREP)
This project developed, refined, and piloted a professional development model designed to support middle school teacher implementation of reading practices known to improve literacy for middle grades students.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170556
Grant
Learning From the Source: Can We Elicit Better Applicant Information Directly From Professional References?
The collection of letters of recommendation from professional references (PRs) is a standard procedure during the teacher selection process in most school districts and enhancements of this process might help a school district to make better hiring decisions. In this study, PRs will be asked to rate teaching applicants relative to their peers on a series of criteria demonstrated to be predictive of positive teacher outcomes and student achievement. Researchers will explore how these ratings ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170060
Grant
Student Learning as a Function of Exposure to Teachers' Use of Cognitive Processing Language During Instruction
Cognitive Processing Language (CPL) is rich in references to metacognition, cognitive processes, and requests for remembering, and is important for the development of memory strategies and later study skills as well as for the acquisition of knowledge in specific content domains, including mathematics. More needs to be understood regarding the characteristics of teachers who use high levels of CPL in their instruction or who exhibit greater readiness to incorporate higher levels of CPL when ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170637
Grant
The Relationship between Elementary Teachers' Language Use and Students' Language and Literacy Achievement
This study examined second grade teacher language use and its relation to student language and literacy achievement as well as conditions that moderated this relation. The research team collected teacher language use across content areas, examined class and teacher characteristics that may have influenced teacher language use, and produced a conceptual framework of the relation between teacher language and student language/literacy outcomes including conditions moderating this relation (e.g....
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170203
Grant
Investigating the Efficacy of a Web-Based Early Reading Intervention Professional Development Program for K-1 English Learners
Large numbers of children in United States schools struggle with reading, including a disproportionate number of English learners (ELs). The Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) is an instructional intervention and professional development program for early reading, designed to help classroom teachers acquire key diagnostic strategies for use with young, struggling readers. The purpose of this study was to determine TRI's efficacy for young ELs, specifically. Previous efficacy studies (R305A0...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160255
Grant
A Diagnostic Assessment of Meanings That Matter for Teaching High School Mathematics
Student achievement in mathematics in the United States continues to lag behind other developed countries. This relative underperformance in mathematics might be due to teachers' and students' view of mathematics as a collection of rules to be followed and their limited conceptions of mathematically important concepts. To understand this potential relationship between student mathematics knowledge and math meaning-making, this research team has developed the Mathematical Meanings for Teachin...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160300
Grant
The Impact of New Mexico's Teacher Evaluation System on Student Academic Outcomes
Twenty-six States and the District of Columbia use high-stakes teacher evaluation systems to assign teachers who are rated "ineffective" and "minimally effective" to mandatory professional growth plans (PGPs). However, evidence on the impact of these policies on student academic and socio-behavioral outcomes is limited. Researchers will examine the impact of teachers being assigned PGPs on the outcomes of K-12 students and their teachers throughout the State of New Mexico. Researchers will a...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160223
Grant
Development and Validation of the Emotional Teacher Rating Scale (EMOTERS) for Preschool Classrooms
Many researchers, teachers, and parents would agree that children's social-emotional learning (SEL) skills are important to develop. However, the role that teachers play in promoting children's emotional competencies is not well understood. Emotion-focused teaching constitutes adults' modeling of, responding to, and instructing about emotions that supports children's learning about emotions and the emotional bases of social interactions. The purpose of this project was to develop an observat...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160010
Grant
Fourth and Fifth Graders' Growth in Writing Knowledge, Motivation, and Performance: The Influence of Teacher Instruction and Assessment Practices in the Context of Common Core State Standards
Little is known about what occurs during classroom writing instruction and its relation to student writing outcomes. The proposed study examines the relation between 4th- and 5th-grade student growth in writing (i.e., knowledge, motivation, and performance) and teacher classroom writing instruction and assessment practices. The study will examine student-level and classroom-level covariates and potential teacher-related moderators. The study will also examine how much the content of the CCSS...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160049
Grant
Testing the Association between Physical Activity Level and Executive Functions in Early Childhood
The purpose of this project was to examine whether and under what conditions individual differences in child physical activity in preschool settings were associated with enhanced executive functioning and academic achievement. Opportunities for children to engage in physical activity at school (e.g., recess, physical education) have diminished over time due to school's increased emphasis on academic accountability. Growing evidence at the time of this project, however, suggests that increase...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160035
Grant
Testing the Effectiveness of Professional Development in Academic Vocabulary on Observed Teaching Practice and Academic Vocabulary Knowledge of English Learners in 8th Grade Social Studies Classrooms
The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the Teacher Study Group (TSG) professional development on observed teaching practice and on academic vocabulary knowledge of English learners. The TSG approach will be tested when implemented with eighth-grade teachers in low-achieving Title I schools, within the context of the social studies curriculum.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150463
Grant
Improvement of Elementary Fractions Instruction: Randomized Controlled Trial Using Lesson Study with a Fractions Resource Kit
The purpose of this study is to test the independent and combined impacts of lesson study and a fractions resource kit, developed and pilot tested with IES funding (Improving the Mathematical Content Base of Lesson Study: Design and Test of Two Research-Based Toolkits). In this efficacy study, the team will incorporate more extensive and rigorous control conditions in a field-based randomized test to gauge the impact of the interventions on student learning. The researchers are also making ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150043
Grant
Examining the Efficacy of Differential Levels of Professional Development for Teaching Content Area Reading Strategies
This project examined the efficacy of a distributed professional development model featuring STRIVE-a set of literacy practices infused into social studies content-on 4th grade students' content knowledge and literacy outcomes. Many upper elementary students struggle with understanding what they read. Evidence suggests that reading in the social studies benefits students' general reading ability, but many teachers are not provided adequate professional development in how to leverage both lit...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150407
Grant
Blended Learning at Scale–Implementation and Analysis of Student Achievement in District of Columbia Public Schools
In this project, researchers from the University of Maryland at College Park (UMD) will partner with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) to examine their district-wide implementation of blended learning in K-8 English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms. Blended learning that combines online and face-to-face instruction is a fast-rising strategy in public schools. However, blended learning programs can be implemented in many different ways, and with many different technology platforms...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H160071
Grant
Exploratory Study of the UTeach STEM Preparation Program and the Effectiveness of UTeach Teachers
