Population: Children and Schools

Teachers/School Administrators

Teachers and administrators are central to initiatives that MDRC evaluates, from teacher coaching and intensive professional development to improving the instructional leadership capacities of principals and their supervisors and promoting changes in structure, instruction, governance, and accountability in schools, particularly those that are under-resourced.

The Latest

Report

Coordinating Services to Support Families

How do Head Start programs coordinate family support services and are their practices aligned with each family’s needs and well-being? This report presents case studies of six programs across the country and explores service coordination from multiple perspectives—Head Start staff members, families, and local community service providers.

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Report

Study of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior

Disruptive behaviors in school can hinder students’ learning and long-term success. This study evaluated a “multi-tiered systems of support for behavior” program, which reinforces good behavior and provides supplemental support to students in need. Overall student outcomes did not improve but students who struggled the most saw some short-term benefits.

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Key Documents

Report

Two-Year Findings from the Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study

In a study sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences, intensive professional development programs for seventh-grade math teachers were implemented as intended, but teacher turnover limited the average dosage received. The programs had no impact on teacher knowledge or student achievement.

Professional Development for Teachers

What Two Rigorous Studies Tell Us

This synthesis reviews findings from two rigorous, large-scale evaluations — the Professional Development in Reading Study and the Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Impact Study. Both interventions had only limited effects on teachers’ knowledge and instruction and no impacts on students’ test scores. The report ends with suggestions about how professional development might be improved to achieve better results.

Coaching as a Key Component in Teachers’ Professional Development

Improving Classroom Practices in Head Start Settings

This report offers lessons about using coaches to help teachers carry out a program for improving pre-kindergarteners’ social and emotional readiness for school. It addresses selection of the coaching model; coach hiring, training, support, and supervision; coaching processes; and program management, data, and quality assurance.

An Experienced School Support Organization at Scale: A Study of The Urban Assembly Network Focus Area: High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Locations: New York	Head Start Connects Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Work Support and Asset Building Population: Children and Schools Families Populations with Barriers to Employment Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Case Management	New York City’s Lab for Equity and Engagement in School Enrollment (the E3 Lab) Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions Locations: New York
United2Read Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania	Latino Academic Transfer and Institutional Degree Opportunities (LATIDO) Project Focus Area: Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising Locations: California	What Matters Most for Teachers and Young Children Focus Area: Preschool Population: Children and Schools Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services Locations: New York
Comparative Case Study of Winning Talent Dividend Cities Focus Area: Institutional Reform Financial Aid Student Services Population: Young Adults Intervention: Student Services, Counseling/Advising, Financial Aid, Developmental Education, Accelerated Programs Locations: Florida, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia	Evaluation of Teach for America’s Redesigned Summer Training Institute Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas	Estimating Power for Multiple Hypothesis Tests Focus Area: Preschool Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior: Helping School Staff Support Appropriate Student Behavior Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services	Scaling Up the Success for All Middle School Math Program Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms	Innovative Professional Development (iPD) Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Oklahoma
Head Start CARES Project Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Population: Children and Schools Families Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas	New York City Small Schools of Choice Evaluation Focus Area: High School Institutional Reform Transition to Postsecondary Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Small Schools, Career & Technical Education Locations: New York	Social Innovation Fund Project with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation Focus Area: High School Young People Who Leave High School Before Graduation Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Population: Children and Schools Young Adults Intervention: Residential Youth Programs, Reading Instruction, Student Services, Transitional Jobs/Subsidized Employment, Classroom Services, Counseling/Advising, Job Training, Curricular/Instructional Reforms
Evaluation of Ninth Grade Academies Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform, Counseling/Advising, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Florida

Professional Development in Math Study Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Curricular/Instructional Reforms, Professional Development/ Teacher Training	High School Reform Conference Series Focus Area: High School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Comprehensive School Reform	Foundations for Success Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Children and Schools Locations: California, New York, North Carolina, Texas
Bay Area School Reform Collaborative Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: California	Professional Development in Reading Study Focus Area: Elementary and Middle School Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Reading Instruction Locations: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio	Instructional Leadership Study Focus Area: Institutional Reform Population: Children and Schools Intervention: Professional Development/ Teacher Training Locations: Minnesota, New York, Texas

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