Agenda, Participant List, Bios and Partnership Summaries - The ...

Research‐Practice Partnerships Learning Community MeetingDoubletree Hotel, New York, NY – Metro BallroomNovember 28‐29, 2012AgendaNovember 27, 2012WILLIAM T. GRANT FOUNDATION7:00Dinner – Solera Restaurant, 216 E. 53 rd StreetOptional but please RSVP with Shanell to ensure we have anaccurate countNovember 28, 20128:309:00 – 9:15BreakfastWelcome & overviewVivian Tseng and Nicole Yohalem9:15 – 10:15 Gettingto know people and partnershipsTable discussions10:15 – 10: 30 Break10:30 – 12: 30 Understanding andaddressingpartnership challengessCynthia Coburn, University of California at BerkeleyMichaelSorum, Fort Worth Independent School DistrictSmall group discussions and team check‐ins to follow presentations12:30 – 1:30 Lunch1:30 – 5:00Exploring Networked Improvement CommunitiesSandra Park and Paul LeMathieu, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching,with BTEN district partners•••What can education learnfrom healthcare and improvement science?What is a Networked Improvement Community (NIC)?NICs in Action: The Carnegie Foundation’s Building Teacher Effectiveness Network7:00Cocktails and Dinner – Teodora Restaurant, 141 East 57 th Street(over)

November 29, 20128:00 – 9:00 Breakfast and individual consultations9:00 – 9:15 Reflections on Day 19:15 – 10:15 Hot topics in educationPeer discussions of pressing issues in research/practice. Tentative topics (to be finalizedwith participant input): Assessing and improving teacher effectiveness STEM Common core Supporting English Language Learners Equity/Achievement gap10:15 – 10:30 Break10:30 – 12:15 Supporting districts in harnessing knowledge & managing changePanelists: Jennifer Bell‐Ellwanger, Baltimore Public SchoolsLaura Cooper, Research for Better TeachingStacy Norris, Chicago Public SchoolsModerator: Suzanne Donovan, SERPOne hour panel and full group discussion; 45 minutes for small group discussions12:15 – 1:30 Lunch and team time1:30 – 2:30 Small group breakouts (select one) Communication – Addressing communication between district and research partnersand communicating about the research results ‐ with Faith Connelly, BERC Sustainability – Developing sustainability models for research‐practice partnerships ‐with Elaine Allensworth, CCSR and Paul Cobb, MISTRoles and Staffing – Finding and cultivating people the skills and dispositions to doeffective partnership work ‐ with Steve Fleischman, REL Northwest2:30 – 3:00 Reflections and closing

Research‐Practice Partnerships Meeting ParticipantsDoubleTree Hotel, New York CityNovember 28‐29, 2012WILLIAM T. GRANT FOUNDATIONBaltimore Education Research ConsortiumJennifer Bell‐EllwangerChief Accountability OfficerBaltimore City Public School SystemJKBellEllwanger@bcps.k12.md.usJonathan BriceSchool Support Networks OfficerBaltimore City Public School SystemJBrice@bcps.k12.md.usFaith ConnollyExecutive DirectorBaltimore Education Research Consortiumfaith.connolly@baltimore‐berc.orgBellevue/University of WashingtonAngie DiLoretoCurriculum DeveloperBellevue Public SchoolsDiloretoA@bsd405.orgSharon KautzExecutive Director of Curriculum and InstructionBellevue Public Schoolskautzs@bsd405.orgNancy VyePrincipal Research ScientistUniversity of Washingtonnancyvye@u.washington.eduCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement ofTeaching, BTENLaura BakerAssistant Director of Professional DevelopmentAustin Independent School Districtlaura.baker@austinisd.orgBrandon BennettImprovement Advisor, Improvement ScienceConsultingimprovement.science@gmail.comJarrod BolteDirector of Teacher Support and DevelopmentBaltimore City Schoolsjbolte@bcps.k12.md.usPenny CarverSenior FellowCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teachingjbolte@bcps.k12.md.usPaul LeMahieuVice President for Programs and AdministrationCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teachingplem@carnegiefoundation.orgSandra ParkDirector, Building Teaching Effectiveness NetworkCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement ofTeaching,park@carnegiefoundation.orgRoberta TrachtmanDirector, Teacher CertificationNew Visions for Public Schoolsrtrachtman@newvisions.orgPage 1

Consortium for Chicago School ResearchElaine AllensworthInterim Executive DirectorConsortium on Chicago School Researchelainea@ccsr.uchicago.eduStacy NorrisPlanning and Evaluation ManagerChicago Public Schoolsslnorris@cps.k12.il.usMiddle School Mathematics and the InstitutionalSetting of Teaching (MIST)Paul CobbProfessor of Mathematics EducationVanderbilt University, Peabody Collegepaul.cobb@vanderbilt.eduKara JacksonAssistant Professor, Faculty of EducationMcGill Universitykara.jackson@mcgill.caTom SmithAssociate Professor of Public Policy and EducationVanderbilt University, Peabody Collegethomas.smith@Vanderbilt.EduMichael SorumChief Academic OfficerFort Worth Independent School DistrictMichael.Sorum@fwisd.orgREL MidwestHella Bel Hadj AmorSenior ResearcherREL Midwest/American Institutes of Researchhbelhadjamor@air.orgWalter DeBoerEvaluation Specialist, Office of Assessment/EvaluationGrand Rapids Public SchoolsdeboerW@grps.k12.mi.usDavid StuitFounding Partner, Basis Policy Researchdastuit@basispolicyresearch.comREL NorthwestSteve FleischmanChief Executive Officer, Education Northweststeve.fleischman@educationnorthwest.orgChristopher MazzeoDeputy Director, REL NorthwestChristopher.Mazzeo@educationnorthwest.orgSho ShigeokaEquity Coordinator, Beaverton School DistrictSho_Shigeoka@beaverton.k12.or.usResearch Alliance for New York City SchoolsJames KempleExecutive DirectorResearch Alliance for New York City Schoolsjames.kemple@nyu.eduAdina LopatinDeputy Chief Academic Officer, PerformanceNew York City Department of EducationALopatin@schools.nyc.govLori NathansonResearch AssociateResearch Alliance for New York City Schoolslori.nathanson@nyu.eduHans BosVice President, Education, Human Development andthe WorkforceAmerican Institutes of ResearchJbos@air.orgPage 2

Strategic Educational Research Partnership(SERP)Linda ChenDeputy Chief Academic OfficerBoston Public Schoolslchen2@boston.k12.ma.usPhil DaroDirector, San Francisco Field SiteStrategic Education Research Partnershippdaro@serpinstitute.orgJeannie PonAssistant Superintendent, Middle SchoolsSan Francisco Unified School Districtponj@sfusd.eduSuzanne DonovanExecutive DirectorStrategic Educational Research Partnershipsdonovan@serpinstitute.orgBob GrangerPresident, William T. Grant Foundationbgranger@wtgrantfdn.orgVivian TsengVice President, William T. Grant Foundationvtseng@Wtgrantfdn.orgBrian WilcoxDirector, Center on Children, Families and the LawUniversity of Nebraska‐Lincoln andSenior Program Associate, William T. GrantFoundationbwilcox1@unl.eduNicole YohalemSpecial Projects Director, Forum for Youth Investmentnicole@forumfyi.orgCatherine SnowProfessor of EducationHarvard Graduate School of Educationcatherine_snow@harvard.eduStaff, Guests and ConsultantsCynthia CoburnAssociate Professor, Graduate School of EducationUniversity of California at Berkeleycecoburn@berkeley.eduLaura CooperConsultant, Research for Better Teachinglafcooper617@gmail.comElizabeth DevaneyConsultant, Forum for Youth Investmentdevaneye@gmail.comKim DuMontProgram Manager, William T. Grant Foundationkdumont@wtgrantfdn.orgPage 3