The purpose of this project is to explore features of pre-service training programs that are associated with improvements in teacher and student outcomes in mathematics. Previous research has shown that differences in teacher pre-service preparation are related to differences in teacher effectiveness. Little is known, however, about which features of pre-service programs are most effective in producing successful teachers. The current project will examine how and to what extent teacher prepa...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150156
Grant
Exploring Alterable Variables in Tier 1 and Tier 2 Instruction: A Collaboration Across Interdisciplinary Fields of Observational Research (Project CIFOR)
This project will examine data from four prior IES-funded projects to determine the malleable variables in classroom instruction that are associated with improvements in student achievement in reading and mathematics. There is little research on the evidence-based practices that teachers can use when working in multiple content areas with a range of learners who have varying levels of achievement. In recent years, direct observation has become a primary measurement tactic in identifying the ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150037
Grant
Investigating How and Under What Conditions Effective Professional Development Increases Student Achievement in Elementary Science
The purpose of this project is to explore and analyze data collected from an evaluation of three professional development interventions in science. There is wide variation in the ways professional development programs improve teachers' experience and skills, making it difficult to determine which features of professional development interventions are associated with better teacher or student outcomes. To obtain a better understanding of the contributions of teacher professional development p...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A150341
Grant
A Practice-Based Approach to Professional Development in Science in Urban Elementary and Middle Schools
The purpose of this project is to design, develop, and test a practice-based inquiry approach to professional development that prepares new teachers in urban districts to move K-8 science teaching toward more rigorous, engaged and equitable learning for their students. The proposed project is collaboration between the Chèche Konnen Center at Technical Education Research Centers (TERC), the Boston Teacher Residency of the Boston Public Schools, and two partner public K-8 schools in Boston.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100176
Grant
Measuring Effective Teaching Across Core Academic Content Areas for Kindergarten
States across the nation are currently using various teaching effectiveness (TE) observational measures. Despite wide use of these measures for high-stakes decision making, significant yet unanswered questions about the accuracy of these assessments in documenting TE across content area, grade-level, or time, and with student outcomes beyond scores on standardized achievement tests remain. In this measurement project, researchers will study the psychometric properties of teaching effective...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A140664
Grant
Math for All: Assessing the Efficacy of a Professional Development Program for Elementary School Teachers
Teachers often are not adequately prepared to implement standards-based mathematics instruction with the heterogeneous groups of students that are being served in general education classrooms, including students with disabilities and students with different capabilities and needs. A small number of professional development (PD) interventions integrate instruction about how to differentiate instruction with learning about mathematics content; however, rigorous evaluation on larger scale impl...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A140488
Grant
Web-mediated Literacy Coaching for High-quality Reading Comprehension Instruction
Reading comprehension is critical to academic success, employment in the modern workplace, and to lifelong learning. Large numbers of students, however, are unable to read beyond a basic level of understanding. Recent studies indicate that comprehensive literacy-coaching interventions that combine formal learning opportunities for teachers (e.g., coursework) with individual coaching to support teachers' implementation of new instructional strategies can successfully increase the quality of ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A140384
Grant
Teaching and Learning Literature-Related Argumentative Writing in High School English Language Arts Classrooms
Literature-related argumentative writing is defined as critical and analytic thinking about literary texts, rhetorical production, and a social practice involving the identification of a thesis (also called a claim), supportive evidence (empirical or experiential), and assessment of the warrants. Although school writing includes a range of genres and functions, teaching and learning argumentative writing in high school English language arts (ELA) classrooms is of particular significance. The...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A140105
Grant
Exploring Effective Reading Comprehension Instruction: Classroom Practice, Teacher, and Student Characteristics
In general, instructional approaches for improving reading comprehension are not as well developed as are those for decoding. As of 2013, most recent studies had focused on improving reading comprehension in the upper elementary years and beyond, but these have often not shown significant effects. The purpose of this project was to identify aspects of effective instruction in reading comprehension instruction that predict students' reading comprehension gains in first, second, and third grad...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160399
Grant
The Targeted Reading Intervention: A Web-Based Professional Development Program Targeting K-1 Classroom Teachers and Their Struggling Readers
The purpose of this proposal is to examine the effects of the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) professional development program in helping rural kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers in low-wealth schools implement evidence-based, individualized reading instruction for the children in their classrooms who are struggling in learning how to read. Specifically, this proposal aims to understand whether the TRI can improve teacher knowledge in both the foundation and the peda...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100654
Grant
Dialogic Teaching: Professional Development in Classroom Discussion to Improve Students' Argument Literacy
Student active engagement in classroom discussion, particularly through reasoned argument, has been linked to improved reading and writing achievement and reasoning in other subject areas. However, in typical classrooms, teachers dominate talk, delivering lectures, and students recite material in response to teacher questions (i.e., monologic techniques). This research team intends to develop, refine, and test a professional development program designed to promote dialogic teaching-an approa...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A120634
Grant
Updating Middle School Mathematics Diagnostics Teacher Assessments in Mathematics & Science (DTAMS)
The purpose of this project is to update the Middle School Mathematics portion of the Diagnostics Teacher Assessments in Mathematics and Science (DTAMS) so that it will be aligned with the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) and its Standards for Mathematical Practice. DTAMS is a widely used set of assessments that measure teacher mathematical content knowledge (i.e., number/computation, algebraic ideas, geometry/measurement, and probability/statistics), mathematical problem-s...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A120553
Grant
Replicating the CGI Experiment in Diverse Environments
Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) is a widely used professional development program for mathematics instruction in elementary school. Researchers propose to replicate a previous efficacy study to examine the impact of this intervention on student achievement in mathematics when implemented with a larger and more diverse sample of students. The study also seeks to identify the principal, teacher, and student characteristics that moderate intervention impact and to explore the mechanisms t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A120781
Grant
Improving Teachers' Monitoring of Learning
In order for learning to be effective, teachers must accurately monitor students' learning. Monitoring is important to making informed decisions about whether educational objectives have been reached by all students, and to identify which students may need additional help to reach their objectives. This research team, using a metacognitive perspective of teaching, believe that monitoring accuracy plays an important role in effective teaching-and that by improving the accuracy with which teac...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A120265
Grant
An Exploration of Novice Teachers' Core Competencies: Impacts on Student Achievement and Effectiveness of Preparation
Licensure policies and accreditation requirements at the national and state levels described expectations for the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are presumed important to teachers' eventual success in the classroom. These expectations represent "Core Competencies" (CCs). Previous research on CCs is limited in that expectations have been determined by studying high quality teachers only, often selected based on principal recommendations. The purpose of this study is to provide ad...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A140696
