Conference Agenda

Registration

Welcome and Introduction

Opening Plenary

Based on his experiences as Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of Education and as New York State Education Commissioner, John B. King, Jr. will discuss the use of evidence to improve policy and practice and the opportunities and challenges to bridging research and practice.

PRESENTER(S)

• John B. King, Jr., Senior Advisor, Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education

Break

Meeting with NCER Grantees

NCER Commissioner, Thomas Brock, will provide an update on NCER’s work, discuss plans for FY 2017, and take questions from grantees.

PRESENTER(S)

• Thomas Brock, Commissioner, NCER

Meeting with NCSER Grantees

NSCER Commissioner, Joan McLaughlin, will provide an update on NCSER’s work, discuss plans for FY 2017, and take questions from grantees.

PRESENTER(S)

• Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, NCSER

Break

At the Cutting Edge: Demonstrations of Statistical Software Developed through the Statistical and Research Methodology in Education Research Program

Leading methodological researchers will showcase the cutting edge statistical software they are developing as part of their IES grant work. This session is an excellent opportunity for applied education researchers to see what statistical software will be available in the near future and to give feedback directly to the developers about the features and functionality of the software. This session also provides a forum for methodological researchers to discuss technical aspects of statistical software development with each other.

MODERATOR(S)

• Phill Gagne, NCER

Beyond Academia: Alternative Careers for Education Researchers

Education researchers bring valuable skills that are in-demand in many settings besides academia. State and local education agencies, research think tanks, research contractors, and the federal government all need people who are skilled in education data collection and analysis. This session will describe the career pathways and perspectives of a variety of education researchers who went the “non-academic route.” There will be plenty of time for audience Q&A.

PRESENTER(S)

• Jill Burstein, Educational Testing Service
• Kara Carpenter, Teachley, LLC
• Kenann McKenzie-Thompson, IES
• Donna Muncey, Boston Public Schools
• Mike Weiss, MDRC

MODERATOR(S)

• Corinne Alfeld, NCER
• Katina Stapleton, NCER

Reading and Writing in the Content Areas

Reading and writing in content areas such as science and history may serve a number of purposes including supporting students’ literacy skills, improving content knowledge, and increasing students’ motivation to learn by embedding literacy instruction in interesting topic material. Research on the best ways to teach reading and writing in the context of history and science content is producing some exciting information on practices and strategies. During this session, presenters will discuss their work developing and testing interventions focused on reading and writing in science, social studies, and history. Research highlighted will include a focus on students with disabilities and English language learners.

PRESENTER(S)

• Alison Billman, University of California, Berkeley
• Rollanda O'Connor, University of California, Riverside
• Elizabeth Swanson, University of Texas, Austin

MODERATOR(S)

• Becky McGill-Wilkinson, NCER

Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

The R&D Center on Secondary Education for Students with ASD (CSESA) is charged with developing and studying a comprehensive intervention model for high school students across the autism spectrum, as well as engaging the field around issues pertinent to this population. The CSESA model was developed, adapted, and refined through an iterative process across two years and included investigators with expertise across discipline from seven universities. The final model includes an emphasis on four domains, including peer and social competence, independence and behavior, transition and families, and academics, along with a focus on evidence based practices, program quality, and building capacity across school- based teams. This panel will highlight the research base that was the foundation for this comprehensive intervention as it informed the development process, findings from the focus groups and pilot studies, CSESA’s emphasis on implementation science throughout this process, and the status of the work as the final cohort of schools is launched during the RCT phase.

PRESENTER(S)

• Diane Browder, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Laura Hall, San Diego State University
• Kara Hume, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Sam Odom, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• David Test, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

MODERATOR(S)

• Kim Sprague, NCSER

Supporting Students in Early and Late Adolescence with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Developmental Challenges and Opportunities in Service Provision

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorders and diagnosis rates are increasing. ADHD can persist into adolescence, with 5 to 10 percent of middle and high school students having ADHD symptoms that interfere with learning and achievement in school. This session will begin with a study that uses ECLS-K data to identify which students are being diagnosed with ADHD and the types of services that are being provided to them. The remaining presenters will share their research that develops and tests new and innovative ways to provide appropriate services to adolescents with ADHD to support their success in school.

PRESENTER(S)

• Steven Evans, Ohio University
• Joshua Langberg, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Paul Morgan, Pennsylvania State University
• Margaret Sibley, Florida International University

MODERATOR(S)

• Jackie Buckley, NCSER
• Emily Doolittle, NCER

Unlocking the Potential of Translational Science and Effective Dissemination Strategies

Practitioners, policymakers, and the general public can benefit from knowing about the research findings from education sciences. However, maintaining public awareness and ensuring that consumers have a comprehensive understanding of our research findings is not an easy task. During this session, the speakers will discuss how to ‘translate’ research findings into usable knowledge that will help teachers, parents, and students. The speakers will address the challenge of going from the laboratory and other controlled settings to the real world. In addition, they will discuss effective ways of disseminating research findings to the public.

PRESENTER(S)

• Roberta Golinkoff, University of Delaware
• Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University

MODERATOR(S)

• Erin Higgins, NCER

Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships from the Education Agency’s Perspective

This session will focus on building strong, collaborative, and durable partnerships from the perspective of local and state education agencies. Presenters will address how their agency initially decided to form a partnership and early steps taken to build their partnership, the role that agencies play in shaping partnership research agendas, how partnership processes are integrated into overall functioning of an agency, and how agencies make use of and disseminate research findings. After agency presentations, the session will become an open forum to address how to best foster collaborative research to inform practice and policy. This session will be of interest to researchers and agency staff interested in forming partnerships.