Research‐Practice Partnerships Learning Community MeetingNovember 28‐29, 2012; New York CityParticipant BiosELAINE ALLENSWORTH is interim executive director at the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research,as well as a managing director of UEI. She conducts research on the factors that affect high school students’ educationalattainment, including high school graduation and college readiness, as well as the structural factors that affect schoolimprovement. Allensworth is best known for her work on early indicators of high school graduation, including the study"What Matters for Staying On‐Track and Graduating," which has been used to develop tracking systems in Chicago and indistricts across the country. Allensworth is one of the authors of the book, Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessonsfrom Chicago, which yields a comprehensive set of school practices and school and community conditions that promoteimprovement. She served as a committee member for the National Academies/National Research Council Committee onImproved Measurement of High School Dropout and Completion Rates, the Scientific Review Panel of the U.S.Department of Education, and the board of the Illinois Education Research Council. Currently, she is working on studies ofhigh school curriculum and middle grade predictors of college readiness. Allensworth holds a Ph.D. in sociology fromMichigan State University, and was once a high school teacher.LAURA BAKER is assistant director of professional development for the Austin Independent School District.HELLA BEL HADJ AMOR joined AIR as a senior researcher in July 2011 to lead the New York State Growth and Value‐Added Program and the student‐learning based component of the Massachusetts educator evaluations. Dr. Bel Hadj Amoris the former director of Teacher Effectiveness Research and Evaluation at the District of Columbia Public Schools, whereshe also served as Governing Board Member for the REL‐Mid‐Atlantic. In this role, she directed the value‐added modelingcomponent of the DC IMPACT system. Prior to her work in the district, she was a research scientist at the Institute forEducation and Social Policy at New York University. She is an applied economist, specializing in educator quality,education policy, public finance, and applied econometrics.JENNIFER BELL‐ELLWANGER is the newly appointed chief achievement and accountability officer for Baltimore City PublicSchools. As a member of the BCPS Senior Cabinet, Ms. Bell‐Ellwanger is responsible for maximizing the district’s use ofdata and accountability systems to strengthen student achievement. In addition, Ms. Bell‐Ellwanger is leading thedistrict’s efforts to make better use of data to inform the guidance and support it provides to schools. Before joining CitySchools, she served New York City public schools for more than 20 years as a teacher and administrator. Most recently,Ms. Bell‐Ellwanger led the Research and Policy Support Group at the New York City Department of Education as itsExecutive Director. Through her experiences as an elementary classroom teacher and administrator, she has worked ondesigning complex research studies, managing large databases, developing models of school accountability and improvingsystems for assessment and data reporting. In addition, Ms. Bell‐Ellwanger is experienced in designing complex researchstudies and managing large databases, including longitudinal studies based on analyses of quantitative and qualitativedata and is conversant with the data and methodologies (both statistics and analytical programs) used in educationalresearch. Her understanding of growth and other models of school accountability, and the assessment, data, andreporting systems needed to implement them have enabled her to work with state and national educational organizationsand the educational research community. Ms. Bell‐Ellwanger holds a Bachelor’s degree in education and psychology fromThe Catholic University of America, a Master’s degree in counseling and personnel services from Fordham University, andhas completed her doctoral coursework in educational psychology from Fordham University.BRANDON BENNETT began his career in Uganda where he directed a micro‐finance program providing people living withHIV access to capital necessary to start small businesses. While there he also created the Asaph Children Education Fund,a non‐profit organization dedicated to providing scholarships to children who would otherwise not have access toeducation. An endeavor he continues to lead. He spent 5 years as an Improvement Advisor with the Institute for1

Healthcare Improvement, assisting their efforts in low and middle income countries. Brandon continues to serve as anImprovement Advisor on IHI’s global initiatives and remains faculty for IHI’s Improvement Advisor ProfessionalDevelopment Program. His work with Improvement Science Consulting has diversified his experience to include work inmultiple countries and across varying sectors, most recently adding the field of education. He has co‐authored papersrelated to quality improvement and has given numerous presentations on improvement science at conferences aroundthe world.JARROD BOLTE currently serves as the director of Teacher Support and Development for Baltimore City Public Schools. Inthis position Jarrod coordinates the work of teacher development, which ranges from New Teacher Induction through theimplementation of growth opportunities for teachers as they move along a career pathway. He holds a Bachelor’s Degreefrom Ball State University in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in School Administration from Loyola College inMaryland. Jarrod has worked in the district for 13 years, beginning his career as an elementary school teacher. He hassince worked in multiple coaching and leadership roles in schools and the district office. He became involved with teacherdevelopment in 2009 when he led the creation of early career teaching initiatives focused on teacher development andretention. His work has most recently evolved to include the management of teacher professional growth strategiesunder the Race to the Top grant and the development of growth opportunities for all teachers. A portion of this work alsoincluded the design and implementation of an online Professional Growth System to track and manage coursework andcareer pathway movement for teachers in City Schools.HANS BOS is a vice president in AIR’s Education, Human Development, and the Workforce (EHDW) program. He alsomanages AIR’s San Mateo, California office. Dr. Bos is a nationally recognized expert in the design and conduct ofrandomized control trials in education and other areas of social policy research. Since 1992 he has carried out numerousevaluations and policy studies in education, child development, welfare reform, and labor policy. Among the programs Dr.Bos has studied are those providing job training for economically disadvantaged youth, those supporting teen parents andtheir children, and those supporting high school to college transitions for low‐income high school students. In recentyears, Dr. Bos has specialized in methodological issues surrounding education evaluation. At AIR, Dr. Bos is responsible forquality assurance and project review procedures within the EHDW program. He also serves as principal investigator onseveral ongoing research and evaluation studies. Dr. Bos earned his Ph.D. at New York University’s Robert F. WagnerSchool of Public Service, where he also taught statistics, financial management, and program evaluation. Dr. Bos haspublished in Evaluation Review, the Journal of Human Resources, and Child Development. Since 2006 he has been amember of several grant review panels of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. He alsoserves as a reviewer for the Institute of Education Sciences’ Standards and Review Office.JONATHAN BRICE has served as executive director for Student Support and Safety since March 2007 in the Baltimore CityPublic School System where he is responsible for the development, implementation, and coordination of studentattendance, student placement, suspension services, student records, school counseling, and health services includinghome and hospital, alternative education, and prevention and interventions support, and school police for 83,000students. Prior to joining City Schools Jonathan held central office leadership and school based administrative positions inDuval County Public Schools, in the Christina School District in Delaware, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, andBaltimore County Public Schools, and began his teaching career as a long term substitute and student teacher in theBaltimore City Public Schools. Jonathan holds four degrees; an A.A. in general studies from Essex Community College, aB.A. in history from the University of Baltimore, a M.S. in Human Resource Development from Towson University, and aM.A. in Administration, Planning and Supervision from Harvard University Graduate School of Education where he expectsto complete his doctoral degree from in November 2010.PENNY CARVER is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.2

