Douglas Gagnon

3037669199344

About

Applied Research task lead
Douglas Gagnon, PhD, is a principal education researcher at SRI International with over 12 years of experience conducting research and leading technical assistance in education. Gagnon is an author on four REL reports on dual enrollment, career and technical education, remote learning, and estimating postsecondary effectiveness. These reports employ a range of methodologies, including quasi-experimental design, descriptive analysis, document review, and the examination of statistical modeling. Gagnon has also led multiple projects intended to increase partner capacity to collect and use data to inform program planning and evaluate outcomes. For instance, Gagnon supports the Kentucky Department of Education in their evaluation of the Mathematics Achievement Fund, a math coaching program in 13 schools, as part of the current REL AP contract. Gagnon is certified in What Works Clearinghouse group design standards (version 5.0).

Associated IES Content

About REL Appalachia

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Appalachia partners with key stakeholders in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia to develop evidence that can inform consequential decisions about policy, programs, and practice. Key stakeholders include organizations with decision-making authority and the ability to influence education policy and practice, such as state and local education agencies, school boards, institutes of higher education, and student, family, and community organizations.
resource Tool/Toolkit

Program Evaluation Toolkit

The Program Evaluation Toolkit presents a step-by-step process for conducting your own program evaluation. The Quick Start Guide will help you decide if you are ready to use this toolkit and where to start.
Dec 22, 2021
report Descriptive Study

Variations in District Strategies for Remote Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented and abrupt stoppage of in-person learning in schools across the country. State education agency leaders in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming needed information on proposed strategies in districts' remote learning plans to ensure continuity and better support remote learning in their states. This study used document analysis to examine proposed strategies related to infrastructure; strategies and supports for instruction; ...
Sep 01, 2021
report Descriptive Study

Understanding Access to and Participation in Dual Enrollment by Locale and Income Level

By providing students with an opportunity to take college courses and earn college credits while in high school, dual enrollment programs effectively increase college access, enrollment, and degree attainment. Such programs might be particularly beneficial for high school students who might be less likely to go to college, including students from rural areas and low-income households. Given the comparatively rural geography of the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central region, stakehol...
May 24, 2021
report Impact Study

The Impact of Career and Technical Education on Postsecondary Outcomes in Nebraska and South Dakota

Education leaders in Nebraska and South Dakota partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory Central to examine how completing a sequence of career and technical education (CTE) courses in high school affects students' rates of on-time high school graduation and their rates of postsecondary education enrollment and completion within two and five years. The study found that CTE concentrators (students who complete a sequence of CTE courses aligned to a specific career field such as manufa...
May 11, 2021
resource Video

Steps to Develop a Model to Estimate School- and District-Level Postsecondary Success

This tool is intended to support state and local education agencies in developing a statistical model for estimating student postsecondary success at the school or district level. The tool guides education agency researchers, analysts, and decisionmakers through options to consider when developing their own model. The resulting model generates an indicator of a school's or district's contribution to the postsecondary success of its students after contextual factors are accounted for that migh...
Mar 01, 2021
Blog

Supporting an Evaluation of the Rural Educator Stipend Program in Colorado

In many rural areas throughout the United States, school district administrators regularly face the challenge of attracting and retaining educators who are interested in working and living in their regions. In Colorado, state education leaders have proactively addressed teacher staffing challenges in rural districts in various ways, including developing an innovative, multifaceted stipend program that provides pre- and in-service teachers with funding to complete their tea...
Date published:
Oct 01, 2020
Blog

Infographics Shed Light on Rural Internet Connectivity Issues

While 2020 has been a challenging year for those of us in the learning community, education researchers like myself hope that it provides a chance to elevate data showing critical opportunity gaps faced by our students.
Date published:
Sep 03, 2020
Blog

Closing Rural Achievement Gaps in Nebraska Districts

Although achievement gaps are often framed as an urban problem, disparities along lines of student characteristics are also troublingly large in rural places. Nebraska has expressed a continued interest in understanding more about achievement gaps in rural schools. "Closing the achievement gaps does two important things," said Jeanne Surface, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Nebraska (Omaha). "First, it improves th...
Date published:
Jul 02, 2020
Blog

Strategies for Implementing Remote Learning Plans Along a Continuum of Internet Access

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented levels of social distancing being practiced throughout the country. This in turn has resulted in a large number of schools nationwide having to implement distance learning programs in order to complete the academic year. Unfortunately, access to high-speed broadband internet, and in some cases the internet in general, is inconsistent throughout America even in 2020. A relatively high percentag...
Date published:
May 08, 2020
Blog

Strengthening English Learner Education in Rural Areas

English language students (ELs) have become a small but rapidly growing segment of rural school populations. The migration of new populations into rural places has helped invigorate many small and remote towns and has led to new faces, languages, and cultures in what were once relatively homogenous school communities. In turn, that change has led to the need for the adoption and implementation of new strategies to ensure both ELs and the teachers who support them are succe...
Date published:
Apr 01, 2020
resource Training Material

Increasing Education Data Use Through SEA, LEA and Researcher Partnerships

Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET Location: Virtual Description: Representatives from the National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum), the Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) network, and the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Program have joined efforts to provide helpful information for state and local education agencies interested in working with researchers. We will discuss the benefits and processes for partnering with researchers to ef...
Jun 05, 2018