PRESENTER(S)

• Marco Andrade, Providence Schools
• Ron Rode, San Diego Unified School District
• Nate Schwartz, Tennessee Department of Education

MODERATOR(S)

• James Benson, NCER
• Allen Ruby, NCER

Teaching, Professional Development, and Related Service Providers Program Meeting

This session will bring together researchers with NCSER-funded projects in the Professional Development for Teachers and Related Services Providers program and researchers with NCER-funded projects in the Effective Teachers and Effective Teaching program. Participants will have an opportunity to network and engage in a discussion around common themes and challenges to conducting research within this topic area (e.g., school recruitment, web-based interventions, and teacher training). Participants will also discuss important gaps in current research and critical issues for future research in the area of teaching, professional development, and related service providers. All researchers with an interest in studying teachers or related service providers are invited to participate in this meeting.

MODERATOR(S)

• Wai Chow, NCER
• Katie Taylor, NCSER

Break

Award Recognition

Luncheon Plenary: Data Visualization for Education Research

Jonathan Schwabish is an economist, writer, teacher, and creator of policy-relevant data visualizations. He is considered a leading voice for clarity and accessibility related to the ways in which researchers communicate their findings. His presentation will focus on techniques and tips that education researchers can use to present their quantitative research findings more clearly and persuasively to a variety of audiences, including education policymakers and practitioners.

PRESENTER(S)

• Jonathan Schwabish, Urban Institute

Break/Transition

Adaptive Interventions in Education and Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) Designs (Part 1)– Introduction to Adaptive Treatments

Many behavioral and social science fields have been shifting away from the traditional fixed-intervention approach towards adaptive interventions, which allow greater individualization and adaptation of intervention options (i.e., intervention type and/or dosage) over time. Adaptive interventions specify how intervention options should be adapted to an individual’s characteristics and changing needs, with the general aim of optimizing the effectiveness of the intervention. In education, adaptive interventions have the potential to improve outcomes for students at risk of academic failure and/or at risk for disability and for students already receiving individualized education programs through special education. This session provides an introduction to adaptive interventions and discusses the potential contribution of this concept to research in education.

PRESENTER(S)

• Daniel Almirall, University of Michigan
• Inbal Nahum-Shani, University of Michigan

MODERATOR(S)

• Jackie Buckley, NCSER

Is There A Role for Cognitive Processes in Reading and Math Intervention?

This session will present results from the research and development of Next Generation Intensive Interventions in reading and math for children with significant learning problems in grades 3-5. The reading study to be presented, which focuses on comprehension of informational texts, reports on the effects of embedding working memory training within the intervention. The math intervention study, which focuses on competence with fractions, examines whether and, if so, how students’ pre-intervention cognitive processes moderate the effects of intervention. Implications for designing and conducting intensive academic intervention are discussed.

PRESENTER(S)

• Doug Fuchs, Vanderbilt University
• Lynn Fuchs, Vanderbilt University

DISCUSSANT:

• Marcia Barnes, University of Texas, Austin

MODERATOR(S)

• Robert Ochsendorf, NCSER

Mixed Methods in Education Research

Mixed methods are valuable for investigating many research questions more comprehensively and in greater depth. This session will explore how and to what extent mixed methods are used in education research, as well as the factors and circumstances that facilitate and constrain their application. We will also discuss opportunities and approaches for more fully integrating mixed methods throughout the research process, from research design to dissemination. A key objective is for attendees to leave the session with new ideas and a better grasp of some of the tools for more effectively applying mixed methods in education research.

PRESENTER(S)

• Carolyn Heinrich, Vanderbilt University

MODERATOR(S)

• Elizabeth Albro, NCER

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Datasets and Research Opportunities

This session will focus on the opportunities available to researchers to answer research questions of relevance to the field using secondary datasets available from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Presentations will start with a discussion about how to use NCES’s self-directed on-line data set training system (Distance Learning Dataset Training System or DLDT). This will be followed by presentations on how to use three of NCES’s on-line data analysis tools to generate analyses. The tools that will be discussed are the NAEP Data Explorer (NDE), the International Data Explorer (IDE), and the DataLab. In addition, datasets with opportunities for NCSER researchers to explore subgroups of students with disabilities will be discussed including the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study (MGLS), the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), and the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS2). NCES team members will be on hand to answer questions from researchers interested in using the datasets.

PRESENTER(S)

• Lydia Malley, NCES
• Emmanuel Sikali, NCES
• Ted Socha, NCES
• Andy White, NCES

MODERATOR(S)

• Edward Metz, NCER
• Kim Sprague, NCSER

On-Track to Graduate (Thanks to Early Warning Systems!)

Although on-time (4-year) high school graduation rates are now at an all-time high of 80 percent, the rates for certain subgroups and in certain regions are much lower. For example, in school year 2011-12, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students had a 4-year high school graduation rate below the national average at 67, 69, and 73 percent, respectively. For students with disabilities and served by IDEA, high school graduation rates are even lower, with approximately 40 percent graduating with a regular high school diploma. Early warning systems (EWS) systematically use data to identify students who are at risk for not graduating on time and then match identified students with appropriate interventions to get them on track for graduation. This session will showcase four state- and district-wide EWS projects that are using different models (including the well-known “Check & Connect,” which is now also being assessed for effectiveness with students with disabilities, and a new model that incorporates socio-emotional learning).