LINDA CHEN is currently the Deputy Chief Academic Officer at Boston Public Schools, overseeing the offices of Curriculumand Instruction, Early Childhood, Professional Development and Teacher Effectiveness. She is responsible for theimplementation of the Common Core State Standards and its integration with the new educator evaluation system inMassachusetts, as well as other Race to the Top initiatives. Linda previously served in leadership roles in Philadelphia asan Assistant Superintendent of a division of elementary and middle schools, as well as Deputy Chief of Teaching andLearning leading the offices of Curriculum and Instruction and English Language Learners; and, in New York City asprincipal of a dual language school, and a district director of literacy. She was a literacy consultant and staff developerwith the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project and has taught in New York City and Seattle. She is the co‐authorof Balanced Literacy for English Language Learners (Heinemann, 2007); served as assistant adjunct professor at theUniversity of Southern California; and, has consulted nationally and internationally in the teaching of literacy. She holds aB.S. In Psychology from the University of Washington; M.A. In Curriculum and Teaching, M.Ed. In Educational Leadership,and Ed.D. In Urban Education Leadership (expected) from Columbia University, Teachers College.PAUL COBB is professor of mathematics education at Vanderbilt University. His research focused on instructional designand student learning in elementary and middle‐grades mathematics classrooms for a number of years. His currentresearch focuses on improving the quality of mathematics teaching and thus student learning on a large scale, and onissues of equity in students’ access to significant mathematical ideas. He received the Hans Freudenthal Medal for acumulative research program over the prior ten years from the International Commission on Mathematics Instruction in2005, and the Sylvia Scribner Award from the American Educational Research Association in 2010 for research over thepast ten years that contributes to our understanding of learning and instruction. He is an elected member of the NationalAcademy of Education and an invited fellow of the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences.CYNTHIA COBURN, associate professor of Policy, Organization, Measurement, and Evaluation at the Berkeley GraduateSchool of Education, uses the tools of organizational sociology to understand the relationship between instructional policyand teachers' classroom practices in urban schools. She has studied these issues in the context of state and nationalreading policy, attempts to scale‐up innovative school reform programs, and district‐wide professional developmentinitiatives. Current projects include a study of the role of school leaders in mediating between reading policy andteachers' classroom practice. The study brings an analysis of power, authority, and knowledge into scholarship onteachers' interpretation of instructional policy. She also co‐directs a cross‐case study of innovative efforts to reconfigurethe relationship between research and practice for school improvement. As part of that project, she studies an effort toredesign school districts to foster evidence‐based practice and decision making. Finally, she is engaged in a study of therole of teachers' social networks in the scale‐up of ambitious mathematics curricula in two urban districts. Coburn was therecipient of a Spencer Foundation national dissertation fellowship in 1999, won the 2002 Award for OutstandingDissertation from Division L (policy and politics) of the American Educational Research Associations, and received the2006 Palmer O. Johnson Award for outstanding publication from the American Educational Research Association for herresearch on non‐system actors and reading policy. Recent work has been published in Educational Evaluation and PolicyAnalysis, Educational Researcher, Sociology of Education, and Educational Policy. At Berkeley, she teaches Ph.D. studentsin POME and school and district leaders in the Leadership for Educational Equity Doctoral Program (LEEP).FAITH CONNOLLY is the executive director of the Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC) housed at the Centerfor Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University. BERC is a partnership of the Baltimore City Public Schools(City Schools), Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and other civic and community partners. BERC’s missionis to conduct and disseminate long‐ and short‐term strategic data analysis and research that informs decisions aboutpolicy and practice to improve the educational and life outcomes of children in Baltimore. Dr. Connolly has worked in LEAresearch and accountability offices in Baltimore City, Montgomery County, MD and Washington DC. Her work hascentered on helping districts focus on the key data elements and research to improve practice. She instituted aparticipatory evaluation model including stakeholders internal and external to the organization in her district andconsortia work to ensure research findings were useful to LEA and school staff. Chaired multiple stakeholder workgroupsfor development of evaluations and accountability targets which included staff, union representatives, parents, and3

advocacy groups. Dr. Connolly has both won and managed teams that won AERA Outstanding Research Publications andpublishing easy‐to‐read reports for non‐researchers.LAURA COOPER, Consultant, Research for Better Teaching has worked as a teacher and administrator in urban andsuburban districts in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Illinois. In her role as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum andInstruction at Evanston (IL) Township High School, she helped create the Minority Student Achievement Network(MSAN),a network of districts committed to eliminating achievement gaps between white students and students of color. As theleader of MSAN's Research‐Practitioner Council, she brought researchers together with school leaders to identify newways of working together to close historical achievement gaps. She has served on the Leadership Team of StrategicEducation Research Partnership and contributes to the Harvard Education Letter’s column "Research I’m Reading." Herwork focuses on addressing inequities in student achievement by increasing teachers’ capacity to teach diverse groups ofstudents, by coaching leaders in Turnaround Schools, and by helping practitioners use research to address the problemsof practice. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, a Master's in Education from Arizona StateUniversity, and a Doctor in Education from Harvard University. I believe I indicated this earlier, but I will not be able toattend the dinner scheduled for either evening. Thank you for reserving our hotel room for Monday night as well as forTuesday and Wednesday nights. We will, of course, pay personally for the Monday night stay.PHIL DARO is the director of the San Francisco field site for the Strategic Education Research Partnership. He has alsodirected large scale teacher professional development programs for the University of California including the CaliforniaMathematics Project and the American Mathematics Project. His sixteen years at the University included six yearsdirecting projects to help states develop standards, accountability and testing systems. He has held leadership positionswith the California Department of Education. Phil has served on many committees including: NAEP Validity Committee;RAND Mathematics Education Research Panel; College Board Mathematics Framework Committee; ACHIEVE Technical(Assessment) Advisory Group, Mathematics Work Group; Technical Advisory Committee to National Goals Panel for WorldClass Standards, National Governors Association; Title I Commission organized by Council of Chief State School Officers;Mathematical Sciences Education Board of the National Research Council; California Public Broadcasting Commission; andThe Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC). He has taught mathematics and is the father ofthree daughters.WALTER DEBOER has worked in the Office of Assessment and Evaluation for the Grand Rapids Public Schools for 28 years.He has primary responsibility for evaluating district programs, policies, and procedures and working with school anddistrict‐level stakeholders to review results and improve practices. He also coordinates the annual state assessment ofnearly 4,000 district English Language learners. Dr. DeBoer has served two terms on the Executive Board of the MichiganEducational Research Association and has been the primary district liaison for REL‐based projects and discussions.ELIZABETH DEVANEY is a consultant for the Forum for Youth Investment. Until recently, she served as the DeputyDirector of the Providence After School Alliance in Providence, RI. In that role, Elizabeth headed PASA's qualityimprovement strategy aimed at helping build the capacity of after‐school organizations to provide high‐qualityprogramming. She continues to work closely with PASA as its Quality and Evaluation Consultant. In 2009, Elizabethreceived a Distinguished Fellows grant from the W.T. Grant Foundation. Prior to joining PASA, Elizabeth was a ProjectDirector at the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) in Chicago, IL. She worked with schoolprincipals and their staff on the implementation and evaluation of social and emotional learning (SEL) programming intheir schools. She has held positions at the Education Development Center in Newton, MA, and Dimock CommunityHealth Center in Roxbury, MA. Elizabeth received a bachelor's degree from Trinity College and a master's degree in socialpolicy, with a concentration in youth and family programs, from the Heller School at Brandeis University.ANGIE DILORETO is the K‐12 science curriculum developer for the Bellevue School District in Bellevue, Washington. Shehas been an elementary classroom teacher, middle school science teacher and secondary science curriculum coach. As ascience curriculum coach she led the effort to develop an 8th grade Physics First course to be taught to all grade levelstudents and implement the course by training teachers and maintaining curriculum improvement. She developed a planin middle school science for providing accommodations and modifications for students who needed additional support4