Grant
Learning and Teaching Algebra (LTA)
Many teachers require additional professional development and support to provide high quality instruction in algebra. To meet this need, researchers will develop a comprehensive and integrated program of coaching, professional development, and assessment intended to help teachers build the mathematical understanding and practices needed to model and scaffold mathematical thinking. A set of materials intended to support mathematics coaches will also be developed. This program is called Learni...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110451
Grant
Improving the Quality of English Language Arts Teaching through the Use of an Observation Protocol
In ongoing efforts to improve student learning and the quality of instruction, practitioners and education stakeholders rely on measures of classroom practice. Researchers have been developing classroom observation tools to evaluate teacher performance, such as the Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observation (PLATO), which highlights 12 elements of high quality teaching in English language arts (ELA). Although the initial studies demonstrated the power of PLATO as a research tool for ob...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110864
Grant
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Efficacy Study of a Professional Development Series for Middle School Science Teachers
In the United States, districts do not generally have coherent, coordinated professional development programs, nor are they likely to have the internal resources and capacity to meet their teachers' content-specific needs in science. Examination of the TE-MAT website (http://www.te-mat.org), a database of nearly 600 professional development resources in mathematics and science run by the National Science Teacher Association's NSTA Recommends program, reveals that only a handful attend to dee...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110515
Grant
Learning to Use Formative Assessment in Mathematics with the Assessment Work Sample Method (AWSM)
The purpose of this study is to develop, revise, and field test an innovative professional development program for implementing formative assessments in middle school mathematics. This three-year development project will use the Assessment Work Sample Method (AWSM) to provide teachers with authentic samples of mathematics formative assessment work and an interactive, hands-on experience to increase their understanding of formative assessment and improve their practice of formative assessmen...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110392
Grant
Japanese Structured Problem-Solving As a Resource for U.S. Elementary Mathematics Teachers: Program Development and Testing
Problem-solving is a central component of mathematics but not one that U.S. students master well. This research team intends to develop and refine English language resources for "structured problem solving" (SPS), an approach to teaching through problem-solving that is successfully used by a broad spectrum of elementary teachers in Japan. The resources will be developed and refined over a 2-year period and tested in Year 3 with a new group of U.S. educators.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110491
Grant
Understanding Life Science: Improving Student Achievement by Deepening Teacher Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Ways That Transform Instructional Practice
Despite small gains in science achievement over the last decade, American students' academic performance in science remains poor. In order to increase performance, students need teachers who are knowledgeable about the subject matter and who are prepared to teach science in clear, engaging ways. This research and development project will address this need by designing a teacher professional development program focused on the life sciences. By building the content and pedagogical content know...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110285
Grant
An Efficacy Trial of Two Interventions Designed to Reduce Stereotype Threat Vulnerability and Close Academic Performance Gaps
: This project tested the efficacy of reducing gaps in academic performance between minority and White students and between students of lower and higher socioeconomic status through two types of interventions aimed at reducing stereotype threat. Stereotype threat refers to the apprehension individuals experience when confronted with a personally relevant stereotype that threatens their social identity or self-esteem. Prior work has proposed that the phenomenon could help explain group differ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A110136
Grant
Making Middle School Mathematics Accessible for All Students (M3A2S)
In this project, researchers will use an iterative design to produce a well-specified, professional development (PD) course and facilitator guide designed to support middle school mathematics teachers, paraprofessionals, and teacher-leaders in effectively teaching all students. The project will apply findings from cognitive science and research-based PD best practices in supporting teachers as they learn to plan, instruct, and reflect on lessons that: (1) incorporate mathematical language; (...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100454
Grant
Developing Mathematics Teaching through Focused Collaborative Assessment of Practice
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100623
Grant
Using Data to Inform Decisions: How Teachers Use Data to Inform Practice and Improve Student Performance in Mathematics
In this study, the research team will examine whether a professional development program designed to help teachers make better use of assessment and other data, Using Data (UD) will translate into improved student performance in mathematics. The team will evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention using a randomized controlled trial. At the conclusion of the study the team will have answered two primary questions: (a) whether students of treatment teachers, in comparison to control teac...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100445
Grant
Validation of an Assessment of Teacher Knowledge of Beginning Reading Instruction
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100641
Grant
Teaching and Learning Argumentative Writing in High School English Language Arts Classrooms
The ability of secondary students to compose written arguments is limited. Recent studies of students' writing performances reveal that only a fraction of students (3% of 8th graders and 6 % of 12th graders) can make informed, critical judgments about written text (Perie, Grigg, & Donahue, 2005). Only 15% of 12th grade students performing at the proficient level were able to write well-organized essays in which they took clear positions and consistently supported those positions. One way...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100786
Grant
Making Room for Student Thinking: Using Automated Feedback, Video-Based Professional Development, and Evidence-Based Recommendations to Improve Mathematical Discussions
American elementary mathematics classrooms have been characterized as having a low level of mathematical discourse and a dearth of opportunities for students to explain mathematics. International comparisons suggest there is a great deal of room for improvement in these dimensions and that student competence would likely be improved could we do so. The research team aims to develop effective methods to help teachers monitor and improve classroom discussion in mathematics.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100178
Grant
Accessible Professional Development for Teaching Aquatic Science Inquiry
The research team will develop, evaluate, and prepare for efficacy trials a series of professional development (PD) modules consisting of in-person trainings coupled with online learning support. The module series will be designed to support teachers as they seek to become successful facilitators of scientific inquiry, enabling them to create classrooms that function as a community of scientists - where students learn science by engaging in the practice of science.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100091
Grant
Linear Functions for Teaching: An Efficacy Study of Learning and Teaching Linear Functions
The proposed study aims to investigate the efficacy of professional development in algebra both to improve teachers' mathematics understanding as well as mathematics teaching practices and to increase students' resulting algebra proficiency, learning and achievement. Empirical studies have offered evidence for the potential efficacy of the professional development to be tested in this study, Learning and Teaching Linear Functions (LTLF). The growth of this intervention offers a context in wh...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A100047
Grant
INSPIRE: Urban Teaching Fellows Program