PRESENTER(S)

• Robert Balfanz, Johns Hopkins University
• Julian Betts, University of California, San Diego
• Marcia Davis, Johns Hopkins University
• Jessica Heppen, American Institutes for Research
• Carl Sumi, SRI International

MODERATOR(S)

• Corinne Alfeld, NCER

RELs as Dissemination Partners

The IES-funded Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) work in partnership with school districts, state departments of education, and others to use data and research to improve academic outcomes for students. The goal of the REL Program is to help states and districts systematically use data and analysis to answer important issues of policy and practice to improve student outcomes. The 10 RELs work toward this goal by (1) conducting applied research, (2) providing technical assistance about research and data use, and (3) broadly disseminating findings from high quality research. Joy Lesnick, Acting NCEE Commissioner, will engage participants in a roundtable discussion of the purpose and work of the RELS and how the RELs and their nearly 80 research alliances work in partnership with researchers -- and could work with you -- to disseminate findings to practitioners.

PRESENTER(S)

• Joy Lesnick, NCEE

MODERATOR(S)

• Christina Chhin, NCER

Researcher-Practitioner Partnership Collaborations: Lessons Learned from Preschool to Kindergarten Transition Partnerships

Fostering successful transitions form preschool to early elementary school contexts is an important priority for early childhood educators and elementary school leaders and teachers. A primary objective of preschool programs is to ensure that children acquire the school readiness skills they will need to do well in school. School leaders and teachers want to have information about the preschool experiences of entering kindergarteners to support their learning and achievement in the elementary school grades. In 2014, IES awarded three Researcher-Practitioner Partnership grants focused on building data systems and encouraging collaboration and coordination between early childhood programs and elementary school staff to support children’s successful transition from prekindergarten programs to kindergarten classrooms. This session will highlight challenges, successes, and lessons learned from the first year of each partnership.

PRESENTER(S)

• Katherine Pears, Oregon Social Learning Center
• Rebecca Shearer, University of Miami
• Michael Strambler, Yale University

MODERATOR(S)

• Caroline Ebanks, NCER

You Say ‘Puh-tey-to,’ I say ‘Puh-tah-to’: Lessons Learned from Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

Educational research draws on a variety of disciplines, each of which has its own vocabulary, methodology, and dissemination vehicles. Current efforts to accelerate research and develop potent and useable educational interventions increasingly call for collaboration among researchers who represent a number of academic disciplines. The Reading for Understanding Initiative created six teams of interdisciplinary researchers in 2010 to address the pressing need to improve reading comprehension for all U.S. students. Each of these teams includes researchers from a number of disciplines -- including cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, communication sciences, reading research, teacher education, learning sciences, math and science education – as well as methodologists and assessment specialists. Members from each of the teams will share challenges encountered in such work, how they overcame them, and the unique benefits that resulted from cross-disciplinary collaboration.

PRESENTER(S)

• Carol Connor, Arizona State University
• Suzanne Donovan, Strategic Education Research Partnership
• Barbara Foorman, Florida Center for Reading Research
• David Francis, University of Houston
• Susan Goldman, University of Illinois at Chicago
• Tenaha O’Reilly, Educational Testing Service
• Shayne Piasta, Ohio State University
• John Sabatini, Educational Testing Service

MODERATOR(S)

• Karen Douglas, NCER

Break

Adaptive Interventions in Education and Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) Designs (Part 2)– Introduction to SMART Studies for the Development of Adaptive Interventions in Education

The Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART)—a type of research design—was developed explicitly for the purpose of building optimal adaptive interventions. Despite increasing popularity, SMARTs remain relatively new to intervention scientists, particularly education researchers. This session provides an introduction to SMARTs, including design considerations, and provides examples of SMARTs in education research.

PRESENTER(S)

• Daniel Almirall, University of Michigan
• Inbal Nahum-Shani, University of Michigan

MODERATOR(S)

• Jackie Buckley, NCSER

Building Generalizations: Tools for Increasing the Relevance of Your Results

This session will present two tools that can be used to increase the generalizability of results of large-scale evaluations. The first tool is intended for the design stage of the study, helping researchers define an appropriate inference population and develop a recruitment plan for site selection. The second tool can be used post-hoc to provide researchers and policy makers with information on where the results might be generalized.

PRESENTER(S)

• Elizabeth Tipton, Teachers College, Columbia University

MODERATOR(S)

• Erin Higgins, NCER
• Robert Ochsendorf, NCSER

Developer-Researcher Collaborations: Developing and Evaluating Education Technology Learning Products

During this session, three education game developers funded by the ED/IES Small Business Innovation Research (ED/IES SBIR) program to create commercially viable learning games will discuss why and how they have partnered with outside education researchers to build capacity for their project. The session will feature short video demonstrations of the education technology games that are being developed and brief presentations on the iterative research that are being conducted to inform refinements to the technology and the pilot studies that are being performed to evaluate the promise of the games to increase student learning. The discussion will center on the benefits and challenges related to game developer-researcher collaborations.

PRESENTER(S)

• David Langendoen, Electric Funstuff
• Pamela Mims, Eastern Tennessee State University
• Brook Morrill, Schell Games
• Steve Schneider, WestED
• Carol Stanger, Attainment Company
• William Tally, Education Development Center
• Chris Walsh, Zaption
• Grace Wardhana, Kiko Labs

MODERATOR(S)

• Kara Carpenter, Teachley

ORGANIZER

• Edward Metz, NCER

Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education Program Meeting

This session will bring together researchers funded through the NCSER Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education program. Participants will engage in discussions around common challenges to conducting research within this topic area (e.g., recruiting participating providers and families, working within early intervention systems, disseminating findings to different audiences). Participants will discuss critical issues for future research in this area and provide general feedback on the Early Intervention topic (e.g., things that have worked well, ways to improve).