that was taken to scale with all grade levels and subject areas. DiLoreto received her M.Ed. in science curriculum andinstruction from the University of Washington.SUZANNE DONOVAN is executive director of the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP) Institute, an educationresearch and development enterprise incubated at the National Academies. In that capacity she is building a program ofwork in partnership with school districts, and anchored in classroom and school practice. She was primary author and coeditorof the two SERP reports: Strategic Education Research Partnership proposed the design and governance structureof the SERP Institute, and Learning and Instruction: A SERP Research Agenda details an illustrative research anddevelopment agenda directly tied to classroom practice. Dr. Donovan has also directed the "How People Learn" project atthe National Academies since 1999. She served as study director and editor of the most recent report in the series: HowStudents Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom, which was published in January, 2005. She wasdirector of a previous study entitled How People Learn: Bridging Research and Practice. She has delivered addresses onthis work to audiences of teachers and researchers across the nation. Dr. Donovan was the study director and co‐editorfor the NRC report Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education, and was a co‐editor of Eager to Learn: Educating ourPreschoolers. She has a Ph.D. in public policy from the University of California at Berkeley. Before joining the NationalResearch Council, she was on the faculty of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.KIM DUMONT is a program officer at the William T. Grant Foundation. Prior to starting at the Foundation, she worked asa Senior Research Scientist in the Bureau of Evaluation and Research at New York State’s Office of Children and FamilyServices (OCFS). While at OCFS, she was the principal investigator of a longitudinal, randomized controlled trial designedto evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive home‐visiting program in preventing child maltreatment and promotingchildren’s health and development. In addition to her work in evaluating interventions, Kim has studied the quality of caredelivered by physicians serving families receiving Medicaid, the life goals and activities of individuals living with AIDS, andthe development of adults who were abused in childhood. Throughout her research, she has focus on how family,community, and system factors interact to affect the behavior and adjustment of children, adolescents, and families. Kimreceived her doctorate in Community Psychology from New York University. She has published several articles related tochildhood abuse and neglect, resilience, parenting, and women’s mental health, and has secured funding from theNational Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Justice, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the PewCharitable Trusts.STEVE FLEISCHMAN is the Chief Executive Officer of Education Northwest. Currently, he also serves as director of RELNorthwest. Through more than 200 current projects, Education Northwest partners with teachers, administrators,policymakers, families, students, and community members on research, evaluation, professional development, andtechnical assistance activities. From February 2009 through August 2012 Fleischman served as the Deputy ExecutiveOfficer of Education Northwest, leading the programmatic work of the organization. Before assuming the DEO position,Fleischman served as vice president of the American Institutes for Research (AIR), where he created and led a number ofU.S. Department of Education‐funded school improvement projects. He also provided senior leadership for a variety ofAIR projects linking research and practice, including the What Works Clearinghouse, Doing What Works, and the NationalHigh School Center. Fleischman began his more than 25‐year education career as a middle and high school social studiesteacher. After leaving the classroom he served as deputy director of educational issues at the American Federation ofTeachers and as the founding executive director of the Education Quality Institute.ROBERT GRANGER has been president of the William T. Grant Foundation since 2003. The Foundation supports researchand related activities intended to improve the lives of young people. The Foundation’s current focus is on how socialsettings such as schools, community organizations, and neighborhoods influence young people; how to improve thesesettings; and how research influences policy and practice. In the past few years the Foundation has focused on building arobust portfolio of grantees studying how practitioners acquire, interpret, and use research evidence. An emergingfoundation interest is in understanding why effects vary when intervention programs are brought to new sites. Beforejoining the Foundation in 2000 as Senior Vice President of Programs, Dr. Granger served as Senior Vice President of theManpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) and Executive Vice President at Bank Street College ofEducation. Dr. Granger also was the inaugural chair of the National Board for Education Sciences during the Bush5

administration and has been reappointed to the Board by President Obama. In addition, Dr. Granger serves on theeditorial board for several professional journals. He received his Ed.D. in Early Childhood Education (1973) from theUniversity of Massachusetts, and is an expert on the evaluation of policies and program for low‐income children andyouth.KARA JACKSON is currently an assistant professor in mathematics education at McGill University. She earned herdoctorate in Education, Culture and Society with an emphasis in Mathematics Education in 2007 from the University ofPennsylvania. From 2007‐2010, she was a post‐doctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody School ofEducation in the Department of Teaching and Learning. While at Vanderbilt, she worked on an NSF‐funded projectinvestigating how to support instructional improvement in middle‐grades mathematics at the scale of large, urbandistricts; she is currently a co‐ principal investigator on an extension of this study. In 2010, she received a NationalAcademy of Education/Spencer Post‐Doctoral Fellowship to investigate how districts and schools (with diverseorganizational constraints and resources) can support middle‐grades mathematics teachers’ development of ambitiousand equitable instructional practices. She has taught mathematics to students in grades 2‐12 and adults. Her researchinterests focus on specifying forms of practice that support all learners to participate in rigorous mathematics, particularlyyouth who are under‐served in US classrooms, and how to support teachers to develop such forms of practice.SHARON KAUTZ is the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction with the Bellevue School District in Bellevue, WA.Bellevue School District has approximately 18,000 students. Her main role is to work with the 50 members of thecurriculum department to help develop the courses, improve and refine the curriculum and assessments, provideinnovative methods for teaching and learning, lead professional development, foster collaboration across the district andprovide instructional leadership in the district. Prior to this position, she was a principal at one of the high schools in thedistrict for 8 years.JAMES KEMPLE serves as executive director of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools and Research Professor atthe Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. Prior to joining theResearch Alliance as its first Executive Director, Dr. Kemple spent more than 18 years at MDRC, a non‐profit social policyresearch organization committed to improving the well being of low income populations across the United States. Heserved as the Director of MDRC’s K‐12 Education Policy Area and specialized in the design and management of rigorousevaluations, including randomized controlled trials of educational and other social policy reforms. He served as PrincipalInvestigator of MDRC’s studies of high school interventions including the Career Academies Evaluation, the Evaluation ofthe Talent Development Middle and High School Models, the Enhanced reading Opportunities Study, and the Study of theContent Literacy Continuum. Dr. Kemple also served as Co‐Director of the National Reading First Impact Study, whichMDRC is conducting with Abt Associates. Prior to joining MDRC, Dr. Kemple taught high school math and managed theHigher Achievement Program, a three‐phase academic and high school placement program for disadvantaged youth inWashington, DC. He coordinated a qualitative implementation study of the Boston Public School Curriculum objectives forthe Citywide Education Coalition, and, with Richard Murnane and others, he coauthored Who Will Teach? Policies ThatMatter published by Harvard University Press. Dr. Kemple holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the College of Holy Cross andan Ed.M. and Ed.D. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education with a concentration in Administration,Planning, and Social Policy for Community and Urban EducationPAUL LEMAHIEU is vice president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is graduate faculty inthe College of Education at the University of Hawai‘i – Mānoa. His scholarly interests focus on analytics that support theimprovement of practice, educational assessment and accountability, as well as classroom learning and the professionaldevelopment and policy environments that support it. Previously, LeMahieu served as Superintendent of Education forthe State of Hawai‘i, the chief educational and executive officer of the only state system in the United States that is aunitary school district, serving nearly 190,000 students with annual operating and capital budgets totaling over$1,800,000,000. From 2002 to 2010, LeMahieu was Director of Research and Evaluation for the National Writing Projectat the University of California, Berkeley. LeMahieu has published extensively on issues as diverse as testing policy andpractice; educational accountability; issues in data analysis and use; staff development; school effectiveness;6