The purpose of this study is to develop and implement a whole school, sustained, collaborative, and technology-enhanced science professional development program for elementary school teachers (grades 4-6). The program is adapted from a previously successful professional development program with middle school teachers. A national elementary science needs assessment survey of a representative sample of 7,000 elementary teachers nationwide found that 79% of them reported a lack of content know...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A090145
Grant
Education Research - BioBridge Teacher Quality
In an effort to improve science education at the local level, university scientists and K-12 educators in San Diego have begun collaborations to co-develop lab activities and materials for secondary science curricula focused upon introducing emerging research and technology directly into classrooms. This is meant to help bypass normal 10-12 year delays between new discoveries and their appearance in students' textbooks. This project is designed around findings from a local needs assessment ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A080692
Grant
Development of an Interactive, Multimedia Assessment of Teachers' Knowledge of Early Reading
The national focus on teacher quality has reinforced interest in the extent to which subject matter knowledge is a critical component of teacher quality. This interest has, in turn, led to efforts to identify measures of elementary teachers' knowledge about reading, and study the effects of this knowledge on students' learning. A literature review of measures of teachers' knowledge about reading, conducted by this study's researchers, indicated that no currently published studies have repor...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A080295
Grant
Leadership for Integrated Middle-School Science (LIMSS)
Eighty percent of America's workforce needs the skills and much of the knowledge taught in science, and we need science specialists from technicians to researchers. Yet, student interest in science declines during school, as do attitudes about science, both of which affect student participation in the subject. Intervention in middle schools (grades 6-8) is an optimum point of intervention because students' attitudes are not firmly set; and, science is taught primarily by teachers who d...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A080078
Grant
Modeling and Developing Situation Awareness in Teachers
A hallmark of expert teachers is their ability to monitor the complex, chaotic environment of a classroom and attend to key features relevant to assessing student understanding. This phenomenon, termed "situation awareness," is central to the performance of many complex activities. We know very little about how teachers manage their attention while teaching, and even less about how this ability develops. This project will develop basic models of situation awareness in teaching and use them t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305U070007
Grant
Understanding Science: Improving Achievement of Middle School Students in Science
On the 2005 National Assessment of Education Progress, 41 percent of eighth-graders scored below the basic level in science. In the 1999-2000 school year, 42 percent of public school students were taught physical sciences by teachers who had neither a major nor certification in the field. The purpose of this project is to develop three teacher professional development courses in the Understanding Science series that address challenging physical science and earth science topics: heat and ene...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B070233
Grant
Effect of the SUN Teacher Workshop on Student Achievement
A recent instructional analysis of middle school and secondary biology textbooks concluded that the presentation of the ideas of energy and the flow of matter in living things prescribed by them was uniformly poor. The purpose of this project is to develop an in-service training workshop, Students Understanding eNergy (SUN), on the fundamental topic of energy transfer in biological systems (i.e., respiration and photosynthesis), and the impact of these processes on the flow of matter and en...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B070443
Grant
Improving the Mathematical Content Base of Lesson Study: Design and Test of Two Research-Based Toolkits
In lesson study, teachers work together in a cycle of improvement that includes planning, teaching, and debriefing an actual classroom lesson. Lesson study originated in Japan and has been initiated by U.S. teachers since 1999. Preliminary evidence suggests that lesson study can produce improvements in mathematics teaching. This project aims to develop and test a research-based toolkit designed to help mathematics lesson study groups access and use content knowledge effectively. The tool...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A070237
Grant
Identifying Key Components of Effective Professional Development in Reading for First-Grade Teachers and Their Students
In this project, the research team proposed to compare the efficacy of three models of professional development for first grade reading teachers. The researchers’ goal for this project was to produce evidence to help school districts select effective, affordable models. In the early 2000s, finding such professional development models was important because of the Reading First Initiative of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This initiative was designed to improve students' reading s...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M030090
Grant
Teacher Quality Study: An Investigation of the Impact of Teacher Study Groups as a Means to Enhance The Quality of Reading Instruction for First Graders in High Poverty Schools in Two States
Reading First includes the use of professional development with teachers in low-performing schools to improve low-income students' reading achievement. Although solid research evidence supports the core classroom practices and instructional assessment principles of Reading First, some of the specific professional practices under consideration for use as part of the Reading First initiative lack such evidence. Research has not yet used rigorous techniques to test these practices sufficiently ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M030052
Grant
Mastering Reading Instruction: A Professional Development Project for First Grade Teachers
At the time of this project, much was already known about how to teach children beginning reading skills. However, many teachers were not aware of some elements of reading instruction that are key to helping students avoid common reading problems. At the same time, some research was finding that teachers who learned about effective reading strategies included those strategies in their instruction and student achievement improved. This research team planned to evaluate the effects of a resear...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M030099
Grant
Improving Teacher Quality to Address the Language and Literacy Skills of Latino Children in Pre-Kindergarten Programs
At the time of this study, research indicated that Latino children were lagging behind their peers when they entered into kindergarten. However, very little was known about the effects of pre-kindergarten schooling on Latino children who are English language learners. In this study, the researchers purposed to develop and test an intervention designed to improve the quality of teaching practices related to literacy and language learning among Latino children enrolled in North Carolina's More...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M040032
Grant
Can Literacy Professional Development be Improved with Web-based Collaborative Learning Tools: A Randomized Field Trial
In this project, the researchers proposed to test the efficacy of an existent professional development program, the Literacy Collaborative (LC), and whether the efficacy of LC is enhanced through the addition of a web-based collaborative learning environment, the Literacy Coaching toolkit (LCtk). The study examined the interventions' efficacy on the work of school-based literacy coaches, the professional development of teachers whom these coaches support, and kindergarten through third grade...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M040086
Grant
Teacher Licensure Tests and Student Achievement
In the early 2000s, one approach to improving the quality of instruction in U.S. elementary and secondary schools was to screen out potential candidates for teaching positions based on teacher licensure tests and teacher testing in general. However, at the time, little was known about associations between teacher test performance and student outcomes.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M040186
Grant
Professional Development in Early Reading (Classroom Links to Early Literacy)
In this study, the researchers proposed to compare two variants of a semester-long professional development (PD) for early childhood practitioners to help develop a refined model of PD. The PD variants they were comparing incorporated coaching, workshops, and case examples to improve teacher practices and child literacy outcomes. In the early 2000s, research was indicating that high- quality preschool interventions focused on early reading improved skills that predicted subsequent reading ab...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M040167
Grant
Assessing Teacher Effectiveness: How Can We Predict Who Will be a High Quality Teacher?