MODERATOR(S)

• Amy Sussman, NCSER

Reading and Writing Program Meeting

This session will bring together researchers with NCSER- or NCER-funded projects in the Reading and Writing topic areas. Participants will engage in discussions around common challenges to conducting research within this topic area (e.g., recruiting schools and students, maintaining samples, disseminating findings to different audiences). Participants will also discuss critical issues for future research in this area and provide general feedback on this topic and recommendations. All researchers with an interest in reading, writing, and language development may attend this meeting, and participants will have the opportunity to network with each other.

MODERATOR(S)

• Becky McGill-Wilkinson, NCER
• Kim Sprague, NCSER

School-Family Partnerships from PreK-12: Challenges and Opportunities in Developing School-Based Interventions

This session roundtable discussion will highlight development projects that include a school-family component. The session will feature brief presentations by Kevin Sutherland & Maureen Conroy (pre-K to early elementary school), Greg Fabiano (upper elementary school to middle school), and Shannon Suldo and Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick (high school) on their 2015 Development projects. The discussion will center on challenges and issues related to school-family partnerships (e.g., recruiting parents and families, lessons learned from parents, benefits of involving families), with the intention of supporting researchers in addressing barriers as they develop and pilot test school-based interventions in grades preK-12.

PRESENTER(S)

• Maureen Conroy, University of Florida
• Greg Fabiano, State University of New York, Buffalo
• Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick, University of South Florida
• Shannon Suldo, University of South Florida
• Kevin Sutherland, Virginia Commonwealth University

MODERATOR(S)

• Emily Doolittle, NCER
• Katie Taylor, NCSER

The Disconnected, Dislocated, and Low-Skilled: Responding to New Federal Policies with Research on Youth and Adults

Recent changes in legislation are affecting the way states coordinate education and training services for youths and adults with low-skills or disabilities and the unemployed. Under this legislation (the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act or WIOA), each state is developing and implementing a plan that integrates services from multiple agencies including Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services. Staff from the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education and an IES-funded researcher will talk about how WIOA is changing the landscape and creating new opportunities (and need) for education research. They will discuss the roll out of the law, whom it affects, and examples of how this is affecting research, focusing on examples from research on career pathway programs. Attendees are invited to ask questions and discuss implications for their research programs.

PRESENTER(S)

• Judy Alamprese, Abt Associates
• Suzanne Mitchell, U.S. Department of Education, OSERS/RSA
• Charlotte “Sande” Schifferes, U.S. Department of Labor, ETA
• Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, U.S. Department of Education, OCTAE
• Marlene Simon-Burroughs, U.S. Department of Education, OSERS/OSEP

MODERATOR(S)

• Meredith Larson, NCER

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Rigorously Measuring Teaching and Defining What We Mean by “Teaching”

Measurement of teaching is inextricably tied to defining the target-teaching construct, whether the intended use of that measure is for research, practice improvement, or high-stakes decision-making. Thus, developing psychometrically strong measurement tools goes hand-in-hand with furthering our understanding of the specific facets of teaching, the relations between teaching and student outcomes, and the factors necessary for supporting effective teaching. In this session, presenters will provide examples to facilitate participant discussion by highlighting innovative approaches to capturing specific teaching constructs. Session participants will engage in a discussion around the challenges of psychometrically strong measurement of teaching, especially if these measures might be ultimately used for more than one purpose. Participants will share strategies for addressing these challenges and suggest next steps for building a critical mass of psychometrically strong measurement tools for key facets of teaching for use in research, practice improvement, or high-stakes decision-making.

PRESENTER(S)

• Carol Connor, Arizona State University
• George Newell, Ohio State University
• Alina Reznitskaya, Montclair State University
• Ian Wilkinson, Ohio State University

MODERATOR(S)

• Wai Chow, NCER

Poster Session and Networking

Registration

Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA)

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) was last re-authorized in 2001, as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The Education Sciences Reform Act – which created the Institute of Education Sciences – was enacted in 2002. Congress is currently considering both bills for reauthorization. Come hear two lead staff members working on reauthorization discuss the changes that are under consideration and the main areas of agreement and disagreement between the two parties. The session will include time for questions and answers and discussion of the implications of the bills for education researchers.

PRESENTER(S)

• Michele McLaughlin, Knowledge Alliance

MODERATOR(S)

• Thomas Brock, Commissioner, NCER

Beyond the Transition from Early Intervention to School Entry: Follow-up Efficacy Projects

Many studies examine the efficacy of preschool interventions on outcomes at the time of, or just after, kindergarten entry. However, following up on the outcomes of an intervention well into elementary school or beyond is important for determining whether children’s early gains are maintained or possibly lead to additional positive outcomes. In this session, two IES PIs will present ongoing research projects that began as early intervention efficacy studies, leading to additional efficacy follow-up studies to examine outcomes in elementary school. Katherine Pears will discuss her ongoing evaluation of the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program, aimed at enhancing the school readiness of young children with co-occurring developmental disabilities and behavioral problems. Eric Pakulak will discuss the longitudinal evaluation by the Brain Development Lab, with PI Helen Neville, of Parents and Children Making Connections-Attention (PCMC-A), an attention-based, two-generation intervention aimed at improving cognition and reducing stress among preschool children at risk for school failure.

PRESENTER(S)

• Eric Pakulak, University of Oregon
• Katherine Pears, Oregon Social Learning Center

MODERATOR(S)

• Amy Sussman, NCSER

Can Students Write? Strategies for Assessing Writing Skills and Quality

Writing is an important skill for developing ideas, communication, and demonstrating topic knowledge – all necessary for college and career success. Yet students (and adults) in the U.S. are often lacking in writing abilities and skills. While research on writing achievement has received increasing attention in recent years, one potential challenge for teachers is determining the best ways to reliably and validly assess student writing in order to provide feedback and individualized instruction. This session will feature presentations by researchers on their work on various methods for assessing writing, including curriculum-based measures, teacher-developed formative assessments, and automated essay scoring.