nontraditional work roles for women; minority achievement issues; science education; and vocational education. He hasreceived a number of major awards for his contributions to educational theory and practice from the AmericanEducational Research Association, the Evaluation Research Society, the Buros Institute of Measurement, the NationalAssociation of Test Directors, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. He has been President ofthe National Association of Test Directors and Vice President of the American Educational Research Association. Heserved on the National Academy of Sciences' Board on International Comparative Studies in Education, and MathematicalSciences Education Board. He is a Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Research on Expertise in Teaching andLearning, served on the National Board on Testing Policy, and the National Board on Professional Teaching Standards.LeMahieu holds degrees from Yale College (AB), Harvard University (EdM), and University of Pittsburgh (PhD).ADINA LOPATIN is the New York City Department of Education's Deputy Chief Academic Officer for Performance. In thisrole she oversees the Department's work in assessment, accountability, academic policy, and research. Adina is workingto clarify academic policies, introduce new assessments aligned to the Common Core standards, and strengthen schoolevaluation to better measure readiness for college and careers. Adina holds a bachelor's degree in history from YaleUniversity. Prior to joining the DOE in 2007, she worked for the Architectural League of New York, mapping criminaljustice data to illustrate prison expenditures by administrative district in five American cities.CHRISTOPHER MAZZEO is the director for Evidence Use and Policy at Education Northwest and was recently named thenew director of REL Northwest, effective this January. REL Northwest provides research and technical assistance servicesto five states: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and is one of 10 regional educational laboratories fundednationally by the Institute of Education Sciences. Dr. Mazzeo has over 15 years of experience developing actionableresearch and evaluation findings and building partnerships that support better research and evidence use. Prior to joiningEducation Northwest, Dr. Mazzeo spent three years with the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) at theUniversity of Chicago. For CCSR, he managed the organization’s publications, media, and communications efforts and itsnationally focused policy and capacity‐building initiatives. In this role, he consulted extensively with state and nationalpolicymakers, school districts and researchers on developing early warning and college readiness and success indicatorsystems and creating new research organizations modeled on CCSR in other cities and states. Mazzeo has also served asan evaluation consultant to the Harvard University Strategic Data Project (SDP), as a senior education policy analyst withthe National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and as Assistant Professor of Public Policy and EducationalLeadership at Baruch College of the City University of New York. He earned his Ph.D. in Social Sciences, Policy andEducational Practice at Stanford University in 2001.LORI NATHANSON joined the Research Alliance for New York City Schools in 2010 after working with Yale University andthe New Line Learning Federation Schools in Maidstone, England. Dr. Nathanson worked with two schools in England tostrengthen and customize their implementation of a social and emotional learning (SEL) intervention. Dr. Nathansonapproaches SEL from a measurement perspective; she has studied SEL intervention implementation fidelity and appliedmeasurement theories to develop more precise, meaningful surveys and observational assessments of prosocial skills andbehaviors. By developing new and improving existing measures, schools, districts and researchers gain reliable and usefulinformation about students, teachers, classrooms and schools. Dr. Nathanson earned her BA in Education, Public Policy,and Psychology from Duke University in 2001 and completed her PhD at the University of Virginia in Measurement andMethods in 2009. At UVa, Dr. Nathanson received a Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training fellowship through theUS Department of Education Institute of Educational Sciences. Between her undergraduate and graduate studies, Dr.Nathanson worked on policy‐relevant research, including No Child Left Behind (NCLB) congressionally‐mandated state andlocal studies and the development of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study ‐ Birth Cohort (ECLS‐B) preschool assessmentat American Institutes for Research, an independent, not‐for‐profit corporation in Washington, DC and Palo Alto, CA.SANDRA PARK is the director of the Building a Teaching Effectiveness Network (BTEN) and an Associate for ImprovementScience at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. BTEN is an initiative of Carnegie, the AmericanFederation of Teachers and Austin Independent School District, Baltimore City Schools, and New Visions for Public Schoolsin New York City. The aim of BTEN is to increase the number of new teachers judged efficacious and to increase theirrates of retention using methods of Improvement Science and leveraging the powers of a networked improvementcommunity. Park previously taught elementary school in Oregon, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., and was mostrecently, director of programs at First Graduate in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. in sociology from Georgetown7

University, a teaching credential and M.A.T. from Louis & Clark College, an Ed.M. in administration and policy from theHarvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. in education policy from UC‐Berkeley.JEANNIE PON is the Assistant Superintendent of Middle Schools in San Francisco Unified School District. She is the directsupervisor of eleven middle schools and 30 principals and assistant principals. Her vision for success for middle schools isevery student graduating from middle school equipped with the skills, capacities, and dispositions necessary for success inhigh school and beyond. The goal is to provide a challenging and rigorous curriculum with appropriate academic anddevelopmental support to all middle school students, as such, she is working toward full implementation of the CommonCore State Standards in Mathematics and Language Arts, supporting the redesign of services for students with disabilities,and supporting the needs of English Learners to accelerate achievement. She states,” we will continue to internalize andpractice the five R’s – rigor, relevance, relationships, reflection, and recommitment. We have to make sure that what weare teaching is relevant to our students; that we have high expectations for all students; that we truly know who arestudents are; that we continue to reflect on our practices; and that we make a point of recommitting to our professionand our students.” Ms. Pon holds Master Degrees in Educational Administration and Secondary Counseling andcredentials in teaching, pupil personnel services, and administrative services. She has been a member of theSuperintendent’s Cabinet for nine years – serving under Superintendents Arlene Ackerman, Gwen Chan, Carlos Garcia,and Richard Carranza.SHO SHIGEOKA serves as equity coordinator for the Beaverton School District in Oregon. In her current role, she providesstaff development around culturally relevant, equity‐focused teaching and leadership practices to all levels of educators.Prior to joining the District office in 2007, Sho served as a school counselor at middle and high schools. After spendingseven years in higher education, Sho made a career shift to K‐12 public education, in hopes to increase college access andopportunities for historically underserved students.THOMAS SMITH has considerable experience in both the federal and international education research community.Between 1991 and 2001, he conducted and managed statistical research activities at the U.S. Department of Education'sNational Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),and, the National Science Foundation (NSF). Much of his work has focused on the development of indicators for educationpolicy making: co‐authoring six editions of NCES's annual report to Congress, The Condition of Education, three editions ofOECD's comparative indicators report Education at a Glance, and the chapter on K‐12 mathematics and science educationin the National Science Board's 2002 edition of Science and Engineering Indicators. While at OECD, Professor Smith was akey player in the revision and implementation of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) and otheractivities to improve the comparability of education data collected cross nationally by OECD and UNESCO. Professor Smithjoined the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations in 2001. Professor Smith's current research agendafocuses on the organization of teaching quality, exploring relationships between educational policy (national, state,district, and school level), school organization, teacher commitment, and the quality of classroom instruction. His currentresearch focuses on 1) the socialization, professionalization, and retention of teachers; 2) the role of school organization,teacher professionalization, and policy on the level and distribution of teaching quality; and 3) the impact of nationalcontext and educational policy on within‐ and between‐country variation in instructional quality.CATHERINE SNOW is the Patricia Albjerg Graham Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.She received her Ph.D. in psychology from McGill and worked for several years in the linguistics department of theUniversity of Amsterdam. Her research interests include children's language development as influenced by interactionwith adults in home and preschool settings, literacy development as related to language skills and as influenced by homeand school factors, and issues related to the acquisition of English oral and literacy skills by language minority children.She has co‐authored books on language development (e.g., Pragmatic Development with Anat Ninio) and on literacydevelopment (e.g., Unfulfilled Expectations: Home and School Influences on Literacy, with W. Barnes, J. Chandler, I.Goodman & L. Hemphill), and published widely on these topics in referred journals and edited volumes. Snow'scontributions to the field include membership on several journal editorial boards, co‐directorship for several years of theChild Language Data Exchange System, and editorship of Applied Psycholinguistics. She served as a board member at theCenter for Applied Linguistics and a member of the National Research Council Committee on Establishing a ResearchAgenda on Schooling for Language Minority Children. She chaired the National Research Council Committee on PreventingReading Difficulties in Young Children, which produced a report that has been widely adopted as a basis for reform ofreading instruction and professional development. She served on the NRC's Council for the Behavioral and Social Sciences8