In this study, the researchers proposed to determine which assessments and strategies can be used to select teachers who are effective in raising student achievement. The researchers' primary goal was to shed light on both the merits of general strategies used to select high-quality teachers (professional judgments versus standardized measures) and on the specific assessment criteria that are most highly associated with student outcomes. To conduct this work, the researchers would leverage a...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M040121
Grant
Algebra Learning for All (ALFA)
In this project, researchers aimed to create a video- and Internet-based professional development program to help teachers improve mathematics instruction in middle school. The proposed 2-year professional development program was intended for 6th-grade teachers to learn how to identify, design, and present problems in challenging forms as part of their regular classroom teaching. The team also researched/piloted the impact of the two training programs on (1) teachers' knowledge of math...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M030154
Grant
The Relationship Between Mathematics Teachers' Content Knowledge and Students' Mathematics Achievement: Exploring the Predictive Validity of the Praxis Series Middle School Mathematics Test
In this project, researchers intended to examine the validity of an existing measure of middle-school teachers' mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge by examining associations between this measure and student mathematics achievement. To do this, the researchers proposed to develop, refine, and employ a value-added model that explicitly accounts for covariate information and weaking of teacher effects over time.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M040156
Grant
Algebra Connections: Teacher Education in Clear Instruction and Responsive Assessment of Algebra Patterns and Problem Solving
At the time of this project in the United States, student proficiency in algebra was very low, particularly among low-income, Black, and Hispanic students. One approach to improving math performance, including algebra, was to improve teacher preparation. In this project, the researchers proposed to develop a working model of teacher professional development that improved math learning among middle school students at risk for not meeting national standards in mathematics. The researchers aime...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M040127
Grant
Utah's Improving Science Teacher Quality Initiative
At the time of this project, many middle school students were not meeting state minimum standards in science. In this project, the researchers proposed to design and test the potential efficacy of a professional development program for middle school science teachers with an emphasis on improving the science achievement of Latino students.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M060006
Teaching, Teachers, and the Education Workforce
The Teaching, Teachers, and the Education Workforce topic (formerly called Effective Teachers and Effective Teaching) supports research on strategies for improving the performance of classroom teachers in ways that promote student learning and academic achievement in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and — for English Learners — English language proficiency, from kindergarten through high school.
Grant
CALDER Recruitment & Retention (CALDER-R&R)
CALDER-R&R examines policies addressing teacher shortages and their impact on teachers, student learning, and equity. Two important perspectives undergird the Center's work. First is the understanding that teacher shortages are not a single phenomenon. Instead, they exist in specific subject areas (for example, science and mathematics), among teachers from specific backgrounds (for example, teachers from historically marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds), in specific schools (for e...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305C240007
Grant
IES SLDS: Using Maryland SLDS to Strengthen and Diversify the Teacher Workforce through High School to Career Pathways
Maryland, like many other states, faces a teacher shortage. Furthermore, the number of teachers of color in teaching career pathways is disproportionate to the increasing number of minority students in the state. This disproportionality further amplifies the impact of the teacher shortage on students, as research finds that students of color show better educational and social outcomes when they have access to effective teachers of the same race or ethnicity. Removing obstacles for Maryland h...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S240013
Grant
Diagnostic Instrument for Teachers' Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Numbers and Operations
In this project, the researchers will develop a diagnostic measure of content and pedagogical content knowledge of numbers and operations for elementary school teachers. Despite the agreement across teacher educators on the importance of teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge in creating meaningful learning opportunities for students, many existing assessments of teacher knowledge have not been designed to capture the key elements of these knowledge components, particularly pedago...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A240246
Grant
Additive and Multiplicative Learning Progressions: Impacts on Eliciting, Interpreting, and Responding to Student Thinking in the First Years of Teaching
In this study, the researchers will examine how teacher preparation programs that incorporate an explicit focus on learning progressions can nurture novice teachers' capacity to elicit, interpret, and respond to students' mathematical thinking and how this practice continues to take shape through teachers' earliest years in the profession. Research-based learning trajectories/progressions (LT/Ps) describe probable learning pathways within mathematical content strands, giving teachers access ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A240131
Grant
Refinement and Validation of a Large-Scale Panel Survey of Students' Social-Emotional Learning in Grades 4 Through 12 in the COVID Era
In this project, researchers propose to refine and validate an open-source social emotional learning (SEL) survey instrument developed by California's CORE Districts for students in grades 4 through 12. Specifically, this project has 3 goals:
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A230402
Grant
Integrating Mindfulness Into School Counseling to Enhance Resilience for Adolescents in the Context of Stress
The purpose of this project is to develop, refine, and pilot test an IES-funded program (Be CALM Counseling) to increase counselors' attunement to the stress-related needs of the diverse middle school populations they serve. Stress is highly prevalent among adolescents, even more so in the present times, and disrupts students' learning as well as their emotional wellbeing. Although many different individual and contextual factors have been shown to promote stress resilience, emotion regulati...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A230390
Grant
Pathways Into Teaching: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of High Leverage Opportunities to Increase the Representation of Teachers of Color in Tennessee Schools