PRESENTER(S)

• Erica Lembke, University of Missouri
• Danielle McNamara, Arizona State University
• George Newell, Ohio State University

MODERATOR(S)

• Becky McGill-Wilkinson, NCER

Cognitive Science and Math, Part I - Developing Effective Fractions Instruction for Children with Math Learning Difficulties: What Have We Learned?

During this session, researchers will share results from a 5-year National Research and Development Center grant focused on improving fractions instruction for students with math learning difficulties. Researchers will present results from small-scale experimental studies, longitudinal studies, and development and efficacy testing of a new fractions intervention for 4th grade students.

PRESENTER(S)

• Lynn Fuchs, Vanderbilt University
• Russell Gersten, Instructional Research Group
• Nancy Jordan, University of Delaware
• Robert Siegler, Carnegie Mellon University

DISCUSSANT

• Nora Newcombe, Temple University

MODERATOR(S)

• Robert Ochsendorf, NCSER

Could Your Grant Help to Improve Education for ELs? Facilitating Attention to English Learners in Research Grants

In 2012, almost 1 in 10 U.S. students in elementary and secondary schools were designated as an English Learner (EL), and many more students had previously received services as an EL. The percentage of ELs varies greatly by school, with some schools serving almost no ELs and others where most students are ELs. Students identified as EL are diverse with respect to language background, time in the U.S., and surrounding community context. Using data that is already routinely collected by school districts, many research studies (whether specifically focused on ELs or not) could address students who are ELs in their design and analysis. This session will include a panel discussion with researchers and school personnel who are currently collaborating in research-practitioner partnership grants to use existing administrative data to describe the ELs in the state or district in more depth and answer research questions that will provide new insights into how to improve educational opportunities for ELs.

PRESENTER(S)

• Marco Andrade, Providence Public Schools District
• David Bautista, Oregon Department of Education
• Eileen Gilligan, Clark County School District
• Savitha Moorthy, SRI International
• Julie Riordan, Education Development Center, Inc.
• Mariagrazia Sheffield, Fort Worth Independent School District
• Michael Sorum, Fort Worth Independent School District
• Karen Thompson, University of Oregon
• Aida Walqui, WestEd

MODERATOR(S)

• Sean Reardon, Stanford University

ORGANIZER

• Karen Douglas, NCER

Increasing Diversity in the Education Sciences

Over the past 10 years, IES has made a major commitment to supporting the professional development of education scientists. In this session, we highlight the Institute’s efforts to increase diversity within the field of education science through our training programs and our Research and Development Centers’ national leadership activities. The session introduces the new Pathways to the Education Sciences research training program and features the University of Virginia summer research program for undergraduate research, the University of Chicago’s new pre-doctoral research training program, the Michigan State/Northwestern Universities’ Research Design Workshop for Faculty from Minority Serving Institutions, and the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education Research Mentoring Program for Minority Scholars.

PRESENTER(S)

• Jason Downer, University of Virginia
• Larry Hedges, Northwestern University
• Stephen Raudenbush, University of Chicago
• Jim Wyckoff, University of Virginia

MODERATOR(S)

• Katina Stapleton, NCER

Postsecondary Program Meeting

The focus of this session will be on interventions and research strategies aimed at moving students beyond college enrollment so that they progress through postsecondary pathways and complete degrees (including sub-Baccalaureate degrees and certificates). The moderator will begin with a short presentation on the types of postsecondary research projects that NCER has supported over the last 10 years. Participants will be encouraged to discuss critical issues for future research aimed at supporting degree completion and provide feedback on the suitability of IES grant programs for supporting this research. All researchers with an interest in conducting research on postsecondary education are invited to attend this meeting.

MODERATOR(S)

• James Benson, NCER

State and Local Program Meeting

This session will bring together researchers with NCER-funded projects under the Evaluation of State and Local Education Programs and Policies grant program. Participants will update one another on the status of their evaluations and identify common issues that arise when researchers and state/local agencies partner on research. Participants will help identify gaps in this type of evaluation research including key state/local policies that should be evaluated, evaluation methods to be improved, and ways to improve the partnership aspects of the work.

MODERATOR(S)

• Allen Ruby, NCER

Break

Can Analyses of Randomized Control Trials that Ignore Clustering be Corrected After the Fact?

In this special session, Jonathan Jacobson, Senior Research Scientist and Statistical and Technical Analysis Lead for the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), and statistician Nathan VanHoudnos discuss a common analytic error made by education researchers: ignoring the clustered nature of the data when analyzing experiments where entire schools were randomized to treatment and control conditions. First, Jacobson will provide an overview of the WWC’s review procedures for evaluating the study design of cluster-randomized control trials and its procedures for correcting for misspecifications. Then VanHoudnos, the 2014 IES Outstanding Pre-doctoral fellow, will present his research on adjusting the analysis of studies that have ignored clustered data. The session will conclude with practical advice from VanHoudnos and Jacobson on how to avoid this misspecification error and how to manage the consequences

PRESENTER(S)

• Jonathan Jacobson, NCEE
• Nathan VanHoudnos, Northwestern University

MODERATOR(S)

• Thomas Brock, Commissioner, NCER

Cognitive Science and Math, Part II - The Art of Applying the Science

Applied research on cognition and education aims to identify principles that can improve student learning outcomes in authentic educational settings. However the translation from the lab to the classroom requires much more specificity about how to apply general principles to specific domains, instructional materials, and school contexts. The IES-funded National Center on Cognition and Mathematics Instruction was charged with revising an existing middle school math curriculum using research-based design principles and testing the efficacy of the revised materials over the course of two school years. The interactive session will address challenges and solutions for bringing research to practice and address questions such as:

• What decisions need to be made when applying research principles to practice?
• What types of implementation supports are critical for ensuring principles are enacted appropriately?
• How should practice info research?