and Education, and as president of the American Educational Research Association. A member of the National Academyof Education, Snow has held visiting appointments at the University of Cambridge, England, Universidad Autonoma inMadrid, and The Institute of Advanced Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and has guest taught at UniversidadCentral de Caracas, El Colegio de Mexico, Odense University in Denmark, and several institutions in The Netherlands.MICHAEL SORUM is the chief academic officer who supervises Fort Worth Independent School District’s academicdepartments, career and technical education, assessment and data quality, secondary academic advisement and the forspecial student populations: special education, ESL and Bilingual Education, and gifted education. Mr. Sorum startedteaching in 1987 in the San Antonio Independent School District where he taught French, Spanish, and Reading.Eventually, Mr. Sorum became an instructional administrator and worked the mathematics and social studies. Prior toFort Worth, Michael Sorum served as the Director of Research, Assessment, and Evaluation and the Chief AcademicOfficer in the Providence, Rhode Island school department. His Bachelors degree is in world languages with a minor inpolitical science from Portland State University and a Certificate in Political Studies from the University of Marseille,France. Mr. Sorum has a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and theUrban Superintendency from Harvard University. He is currently completing his doctorate at TCU.DAVID STUIT is co‐founder and partner at Basis Policy Research, where he conducts applied research for school districts,foundations, and other educational organizations. His research focuses on issues related to educator effectiveness, urbanschool reform, and school choice. In addition to academic journals, his work has appeared in media outlets such as theWashington Post, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, and Christian Science Monitor. Stuit holds a Ph.D. in leadership andpolicy studies from Vanderbilt University, where he was a predoctoral fellow in the U.S. Department of Education’sInstitute of Education Sciences’ training program. He began his career as a classroom teacher in Denver, CO.ROBERTA TRACHTMAN is the director of teacher certification at New Visions for Public Schools, New York City’s largesteducation reform organization. She works with colleagues to create, implement, and sustain cross organizationalcollaborations to support educators’ development as learners and leaders. During the past 3 years she has led the designand implementation of a New York City teacher residency program, a clinically‐based teacher preparation program inpartnership with Hunter College. Her most significant research activity was her multi‐year work as principal investigator inthe Professional Development School Standards Project for the National Council for the Accreditation of TeacherEducation. Prior to joining New Visions she was an associate professor of educational administration at FordhamUniversity, a teacher educator at the New School for Social Research in NYC, and the CEO of an educational consultingfirm.VIVIAN TSENG is the vice president, program, at the William T. Grant Foundation, a funder of research meant to improvethe lives of young people. Dr. Tseng leads the Foundation’s grantmaking and spearheads its initiatives on understandingof the use of research in policy and practice and improving research‐practice connections. Since joining the Foundation in2004, she has served in multiple capacities, most recently as senior program officer. Dr. Tseng has a deep interest inmentoring young researchers and is committed to strengthening the career pipeline for scholars of color. Thus, she alsooversees the William T. Grant Scholars Program for promising early‐career researchers and has significantly enhanced theprogram’s mentoring components. Previously, Dr. Tseng was an assistant professor in psychology and Asian Americanstudies at California State University, Northridge. She received her doctorate in community psychology, with a minor inquantitative methods and a concentration in developmental psychology, from New York University and her bachelor ofarts in psychology, with a specialization in Asian American studies, from the University of California, Los Angeles. Herresearch has focused on understanding how immigration, race, and culture affect youth and their families. Dr. Tseng hasbeen published in Child Development, Journal of Marriage and the Family, American Journal of Community Psychology,Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, and the Handbooks of Parenting, Asian American Psychology, and 21st CenturyEducation, among others. Her recent publications focus on evidence‐based policy and practice and mentoring for youngscholars.NANCY VYE is principal research scientist in the College of Education at the University of Washington. Previously, she wasCo‐Director of the Learning Technology Center at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on challenge‐based learningand formative assessment in classroom settings. She is particularly interested in uses of technology for designing curriculaand assessment tools that enhance teaching and learning. Vye's R & D work includes The Arts for Learning LessonsProject, an arts‐integrated literacy curriculum for elementary students; The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury, a9

mathematics problem solving series, Schools for Thought, a technology‐based, educational reform initiative; Betty's Brain,a pedagogical computer agent that teaches qualitative reasoning, and most recently, STARLegacy software that supportsproblem‐based learning. Vye received her doctorate in cognitive psychology from Vanderbilt University.BRIAN WILCOX joined the University of Nebraska‐Lincoln (UNL) Department of Psychology faculty in 1994 and serves asthe director of the University's Center on Children, Families and the Law, and chair of UNL's Family Research and PolicyInitiative. He received his Ph.D. in community psychology from the University of Texas in 1979. Prior to coming toNebraska, he taught at the University of Virginia, served as a legislative assistant to Senator Bill Bradley, and was directorof public policy for the American Psychological Association. His teaching and research interests focus broadly on thelinkages between child development and public policy, including adolescent sexual behavior, child welfare, child care, andchildren and the media. He regularly teaches seminars on intervention research design and methods. Wilcox is a Fellowof the American Psychological Association. He is a past president of APA's Division of Child, Youth and Family Services, cochairof the Society for Research on Adolescence's Committee on Research, Policy and Public Information, and currentlyserves on the ethics Committee for the Society for Research on Child Development and is a member of the Council ofRepresentatives of the American Psychological Association. Wilcox is on the editorial boards of the Journal of AdolescentHealth, the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and the Interamerican Journal of Psychology. During the 2004‐2005 year hewas a visiting professor at the Pontif cia Universidade Catlica in Rio de Janeiro and a Senior Fulbright Scholar at theUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Wilcox is affiliated with the Law‐Psychology andDevelopmental Psychology programs at UNL.NICOLE YOHALEM is senior director of special projects at the Forum for Youth Investment where she leads work relatedto out‐of‐school time and bridging research, policy and practice. Prior to joining the Forum staff in 2000, Nicole served ayouth development specialist at Michigan State University where she developed, implemented and evaluated communitybasedyouth programs and provided training and technical assistance to programs statewide within the CooperativeExtension Service. Prior to that she worked at the local level, developing and directing mentoring, leadership and afterschoolprograms for urban youth through 4‐H. From 1990 to 1995, Nicole worked in the adolescent division of theHigh/Scope Educational Research Foundation where she directed the Foundation’s residential programs for teens whiledeveloping curricular and training materials for use in a wide range of youth programs. In addition to her work with theForum, Nicole has served as a consultant to the World Bank on education reform in the Latin American and Caribbeanregion. She received her Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in itsmultidisciplinary Risk and Prevention program.10

Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC)BERC's mission is to conduct and disseminate long‐ and short‐term strategic data analysis and researchthat informs decisions about policy and practice to improve the educational and life outcomes ofchildren in Baltimore. BERC assembles a diverse coalition of partners to formulate questions worthasking, contribute to conversations worth having, and highlight policy implications worthy of action.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsJennifer Bell‐Ellwanger, Baltimore City SchoolsJonathan Brice, Baltimore City SchoolsFaith Connolly, Baltimore Education Research ConsortiumYear Founded 2006Partnering District(s) Baltimore, MDStructure Memorandum of Understanding between Johns Hopkins University,Morgan State University and the City School DistrictExecutive Committee made up of 3 school reps, 3 university partners and3 civic‐community partnersBERC‐supported staff associate at the school districtExecutive Director and 7‐8 researchers and support staff from JHU andMSUPrimary Topic Areas Career/College ReadinessAttendance (PreKindergarten through high school)Out of School TimeStrategies Executive committee (which includes school and community reps)determines broad research themes. University partners develop detailsof research designs and all technical decisions.Engagement with district and community on major projects using aparticipatory model that has all stakeholders at the table to weigh in onresearch scope and focus.Projects incorporate contextual and ecological information about policyhistories, neighborhoods, and other social service agencies that work inparallel with (potentially, in coordination with) the school district ininterfacing with students and families.Strong emphasis on sharing results and communicating findings to thebroader community to encourage change in policy and practiceMore Information www.baltimore‐berc.orgPage 1