A growing body of research demonstrates the benefits of a racially and ethnically diverse teaching workforce, yet diversifying teaching remains a challenge in many states. This challenge stems, in part, from a scarcity of research into the varied pathways of teachers of color into classrooms, how the policies and processes they encounter along those pathways affect their experiences, and how those experiences can divert them from the pathway or prepare them for teaching success. The goal of ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220054
Grant
Efficacy Study of the Simulated Instruction in Mathematics Professional Development
The Simulated Instruction in Mathematics Professional Development (SIM PD) program is an innovative professional development (PD) program that offers (1) a focus on research-based math instructional strategies and (2) the unique opportunity to practice implementing these strategies in a mixed-reality environment with support of a coach and teacher colleagues. The program responds to the critical need in the field for ways to develop math teachers' ability to use the focal strategies, which h...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220035
Grant
Assessing Teacher Applicants: What Can be Learned About Inservice Teacher Quality and Retention by Applying AI to Applicant Short-Answer Questions
The importance of teachers to student success is hard to overstate. Improving school's ability to select more effective teachers is an obvious avenue for improving their workforce. This exploration study will contribute to a small but promising recent body of research on teacher selection, which shows that districts have choice amongst applicants, and can obtain information during the application process that is predictive of both teacher effectiveness and retention. One widely used selectio...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220479
Grant
How Teachers Learn Racial Competency and How to be Effective for All of Their Students
The goal of this project is to further the understanding of how teachers improve over time-and specifically how white teachers can increase their racial competency and become more effective teachers to students of color-by bridging 3 previously distinct literatures in education research: the returns to teaching experience, teacher peer effects, and the impact of same-race teachers. Specifically, researchers will answer two broad research questions: First, does the racial makeup of a teacher'...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210434
Grant
The Effect of Content-Focused Coaching on Reading Comprehension Instruction: Evidence from Urban and Rural Schools
Results of national assessments show that a large percentage of students in the United States do not advance beyond basic levels of reading comprehension, and this is especially the case for minoritized students, English learners (ELs), and students living in poverty who are consistently and disproportionately represented within the lowest levels of reading achievement. The purpose of this project is to test the efficacy, implementation, and cost-effectiveness of a web-based professional dev...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210171
Grant
Project BASICS (Behavioral Accountability for a Successful Instructional Climate in Schools)
The purpose of this project is to develop the BASICS intervention, which merges student advocacy and self-advocacy with teacher and administrator use of restorative practices to create classrooms and schools where students, especially students most vulnerable to peer victimization, feel comfortable advocating for their own and others' emotional safety. Peer victimization increases in the middle grades and often leads to disengagement from school and long-term negative effects, including low ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210071
Grant
An Effectiveness Replication of Targeted Reading Instruction: Investigating Long-Term Student and Teacher Impacts
Targeted Reading Instruction (TRI, formerly called Targeted Reading Intervention) is a teacher professional development (PD) program with an embedded student reading intervention. Hundreds of TRI classroom teachers have helped K-2 students learn to read. TRI is one of the few reading programs in the US displaying strong evidence of effectiveness in both decoding and reading comprehension, as confirmed by What Works Clearinghouse. This study will be the first to test TRI's long-term effective...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305R210007
Grant
Shaping Teacher Quality and Student of Color Experience in Massachusetts: Alignment of Preparation and Licensure Systems with Teacher Effects on Student non-Test Outcomes
The purpose of this project is to examine the extent to which Massachusetts' preparation and licensing systems prepare teachers to be effective in improving outcomes for students of color.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305S210012
Grant
Gender Stereotypes in STEM: Exploring Developmental Patterns for Prevention
The gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) remains a large and persistent problem in the United States. Although many factors influence this gap, research points to gender difference in students' interest and motivation in STEM as a major contributor to later disparities in STEM majors and careers. This difference in interest and motivation is driven, in part, by stereotypes. Stereotypes refer to beliefs that link groups with certain traits or characteristics. Two ne...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200520
Grant
Teacher Working Conditions and Equitable Student Outcomes
In order to close persistent achievement gaps along lines of race and ethnicity and economic disadvantaged status, all students must be taught by an effective teacher. Improving working conditions can help accomplish that because these conditions define the school context in which teachers do their work and facilitate teachers realizing the intrinsic rewards they seek. This project will explore the relationships between working conditions, teacher retention, and equitable student outcomes.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200106
Grant
Partnering to Improve: The Denver Public Schools and CU-Boulder Teacher Workforce Collaborative
Partnerswill focus on closing achievement gaps and improve outcomes for DPS's historically underserved students by strengthening the teaching workforce. Specifically, the partners will (1) explore patterns of teacher retention within DPS schools and across DPS and (2) analyze Teacher Leadership & Collaboration (TL&C), DPS's innovative teacher career ladder initiative.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H190060
Grant
Developing Talkers: Building Effective Teachers of Academic Language Skills
Researchers will evaluate the impact of two theoretically distinct versions of an intervention called Developing Talkers (DT) that uses a Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS). DT is designed to improve teacher facilitation of academic language skills and the academic language skills of kindergarten students. The two versions are the Scripted Approach and the Teacher-Inspired Approach. Researchers will monitor teacher uptake of evidence-based practices during a first stage of intervention....