PRESENTER(S)

• Martha Alibali, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Julie Booth, Temple University
• Jodi Davenport, WestEd
• Neil Heffernan, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• James Pellegrino, University of Illinois, Chicago
• Steve Schneider, WestEd

MODERATOR(S)

• Elizabeth Albro, NCER

English Learners Program Meeting

This meeting will provide an opportunity for researchers funded under the English Learner topic to share challenges and solutions associated with conducting research on ELs. Grantees will also share their thoughts on pressing issues in the field of EL research and how to encourage more researchers to consider the needs of ELs in their studies. All researchers interested in learning more about how to conduct research to help ELs are welcome.

MODERATOR(S)

• Karen Douglas, NCER

Is College Worth It, and for Whom?

This presentation will review the work of the National R&D Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE). The focus of the review is a synthesis of evidence from across the CAPSEE research studies oriented around the question "Is College Worth It And For Whom?" CAPSEE researchers will describe the design of the synthesis, including its sampling design, which draws on evidence from large-scale student-level datasets across eight states, and its methodological review, which will compare results obtained using different analytical strategies. The researchers will present evidence on the labor market returns to award completion (diplomas, certificates, and degrees), to subject, to sector, and to pathways through college.

PRESENTER(S)

• Thomas Bailey, Teachers College, Columbia University
• Clive Belfield, CCRC and Queens College, CUNY

MODERATOR(S)

• James Benson, NCER

NCSER Forum: Keeping the “Special” in Special Education Research

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of IDEA and the 10th Anniversary of NCSER. As we are close to leaving 2015 behind us, we want to take time to reflect on IDEA and the progress made over the years educating students with disabilities and improving their educational outcomes. Please join colleagues in this session to discuss accomplishments and next steps for special education research, the challenges that still must be addressed and promising strategies for overcoming them, the pressing issues facing our field, and thoughts on ways to foster collaborations to move the field forward. To kick-off the discussion, six presenters will provide their thoughts on investments in the following areas of research:

• Autism Spectrum Disorders – Aubyn Stahmer, University of California, Davis
• Early Intervention and Early Childhood – Ann Kaiser, Vanderbilt University
• Mathematics – Nancy Jordan, University of Delaware
• Reading – Jeanne Wanzek, Vanderbilt University
• Social and Behavioral Supports for Learning – Robert Horner, University of Oregon
• Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students – David Test, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

PRESENTER(S)

• Robert Horner, University of Oregon
• Nancy Jordan, University of Delaware
• Ann Kaiser, Vanderbilt University
• Aubyn Stahmer, University of California, Davis
• David Test, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Jeanne Wanzek, Vanderbilt University

FACILITATORS

• Sandra Chafouleas, University of Connecticut
• Patricia Snyder, University of Florida

MODERATOR(S)

• Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, NCSER

Statistical and Research Methodology in Education Program Meeting

This is a required meeting for grantees in the Statistical and Research Methodology in Education grant program. We will discuss administrative aspects of grant work, and then there will be time for PIs to talk with each other about their projects.

MODERATOR(S)

• Phill Gagne, NCER

Using the Curriculum Research Framework to Develop Research-Based Curricula and Address Student Achievement in the Early Grades

Over the past 13 years, IES has supported research to improve student achievement from preschool to postsecondary education by developing, implementing and evaluating evidence-based curricula and interventions. In a 2007 paper, Douglas Clements proposed the Curriculum Research Framework, a model that can be used to develop research-based curricula that address the learning needs of students, pedagogy and instruction for educators, and support student learning and achievement. In this session, Clements will present the framework and describe how it was used to guide development of a math intervention. Jorge Gonzalez will discuss implications for current and future efforts to develop and evaluate curricula, and the benefits of using a framework to guide research and practice that supports teaching, learning, and student achievement.

PRESENTER(S)

• Douglas Clements, University of Denver

DISCUSSANT

• Jorge Gonzalez, University of Houston

MODERATOR(S)

• Caroline Ebanks, NCER

They Don’t Know What?: Understanding and Addressing the Hidden Needs of Many Adults

Nearly 52 percent of U.S. adults scored below the international average in literacy, and these adults are typically employed citizens with at least high school diplomas (PIAAC, 2012). This means that many of your research participants, parents of the children in your studies, and possibly teachers and providers you train may be struggling with reading. As a consequence, your results may be impacted in ways that you may not have considered. During this session, investigators from NCER’s Center for the Study of Adult Literacy (CSAL) will discuss their research with adults with low literacy and the reading intervention they are developing (a blended, teacher-led curriculum with an intelligent computer-based component). CSAL’s approach demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary collaboration as it integrates research stemming from decades of work in

• Special education
• Technology
• Psychology
• Measurement
• and Literacy research.

PRESENTER(S)

• Lee Branum-Martin, Georgia State University
• Jan Frijters, Brock University
• Art Graesser, University of Memphis
• Daphne Greenberg, Georgia State University;
• Maureen Lovett, University of Toronto and The Hospital For Sick Children

MODERATOR(S)

• Meredith Larson, NCER

Break

Luncheon Plenary: Communicating Education Research: A Discussion with Journalists

Is your research project ready for prime time? Communicating the results of scientific research to a variety of audiences is essential for research to have an impact on society. This is especially true for investigators funded by NCER and NCSER, as their projects are designed to address some of the most pressing issues in education. However, communicating this work to a general audience—including policymakers, teachers, and parents – can be quite challenging, as the results of this work may be nuanced and the take-home message difficult to convey. In this session, a panel of journalists will share their thoughts and advice for communicating scientific results, both orally and in print, to convey messages that will be more easily understood and likely to be picked up by media representatives. Fredreka Schouten from USA Today will moderate the discussion, which will include Q and A from the audience.