Building a Teaching Effectiveness NetworkCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingThe Building a Teaching Effectiveness Network (BTEN) is a project of the Carnegie Foundation that bringstogether leaders in education practice, policy and research to focus on developing and retaining effectiveteachers in our nation’s schools. The goal is to apply design/engineering development approaches andimprovement research to real problems of practice as informed by HR professionals, principals, andteachers about the challenges they deem most urgent. The project works with district and union leaderswho are committed to improving both the systems and specific practices that enable teacher learning,professional conditions, and effective processes to support the performance and retention of instructionalprofessionals. In addition, Carnegie is developing and promoting a Research and Development (R&D)infrastructure based upon Improvement Research that allows the Foundation’s researchers to cull andsynthesize the best of what is known from scholarship and practice, rapidly develop and test prospectiveimprovements, deploy what is learned about what works in schools and classrooms, and add to theknowledge about how to continuously improve the performance of the system.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsLaura Baker, Austin Independent School DistrictBrandon Bennett, Improvement Science ConsultingJarrod Bolte, Baltimore City SchoolsPenny Carver, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingPaul LeMahieu, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingSandra Park, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingRoberta Trachtman, New Visions for Public SchoolsYear Founded 2011Partnering District(s) Austin, TXBaltimore, MDNew Visions for Public Schools, New York CityStructure Partnership between Carnegie, American Federation of Teachers, andseveral districts BTEN partners collaborate with district, union, and school leadersStaffing includes a director, a research associate, improvement advisors(1.5 FTE), and a half‐time program coordinatorPrimary Topic Areas Developing and retaining effective teachersStrategies Focus on the needs of new teachers as they learn to teach students well,collaborate with colleagues, engage families, and successfully navigatethe policies and routines of their districts and schools.Focus on the ideas of change prototyping and testing research, rapidanalytics, as well as 90‐Day scanning and inquiry cycles.More Information www.carnegiefoundation.org/bten www.carnegiefoundation.org/improvement‐research/approachhttp://rd.carnegiefoundation.org/Page 2

Consortium for Chicago School Research (CCSR)The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) conducts research of hightechnical quality that can inform and assess policy and practice in the Chicago Public Schools. We seekto expand communication among researchers, policy makers, and practitioners as we support thesearch for solutions to the problems of school reform. CCSR encourages the use of research in policyaction and improvement of practice, but does not argue for particular policies or programs. Rather, wehelp to build capacity for school reform by identifying what matters for student success and schoolimprovement, creating critical indicators to chart progress, and conducting theory‐driven evaluation toidentify how programs and policies are working.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsElaine Allensworth, Consortium on Chicago School ResearchJennifer Cheatham, Chicago Public SchoolsStacy Norris, Chicago Public SchoolsYear Founded 1990Partnering District(s) ChicagoStructure Staff of 36 providing research support and organizationalinfrastructureMOUs with the school district to facilitate data sharing.Steering committee includes representatives from CPS, the IllinoisDepartment of Education, the Teachers Union, and local policy andadvocacy groupsPrimary Topic Areas Instructional Rigor and College Readiness in High SchoolsMiddle Grades and the Transition to High SchoolHuman Capital: Teacher evaluation and Principal leadershipSchools as OrganizationsStrategies Problem identification and measurement; creating indicators to chartdistrict progressConduct topic‐specific studies on problems such as student mobilityor new teacher inductionEvaluation of district‐level initiatives, such as new small high schoolsor the effects of ending social promotionMaintain a data archive of all student information since 1991; Surveyprincipals, teachers, and studentsConduct scientifically rigorous research while making findings publiclyaccessible and engaged with practitionersMore Information http://ccsr.uchicago.eduPage 3

Middle School Mathematics and the Institutional Setting of Teaching (MIST)MIST is an ongoing project that is investigating the following question: What does it take to supportmathematics teachers' development of ambitious and equitable instructional practices on a large scale?The primary goal of MIST is to investigate, test, and refine a set of conjectures regarding the organizationalarrangements, social relations, and material resources needed to enhance the impact of professionaldevelopment on mathematics teachers' instructional practices and thus student achievement.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsPaul Cobb, Vanderbilt University, Peabody CollegeKara Jackson, McGill UniversityTom Smith, Vanderbilt University, Peabody CollegeMichael Sorum, Fort Worth Independent School DistrictYear Founded 2006Partnering District(s) Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville), KYFort Worth Independent School District, TXStructure Vanderbilt University researchers partnered with 4 collaborating districts2007‐2011 and will continue their partnership with 2 districts 2011‐2015Each district has 12‐13 participating middle schools, 60 participatingmathematics teachers and approximately 30 participating mathematicscoaches, school leaders, and district leadersPrimary Topic Areas Middle school mathTeacher professional development, teacher collaboration, mathematicscoaching, school leadership, district leadershipStrategies Pragmatically, to conduct annual data collection, analysis, and feedbackcycles, and to share the findings with the collaborating districts about howtheir instructional improvement strategies in middle‐school mathematicsare playing out in schools.Pragmatically, to conduct institutes with district leaders each summer toplan supports for teachers’, coaches’, and school leaders’ improvement oftheir practicesTheoretically, to draw on the findings across the collaborating districts tocontribute to a generalizable theory of action for district‐wideinstructional improvement in mathematics.More Information http://www.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/MIST.xmlPage 4

REL Midwest – Midwest Urban Research AllianceThe Urban Research Alliance will generate a series of content‐based projects focused on the unique needs ofurban districts aligned with REL Midwest priority topics. Goals include creating a community of practice andbuilding a collaborative research plan around questions related to the use of data, evaluation of educatoreffectiveness, and student interventions. The foundational concept is that an adaptable urban‐focusedtechnical assistance and research agenda requires moving beyond abstract needs or overly localized issues tonegotiating and prioritizing how resources can be leveraged to serve critical needs across urban districts.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsHella Bel Hadj Amor, REL Midwest/American Institutes of ResearchHans Bos, REL Midwest/American Institutes of ResearchWalter DeBoer, Grand Rapids Public SchoolsDavid Stuit, Basis Policy ResearchYear Founded 2011PartneringDistrict(s)Ten districts have agreed to participate: Chicago Public Schools (IL), Gary PublicSchools (IN), Grand Rapids Public Schools (MI), Cincinnati Public Schools (OH), DaytonPublic Schools (OH), Columbus Public Schools (OH), Toledo Public Schools (OH),Madison Public Schools (WI), Milwaukee Public Schools (WI), and Racine PublicSchools (WI)Structure REL Midwest will work with a set of research alliances organized around the fourpriority topic areas listed below, of which the Urban Research Alliance is one.Primary TopicAreas (across allREL alliances)Each alliance will have a designated pair of content leads, one with demonstratedexpertise in research related to the content area and one with a specific,demonstrated expertise in practice related to the area. These content leads, incollaboration with the Alliance leader, will be involved in the overall activities ofthe alliances and in the conceptualization and review of technical assistanceprojects, research and evaluation projects, and dissemination activities.The Urban Research Alliance is generally comprised of research, accountability,evaluation, and assessment leads from participating urban districtsEducator effectivenessCollege and career readinessSchool improvement, especially of low‐performing schoolsEarly childhood educationStrategies Focus is to thoughtfully apply data‐based inquiry to improve practice and policydecisions in participating districtsResearch alliances will set goals related to specific problems; develop projects,products, and dissemination activities that address those problems; andparticipate in research completed by REL staff and partners.Alliance members will participate in monthly conference calls, online engagementsessions, and reviews of proposals, data analysis, and draft reportsMore Info http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midwest/index.aspPage 5