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A190065
Grant
WRITE Center for Secondary Students: Writing Research to Improve Teaching and Evaluation
In an information society and knowledge economy, writing is a ubiquitous requirement for full civic and workforce participation. The evolution to more source-based, analytic writing can be seen in current educational standards and assessments, including the Common Core State Standards (CCSS); Next Generation Science Standards; and College, Career, and Civic Life Framework. Recent national education statistics indicate that U.S. students are not prepared to meet the challenges of this complex...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305C190007
Grant
Exploring Elementary Teachers' Feelings, Beliefs, and Effectiveness across Mathematics, Science, and Literacy
Teachers are responsible for making decisions and taking actions that determine students' classroom experiences. Much of the research on teacher effectiveness has focused on teachers' pedagogical and content knowledge. However, findings from recent evaluations indicate improvement in teacher knowledge generally does not translate to improved student outcomes and suggest that other important elements - such as feelings and beliefs - can play a powerful role in professional performance. In thi...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200524
Grant
The Teacher Pipeline in Massachusetts: Connecting Pre-service Performance Measures to In-service Teacher Outcomes
As part of its efforts to develop its teaching workforce, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) has teacher evaluation systems that span the entire teacher pipeline. These include surveys of supervising practitioners and teacher candidates during the preservice clinical internship; a new practice-based preparation program completion assessment (the Candidate Assessment of Practice, or CAP); surveys of first-year teachers and their principals; and the state'...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H170025
Grant
Quality Counts: Building Capacity to Research Quality in Colorado's Residency Preparation Programs
Growing evidence shows extended clinical placements (residencies) support teacher candidate effectiveness, and states are increasingly requiring residencies for teacher preparation. Little is known, however, about the critical features of residency. Residency models vary widely in standards, approaches, and resources. Data on why and how models differ, or how candidates perform, is limited and often not comparable across programs. This project will (1) examine how and why the seven teacher r...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H170066
Grant
The Day Reconstruction Method: A New Tool for Measuring Teachers' Work and Work Contexts
This project is intended to develop a measure of teachers' workplaces and how teachers spend their workday. Building on a small-scale pilot study that described teacher work activities, the social context of their work, and their affect while working, researchers propose to develop and validate the Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) measure. The instrument is intended to capture the simultaneous occurrence of these constructs, thus potentially yielding insight into aspects of teachers' work tha...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180516
Grant
Research Partnership to Improve Human Resource Management in Minneapolis Public Schools
In this project, researchers from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and St. Catherine's University will partner with the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) to examine MPS teacher effectiveness measurement and teacher hiring practices. Improving teacher selection (either through improvements in recruiting and screening or through selective retention after a period of observation and performance measurement) could lead to improved performance in the teaching workforce. Researchers, however...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H160036
Grant
Using Teacher Evaluation Data to Drive Instructional Improvement: Evidence from the Evaluation Partnership Program in Tennessee
Building on existing research collaborations between the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and researchers at both Vanderbilt and Brown/Harvard Universities, researchers for this project will examine the implementation and impact of the Evaluation Partnership Program (EPP) on teacher and student outcomes. The EPP is a central component of the state's teacher evaluation system and its ongoing efforts to use the system to promote instructional improvement. Researchers will also focus o...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305E150005
Grant
META Researchers and Practitioners in Partnership (RPP) to Enhance Data Use Practice that Improves Student Learning
This researcher-practitioner partnership, the Metropolitan Educational Training Alliance (META), will develop teachers' capacity to use data to inform instruction. Specifically, the partners will (1) document the current status of teachers' data use practice to inform a pilot professional development model and (2) examine the model's influence on teachers' data use practice and association with improved student learning. In response to federally required testing mandates and accountability ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H150088
Grant
An Evaluation of the Authentic Intellectual Work Initiative in Iowa
A significant concern among education stakeholders is that many U.S. high schools fall short in preparing students for successful transitions to adult life. The Common Core State Standards were designed to address these concerns by defining the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in entry-level college coursework and workforce training. Many states and school districts are seeking strategies to help teachers teach in ways that align with the Common Core State Standards and subseq...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H140045
Grant
Examining the Effects of IMPACT on Students Achievement: DCPS-UVA Research Partnership
The partnership of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), University of Virginia (UVA), and Stanford University focused on the development and analysis of student, teacher, and school administrative data from DCPS to understand the effects of IMPACT: The DCPS Effectiveness Assessment System for School-Based Personnel on student achievement and guide its ongoing design refinements. In addition, researchers worked closely with policymakers to understand better the strategic and instit...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H140002
Grant
Applicants at the Doorstep: Improving Hiring Practices through a Better Understanding of the Link Between Applicant Information and Teacher Quality
The primary aims of the partnership were to better understand the relation between applicant data and teacher performance; to determine where hiring processes succeed and fail to identify the best teacher applicants; and finally, to create a foundation from which to develop a future research grant proposal to develop and analyze the effectiveness of new applicant assessment tools.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H130030
Grant
National Center for Teacher Effectiveness: Validating Measures of Effective Math Teaching
The National Center for Teacher Effectiveness: Validating Measures of Effective Math Teaching will identify practices and characteristics that distinguish between more and less effective teachers and will use this information to develop a suite of empirically validated and practical instruments that can be used by school districts to select, deploy, and retain more effective teachers. While focusing on math instruction in grades 4 and 5, the Center will have four primary goals:
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305C090023
Grant
The Efficacy of the Responsive Classroom Approach for Improving Teacher Quality and Children's Academic Performance
In 2005, one in five fourth-grade children in America performed below the basic level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in math. Among eighth-grade students, one in three students performed below the basic level. Standards-based math curricula were introduced to address this problem. Although standards-based math curricula may provide teachers with strategies for improving student learning of academic content, typically these curricula do not provide teachers with well-ar...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A070063
Grant
A Randomized Controlled Study of the Efficacy of Reading Apprenticeship Professional Development for High School History and Science Teaching and Learning
In this project, the researchers proposed to investigate the efficacy of the reading apprenticeship professional development program that aimed to improve teachers' integration of reading instruction into high school science and history and, thereby, to increase student reading and content proficiency. The professional development program was a response to the observations that many students who reach middle and high school do not possess sufficient reading skills to learn new knowledge when...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050031
Grant
Connecting Primary Grade Teacher Knowledge to Primary Grade Student Achievement: Developing the Evidence-Based Reading/Writing Teacher Knowledge Assessment System
In this project, the researchers propsed to develop and pilot a reliable, comprehensive, and practical primary-grade measure called the Evidence-based Reading/Writing Teacher Knowledge Assessment System (ERWTKAS). ERWTKAS was intended to measure teachers' knowledge about effective, evidence-based reading and writing instruction. By the end of this project, the researchers aimed to have completed the development of ERWTKAS as well as validated the measure against students' reading and writing...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050003
Grant
Assessment of Pedagogical Knowledge of Teachers of Reading
In this project, the researchers planned to develop and validate measures of pedagogical content knowledge in early reading. Also, they purposed to investigate the relationship between elementary school teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of reading, their instructional practices, and their students' reading achievement.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050087
