Jess Gropen

In this project, the research team will iteratively develop and study MARACAS (Math and Reading Acquisition Co-Adaptive System), a set of individualized reading supports for students embedded within an adaptive mathematics learning system (MATHia) and associated teacher application (LiveLab). Teachers face significant barriers in supporting the needs of middle school students with reading difficulties (RD) when learning to solve mathematics problems. To address this need, MARACAS will be dev...

Teaching children how to think scientifically in the preschool years has the potential to address an existing achievement gap in early science and provide all children with the skills necessary to continue learning and thinking critically throughout the school years. Unfortunately, early childhood teachers typically lack content and pedagogical knowledge in science, and are not prepared to provide developmentally appropriate experiences that support children's early science learning and read...

The purpose of this project is to test the efficacy of the Foundations of Science Literacy (FSL) intervention, a professional development program that was developed for use with Head Start teachers. By focusing on the Head Start community, FSL directly addresses the achievement gap in early science education by providing a framework for teachers to learn and implement preschool science instructional practices in classrooms serving children from low-income backgrounds. This study will exam...

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...

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.