PANELISTS

MODERATOR(S)

• Fredreka Schouten, USA Today

Break

Cognition and Student Learning Program Meeting

This session will bring together researchers with NCSER- or NCER-funded projects in the Cognition and Student Learning programs. Participants will have the opportunity to network with other researchers and engage in small group discussions around common challenges to conducting research within this topic area (e.g., recruiting schools, bringing research to authentic educational settings, and disseminating findings to different audiences). Next, participants will discuss critical issues for future research in this area and provide general feedback on the Cognition and Student Learning topic (e.g., things that have worked well, ways to improve). This session is also open to all researchers with an interest in cognition and student learning.

MODERATOR(S)

• Erin Higgins, NCER
• Katie Taylor, NCSER

Communicating Education Science and Engaging the Public

Dissemination of research findings is crucial to promoting education science and advancement in the field. In this session, Jeanne Braha, Public Engagement Manager at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will discuss the importance of researcher involvement in communicating research findings to the public. The presenter will share tips and resources for communicating education science, including engaging through social media, and discusses how to find outreach opportunities.

PRESENTER(S)

• Jeanne Braha, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

MODERATOR(S)

• Vinita Chhabra, NCER

Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Benefit Analysis – Part 1

This is the first of a two-part session intended to introduce key aspects of cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis (CEA/CBA) to applied education researchers. The information will help researchers plan their studies and communicate with stakeholders (funding agencies and policymakers) about the fiscal issues associated with conducting the research and implementing interventions in schools. Part I focuses on communication and description: What information should be included when conducting a CEA/CBA? This part will also address conditions under which CEA/CBA is necessary and what such analysis might be expected to cost. The session will include presentations and open discussion, along with examples of current practice and checklist materials for education researchers. Examples will be drawn from the trainers' experiences conducting CEA/CBA, reviewing/submitting IES proposals, and work as a former program officer at IES.

PRESENTER(S)

• Clive Belfield, Teachers College, Columbia University
• Brooks Bowden, Teachers College, Columbia University.
• Hank Levin, Teachers College, Columbia University.

MODERATOR(S)

• Wai Chow, NCER

Integrating Research and Practice: Lessons from the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools

The National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools uses collaborative partnerships and continuous improvement research to build district capacity to scale effective practices. This session will share lessons learned about how working in partnership requires shifts in the roles, activities, and products from traditional research. The session will actively engage participants in thinking about how to shift their own practices to better connect research to practice.

PRESENTER(S)

• Marisa Ann Canata, Vanderbilt University
• Mollie Rubin, Vanderbilt University

MODERATOR(S)

• Allen Ruby, NCER

Single Case Design

Evidence from studies that use single-case designs (SCDs) is typically of high quality but is less typically featured in evidence-based practice reviews about effective education practice. SCD researchers historically have emphasized visual analysis to assess and report the effects of treatments. SCD researchers have also found that statistical analyses that could be applied often do not capture the nuances of SCD data. There remains a compelling rationale for using visual analysis, however, by not also reporting statistical analyses, SCDs will continue to be excluded from evidence-based practice reviews because many researchers value conventional forms and representations of evidence using statistics to integrate findings across multiple studies. In this session, the authors of an NCER-commissioned paper on effect sizes for SCDs will present approaches for computing effect size estimates which can be used to compare findings across multiple studies, along with the supporting logic for and the potential implications of incorporating effect size estimates into SCD research.

PRESENTER(S)

• William Shadish, University of California, Merced

MODERATOR(S)

• Phill Gagne, NCER

Social and Behavioral Program Meeting

This session will bring together researchers primarily from the Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning program in NCER and the Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning program in NCSER. Participants will have the opportunity to network with other researchers and engage in discussions regarding challenges in conducting social-behavioral research. Participants will be invited to provide feedback on the two programs and to share ideas for future research directions in the social-behavioral domain. Although this session targets grantees in the topics areas listed above, the session is open to all researchers with an interest in social-behavioral research.

MODERATOR(S)

• Jackie Buckley, NCSER
• Emily Doolittle, NCER

The Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST)

The Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) is a comprehensive strategy for developing, optimizing, and evaluating behavioral, bio-behavioral, and educational interventions. Inspired by engineering, MOST includes a randomized controlled trial (RCT) for intervention evaluation, but also includes additional earlier phases aimed at optimizing the intervention to meet criteria selected by the researcher. This presentation will provide a conceptual overview of MOST, including the principles behind the strategy and examples of MOST in practice.

PRESENTER(S)

• Linda Collins, The Pennsylvania State University

MODERATOR(S)

• Amy Sussman, NCER

Training Grants Meeting

In this special session for the PIs of training grants (pre-doctoral, postdoctoral, statistics/methods, use & practice), we will discuss topics relevant to improving the education research pipeline, from recruiting and mentoring to creating coordinated plans for career-long training. Representation from each training program is required.

MODERATOR(S)

• Corinne Alfeld, NCER
• Meredith Larson, NCER
• Robert Ochsendorf, NCSER
• Katina Stapleton, NCER

Break

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Program Meeting (Part II *Session will begin at 3:30 pm)

This session will bring together researchers with NCSER-funded projects in the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) topic area. Participants will engage in discussions around common challenges to conducting research within this topic area (e.g., recruiting schools, teachers, and students/families, obtaining/maintaining sample, disseminating findings). Participants will discuss critical issues for future research in this area and provide general feedback on this topic and recommendations (e.g., things that have worked well, ways to improve). All PIs with an interest in ASD may attend this meeting, and participants will have the opportunity to network with each other.