Grant
Mentoring Teachers through Pedagogical Content Knowledge Development
In this study, researchers proposed to complete a professional development (PD) program for high school life science teachers and collect data on its potential efficacy. The study focused on novel science content: genetics and biotechnology and their ethical implications and how to turn novel content knowledge into effective teaching and improved student achievement. The researchers planned to explore models of long-term mentoring via face-to-face and more distant on-line interaction.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050264
Grant
Evolving Inquiry: An Experimental Test of a Science Instruction Model for Teachers in Rural, Culturally Diverse Schools
Through this research project, the researchers aimed to test the potential efficacy of a technology-supported professional development program for rural fifth- through eighth-grade science teachers from two rural Nebraska educational service units (ESUs). The program is adapted for rural school populations from a program with promising results in an urban setting.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050309
Grant
Replication and Outcomes of the Teaching SMART® Program in Elementary Science Classrooms
In this study, the researchers proposed to test the efficacy of the Teaching SMART®, a widely used professional development program for elementary school teachers for improving grade 3 -5 teacher performance and student learning in science. In addition, the study will identify instructional methodologies and strategies that are effective in improving teacher performance and, in turn, student achievement.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050223
Grant
Examining the Efficacy of Two Models of Preschool Professional Development in Language and Literacy
In this project, the researchers proposed to test the efficacy of two approaches to implementing empirically based early literacy professional development: the Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (LEEP) and Technology-Enhanced LEEP (T-LEEP). These PD programs grew in response to a recognition that children who come from homes where oral language interactions are sparse enter school at a disadvantage and that many early childhood teachers lack a solid foundation in early teaching and lear...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050072
Grant
Content-Focused Coaching (SM) for High Quality Reading Instruction
In this project, the research team planned to study a structured coaching program designed to improve reading comprehension instruction in the upper elementary grades. At the time of this study, findings showed that 69 percent of fourth graders scored below a proficient level in reading and 36 percent in the below-basic category. In response, some school districts hired "instructional coaches," but there was no agreed upon definition of coaches, so performance varied widely.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305W060027
Grant
The Pathway Project: A Cognitive Strategies Approach to Reading and Writing Instruction for Teachers of Secondary English Language Learners
Through this project, researchers planned to replicate an impact study of an existing, successful professional development program based on a reading and writing intervention designed to enhance the higher level academic literacy of secondary (high school) English language learners (ELs). The researchers' objective was to improve the practices of classroom teachers in ways that positively impact student learning and school achievement.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305W060016
Grant
Enhancing Knowledge Related to Research-Based Early Literacy Instruction Among Pre-Service Teachers
Research suggests that good early literacy instruction can dramatically improve student achievement. Despite the acknowledged importance of teachers, little research has directly focused on pre-service teacher education, or on ways to enhance teacher's problem-solving skills as they relate to the needs of children who struggle with literacy acquisition. In the current project, the researchers plan to develop a set of multimedia materials that can be used in the context of pre-service langu...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305W060024
Grant
Standards-based Differentiated ELD Instruction to Improve English Language Arts Achievement for English Language Learners
The growing emphases on standards-based instruction and high-stakes testing, and the heavy focus on building literacy skills in reading and writing, pose tremendous challenges for teachers of English language learners. In 1999, California adopted English Language Development standards, which establish benchmarks for English language learners at different levels of English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The English Language Development standards establish a clear ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305W060064
Grant
Assessing the Potential Impact of a Professional Development Program in Science on Head Start Teachers and Children
In this project, the researchers proposed to develop and pilot test a credit-bearing professional development program, Foundations of Science Literacy (FSL), on head start teachers and children. Historically, English language learners and students from low-income homes perform lower in science on average than their peers. At the end of this intended project, researchers aimed to have developed and tested potential promise of FLS in the Boston area of Massachusetts.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050260
Grant
Integrating Science and Diversity Education: A model of Pre-Service Elementary Teacher Preparation
By 2010 it is expected that 40% of school age children will be of Latino, African American, Asian, or Native American descent, often sharing poverty, limited parent educational attainment, and limited English proficiency. Students in these groups typically have less access to science education and lower achievement in science. Fundamental to the problem is the limited knowledge base on how to teach science to diverse students and how to prepare the teachers that serve them. Using sociocul...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M060065
Grant
Identifying the Conditions Under which Large Scale Professional Development Policy Initiatives are Related to Teacher Knowledge, Instructional Practices, and Student Reading Outcomes
In this project, the researchers' goal was to identify professional development activities and coaching practices associated with Reading First efforts that predicted teacher and student outcomes. The teacher outcomes of interest were knowledge of reading instruction and use of instructional practices congruent with research on reading. The student outcomes of interest were oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, and phonological awareness skills.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050122
Grant
Comparing the Efficacy of Three Approaches to Improving Teaching Quality in Science Education: Curriculum Implementation, Design, and Adaptation
In this study, the researchers proposed to test the efficacy of three competing approaches to improving teaching in middle school science education. The first would be providing teachers with high-quality curriculum units and with professional development and follow-up. The second would be to provide teachers with training in how to develop high-quality curriculum units aligned to local standards and time to develop these units, along with follow-up mentoring. The third approach would be pro...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050226
Grant
Using Video Clips of Classroom Instruction as Item Prompts to Measure Teacher Knowledge of Teaching Mathematics: Instrument Development and Validation
To address teacher assessment needs in the early 2000s, the research team proposed a new assessment approach to measure teachers' knowledge of teaching mathematics. Many of the assessments of teacher knowledge that were available at the time of this project assessed low-level or marginally relevant knowledge and not teachers' deep knowledge of subject matter and actual teaching skills. In addition, many assessments of teacher knowledge were criticized for technical shortcomings related to th...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M060007
Grant
Embedded Classroom Multimedia: Improving Implementation Quality and Student Achievement in a Cooperative Writing Program
In this study, the researchers proposed to develop and pilot test a professional development program to help teachers improve students' writing methods. The goal was to ensure that teachers could transfer what they learned from the professional development to the classroom. The proposed professional development included training that includes how to use multimedia content embedded in classroom instruction, teacher's learning communities, well-structured manuals and materials, cooperative learnin
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050086
Grant
Enhancing the Quality of Expository Text Instruction through Content and Case-Situated Professional Development
In this project, the researchers proposed to refine a professional development (PD) program for grade 4 social studies teachers to help them integrate reading comprehension into instruction. The researchers also aimed to pilot test the fully developed version of the PD. The PD was case situated and to help teachers learn and use evidence-based practices.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050121
Grant
Investigating the Efficacy of a Professional Development Program in Classroom Assessment for Middle School Reading and Mathematics
In this study, the researchers proposed to conduct a replication field trial to determine how best to implement and deliver standardized professional development in classroom assessment to meet teachers' needs in math and reading across grade levels.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050270
Grant
Teaching Teachers to Teach Critical Reading Strategies (CREST) through an Intensive Professional Development Model
In this study, the researchers proposed to develop and pilot test a model of professional development program that aims to change teacher behavior in how they teach students to be strategic readers.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305M050021
View More