REL NorthwestREL Northwest, previously the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, has been in operation for morethan 45 years. In the most recent contract with the Department of Education’s Institute of EducationSciences, “Identification and Maintenance of Research Alliances” was identified as a focal area for the nextfive years. The goals of this work are to help build the capacity of individuals working in the education systemto use data and research to inform practice and policy, as well as to build the national knowledge base aboutcollaborative research alliances.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsYear FoundedPartnering District(s)Steve Fleischman, REL Northwest/Education NorthwestChristopher Mazzeo, REL Northwest/Education NorthwestSho Shigeoka, Beaverton, OR School District1966 (new work on research alliances begins with 2012 contract)REL Northwest is supporting eight new research alliances in Year 1 of the new RELcontract. Three of the eight involve relatively large, urban school districts: OregonLeadership Network, which includes Portland‐metropolitan area districts; Road Mapfor Education Results, in King County, WA; and Washington Educational ServiceDistricts Alliance, which encompasses all nine ESDs in the state.Structure We are working with alliances across the Northwest made up of diverseeducation stakeholders (including state education agencies, school districts,higher education agencies, legislatures, and federal program representatives)who have chosen to work together on a challenging problem of practice facingtheir schools, districts, or states. Each alliance will have a lead who will coordinate the work of an internal RELNorthwest team to conduct needs sensing, facilitate consensus building,determine research and assistance priorities, and coordinate TA and research.Primary Topic Areas Turning around low‐performing schools (school improvement) Increasing graduation rates and readiness for postsecondary education andcareers (high school and beyond) Achieving greater equity by improving outcomes for all students (equity andspecial populations)Strategies The alliances are designed to bring together six critical elements to support theirongoing development: funding support, access to data, meaningful relationshipsamong members, consensus building, capacity to conduct research, andcommitment to learning from the work. We use both face to face meetings and web‐based communication strategies,such as online discussion forums, listservs, wikis, and blogs, to enable membersto exchange ideas and sustain relationships. We work with stakeholders to develop research questions, acquire and analyzedata, assimilate and interpret findings and patterns and apply evidence to theeveryday problems they are working on. We expect alliances to evolve into dynamic improvement communities that shiftover time in response to changing goals, contexts and needs. We also expect thefocus and activities of alliances to evolve as the work evolves.More Information http://educationnorthwest.org/rel‐northwestPage 6

The Research Alliance for New York City SchoolsThe Research Alliance for New York City Schools is a non‐partisan research center that is committed toconducting rigorous studies of the challenges related to ensuring that all students have access to a highquality education in New York City and to assessing the effectiveness of programs and policies aimed ataddressing those challenges.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsJames Kemple, Research Alliance for New York City SchoolsAdina Lopatin, New York City Department of EducationLori Nathanson, Research Alliance for New York City SchoolsYear Founded 2008Partnering District(s)New York CityStructure Research center housed at New York University's Steinhardt School ofCulture, Education, and Human Development.9 full‐time staff, 4 graduate research assistants, 4 part‐time staff, and8 research partners from NYU and other universities and researchorganizations.Formal data sharing agreement with the district allowing for real timedata sharing and transferPrimary Topic Areas High School Achievement, Attainment, and Post‐SecondaryPreparationAchievement and Development in the Middle GradesContexts That Support Effective TeachingData Use for Practice and PolicyStrategies Conduct rigorous, applied research in collaboration with researchinstitutions, policymakers, and educators.Build and maintain longitudinal data archives to support rigorousresearch.Communicate research results to broad audiences includingpolicymakers, educators, parents, and other public educationstakeholders.More Information http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/research_alliance/Page 7

Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP)SERP was established in response to a National Research Council (NRC) committee report thatenvisioned a partnership between leading scientists and education practitioners to develop a problemfocused,coherent program of education research and development tightly coupled and interactive withpractice. The SERP organization has two intertwined goals: to develop a program of problem‐solvingR&D that has the potential to improve teaching and learning at scale, and to develop the infrastructurethat allows researchers, practitioners, and designers to interact routinely and productively in support ofcontinuous improvement in educational practice.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsLinda Chen, Boston Public SchoolsPhil Daro, Strategic Education Research PartnershipJeannie Pon, San Francisco Unified School DistrictSuzanne Donovan, Strategic Educational Research PartnershipCatherine Snow, Harvard Graduate School of EducationYear Founded 2003Partnering District(s) Boston San Francisco Oakland Unified Multi‐district field site ‐Minority Student Achievement NetworkStructure Headquarters in Washington, DC Field sites model with local staff; full time staff in each SERP sitecoordinate partnership efforts.Primary Topic Areas Literacy Math Science School organizationStrategies The SERP partnership model pairs interdisciplinary teams ofresearchers and developers with school district practitioners to workon critical problems of practice identified by district leaders.Belief in strong infrastructure at the site level to support thepartnership – field site staff support core group of researchers anddistrict staff.“Core Group” of researchers and district and school leaders at thefield site defines problem of practice and agrees on a plan of action.“Design Team” then meets on a regular basis to provide guidance andfeedback to the core group to devise and test solutions to theidentified problem.More Informationwww.serpinstitute.orgPage 8

University of Washington/Bellevue School DistrictA partnership of learning scientists and science educators from the University of Washington’s Collegeof Education (UW‐COE) and Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center, and districtleaders, curriculum specialists, and teachers from the Bellevue School District (BSD), this partnership isfocused on research and development to improve elementary science teaching and learning. The projectaddresses the dual questions of how all students can be assured the opportunity to learn significantSTEM content and how the district can enhance the ability of teachers to provide STEM education. Theproject involves the iterative design, delivery and testing of science inquiry environments that offerdiverse groups of 2nd and 5th grade students choice and agency to inquire about authentic, sociallyconsequentialscience problems. A major goal of the work is to improve ways to engage students andteachers in creative and productive aspects of scientific inquiry that are often absent in classrooms.Nov. 2012 MeetingParticipantsAngie DiLoreto, Bellevue Public SchoolsSharon Kautz, Bellevue Public SchoolsNancy Vye, University of WashingtonYear Founded 2007 (current effort in 2010)Partnering District(s) Bellevue Schools, WAStructure District leaders and researchers created a partnership focused onproblem of mutual concern and secured external funding for supportLearning scientists and science educators from the UW College ofEducation and Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE)Center and Bellevue School District leaders, curriculum specialists,and teachers form a “design team”Weekly connections between researchers and district science teamDedicated half‐time science curriculum coachIterative cycle of design, implementation research, and redesignA focus on developing theory related to classroom learning andimplementation through systematic inquiryPrimary Topic Areas Elementary science teaching and learningStrategies A Learning Environments Design Team is tasked with developing newlearning environments and assessments that align with district gradelevelscience objectives and learning progression guidelineFocus on curriculum redesign informed by teacher & studentfeedbackResearchers and district science team assume leadership roles andco‐develop/deliver teacher professional development related toredesigned curriculumWeb‐based curriculum deliveryMore Information www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=1019503Page 9