MODERATOR(S)

• Kim Sprague, NCSER

Collaborating to Move STEM Education Research Forward

Improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is a national priority, but how can we do it efficiently and effectively? Improving STEM education can take many forms, ranging from improving domain specific instructional practices and pedagogy to integrating all four components of STEM as part of instruction. All IES researchers focusing on improving STEM education are invited to discuss current challenges and how to best move STEM education research forward.

MODERATOR(S)

• Christina Chhin, NCER
• Edward Metz, NCER
• Robert Ochsendorf, NCSER

Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Benefit Analysis – Part 2

This is the second of a two-part session intended to introduce key aspects of cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis (CEA/CBA) to applied education researchers. The information will help researchers plan their studies and communicate with stakeholders (funding agencies and policymakers) about the fiscal issues associated with conducting the research and implementing interventions in schools. Part II focuses on quality and rigor: What principles, methods and standards should grantees follow when conducting CEA/CBA? This part will also highlight practices that will help build a strong evidence base and draw attention to problems researchers typically encounter when they conduct CEA/CBA. The session will conclude with discussion of CEA/CBA in practice. Follow-up training may be performed by webinar. The session will include presentations and open discussion, along with examples of current practice and checklist materials for education researchers. Examples will be drawn from the trainers' experiences conducting CEA/CBA, reviewing/submitting IES proposals, and work as a former program officer at IES.

PRESENTER(S)

• Clive Belfield, Teachers College, Columbia University
• Brooks Bowden, Teachers College, Columbia University
• Hank Levin, Teachers College, Columbia University.

MODERATOR(S)

• Wai Chow, NCER

Early Learning Programs and Policies Program Meeting

This will be a meeting of Early Learning grantees to discuss their current Early Learning projects and talk about research and policy initiatives to support transitions across the prekindergarten to third grade continuum, including strategies for maintaining impacts of preschool interventions in the early elementary grades. The meeting will include a brief presentation by Dr. Dale Farran, describing recent findings from the IES-funded evaluation of the TN Voluntary Pre-K program, followed by a group discussion. Researchers will have an opportunity to discuss current and future research efforts to address children’s school readiness and learning and achievement across the transition from preschool to the early elementary grades.

PRESENTER(S)

• Dale Farran, Vanderbilt University

MODERATOR(S)

• Caroline Ebanks, NCER

Estimating and Reporting Impacts Using the RCT-YES Software

There is increasing interest in how to conduct low-cost opportunistic experiments to test promising interventions and policies in their service areas using administrative or other data sources. This session will demonstrate a new software tool called RCT-YES, funded by IES, to help promote such research efforts in states and districts. RCT-YES estimates and reports impacts for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental designs (QEDs) for a wide range of designs used in education research. The software estimates impacts using a new design-based theory that aligns with the building blocks of experimental designs. RCT-YES is free and can be run using R (which is also free) or Stata, with no programming required. The software was built for a broad audience and requires minimal program inputs.

PRESENTER(S)

• Peter Schochet, Mathematica Policy Research

MODERATOR(S)

• Elizabeth Albro, NCER

State Administrative Data As A Backbone: Development of Research and Partnerships - Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research

In this presentation, Washington State will be examined as a case study on how the use of and familiarity with state administrative data can lead to research collaborations, new research questions, innovative data connections, and a better ability to address both short-run and long-run policy issues. Specifically, the discussion will include how Washington’s main longitudinal K-12 administrative dataset, the S275, has formed the backbone for data linkages that permit research into timely policy issues like teacher hiring, mobility, layoffs, and retirement. Discussion will also include how these data linkages have led to researcher-practitioner partnerships that enable more nuanced research and help to inform policy decisions.

PRESENTER(S)

• Dan Goldhaber, American Institutes for Research

MODERATOR(S)

• Allen Ruby, NCER

The National Center on Assessment and Accountability for Special Education (NCAASE): What Do We Know About Achievement Growth for Students with Disabilities?

The purpose of the NCAASE is to develop and test various approaches for measuring the achievement growth of students with and without disabilities. The Center’s focused program of research on reading and mathematics achievement growth is based on existing sets of longitudinal achievement data for students with and without disabilities from North Carolina, Arizona, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. This presentation will provide an overview of the center’s work, including the documented natural developmental progress of students with disabilities and the effects of using various analytical models to document progress.

PRESENTER(S)

• Steve Elliott, Arizona State University
• Ann Schulte, Arizona State University
• Joe Stevens, University of Oregon
• Jerry Tindal, University of Oregon

MODERATOR(S)

• Jackie Buckley, NCSER

Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabilities Program Meeting (Part I)

This session will bring together researchers with NCSER-funded projects in the Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabilities topic area. The session will begin with a brief presentation: “CIRCLES: Results from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Multi-Level Model of Interagency Collaboration on Self-Determination for Students with Disabilities.” This study examined the efficacy of a multi-tier interagency collaborative model for improving transition-planning service delivery for students with disabilities. Results will be presented for the four-year study outcomes. Following the presentation, participants will engage in discussions around common challenges to conducting research within this topic area (e.g., recruiting, obtaining/maintaining sample, disseminating findings). Participants will discuss critical issues for future research in this area and provide general feedback on this topic and recommendations (e.g., things that have worked well, ways to improve). All researchers with an interest in Transition may attend this meeting, and participants will have the opportunity to network with each other.

PRESENTER(S)

• David Test, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

MODERATOR(S)

• Kim Sprague, NCSER

Registration

Set-up for Poster Session