Co-Principal Investigator: Ruzek, Erik; Song, Mengli

Purpose: 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 evidence on how to scale coaching interventions. In addition, the study will explore how the effects of this content-neutral professional development differ for mathematics and English Language Arts teachers.

Project Activities: MTP-S is a 2-year teacher coaching program designed to improve the quality of teacher-student interactions in secondary school classrooms. Researchers will randomly assign teachers to the treatment or control condition within blocks defined by subject (mathematics or ELA) and school. Impact analyses will focus on outcomes at the end of each intervention year. Researchers will collect observations in the fall of Year 1 (baseline) and twice in the spring of each year, with each observation based on a randomly selected section taught by each teacher. In both fall and spring of each year, students will complete a short engagement survey. Student achievement in math and English language arts as measured by end-of-course exams will also be collected.

Products: Researchers will produce evidence of the efficacy of MyTeachingPartner-Secondary(MTP-S) intervention for secondary teachers and their students. Researchers will produce peer-reviewed publications along with study briefs and videos on the AIR, Teachstone, and Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning websites that are designed for general audiences. They will also present at conferences or provide written materials to incorporate in the journals, newsletters, or other communications of practitioner organizations (e.g., Council of Chief State School Officers, National School Social Workers Association, and National School Psychologist Association).

Structured Abstract

Setting: The study will take place in a suburban district in Maryland.

Sample: The study sample will include 200 teachers who (1) teach a regular yearlong mathematics or English language arts (ELA) class in Grades 6—12 with an end-of-course exam in a regular middle school or high school and (2) do not participate in an induction program involving regular mentoring. The student sample will include all students in sections of mathematics or ELA taught by study teachers in the fall of each of the two intervention years.

Intervention: MTP-S is a 2-year teacher coaching program designed to improve the quality of teacher-student interactions in secondary school classrooms. This study will examine a modified version of MTP-S in which the vendor (Teachstone) trains, monitors, and supports coaches selected by the school districts (instead of providing Teachstone coaches). In each of the two years, a participating teacher completes 6 to 10 cycles of coaching. In each cycle, the teacher submits a videotape of a lesson, which the coach then analyzes. The coach selects 3 brief video clips and writes questions about them. The teacher's written responses provide the basis for a one-on-one discussion guided by the coach, which concludes with the development of an action plan.

Research Design and Methods: In this study, researchers will use a blocked cluster randomized experiment. They will randomly assign teachers to the treatment or control condition within blocks defined by subject (mathematics or ELA) and school. The project will follow teachers for the 2 intervention years and examine outcomes at the end of each intervention year. Researchers will collect observations in the fall of Year 1 (baseline) and twice in the spring of each year, with each observation based on a randomly selected section taught by each teacher. In both fall and spring of each year, students will complete a short engagement survey.

Control Condition: Control teachers will receive only business-as-usual professional development opportunities.

Key Measures: The research team will measure quality of teacher-student interactions using the Classroom Assessment and Scoring System-Secondary (CLASS-S) and the Danielson's Framework for Teaching (FFT). They will measure teacher self-efficacy using the Teachers' Sense of Self-Efficacy Scale. They will measure student engagement using four scales (i.e., Behavioral Engagement, Emotional Engagement, Behavioral Disaffection, and Emotional Disaffection). Researchers will measure student achievement using end-of-course test scores in mathematics and ELA.

Data Analytic Strategy: The research team will use multilevel intent-to-treat analyses based on a fixed-effects approach, which will take into account clustering at the section and teacher levels where appropriate. They will also conduct complier average treatment effect analyses based on an instrumental variable approach as supplemental analyses and random effects analyses as sensitivity analyses.

Related IES Projects: Increasing Adolescent Engagement, Motivation, and Achievement: Efficacy of a Web-Based, Teacher Professional Development Model (R305A100367)