Ed.D Students (Past & Present) Discussions - School Leadership 2.02024-03-28T17:25:16Zhttps://schoolleadership20.com/group/eddstudentspastpresent/forum?feed=yes&xn_auth=noTeachers’ Perceptions About Principal Leadership Qualities Surveytag:schoolleadership20.com,2018-11-14:1990010:Topic:3246392018-11-14T01:01:05.118ZTheresa Curryhttps://schoolleadership20.com/profile/TheresaCurry809
<p>Good Afternoon,</p>
<p></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">I hope this finds you well and having a wonderful school year. </p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">I was hoping to ask if you would please consider responding to my survey for my doctoral dissertation.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Your time and support are truly appreciated! Thank you so very much!</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> </p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">If you are a current or recent K-12 NYS public school teacher, with…</p>
<p>Good Afternoon,</p>
<p></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">I hope this finds you well and having a wonderful school year. </p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">I was hoping to ask if you would please consider responding to my survey for my doctoral dissertation.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Your time and support are truly appreciated! Thank you so very much!</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> </p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">If you are a current or recent K-12 NYS public school teacher, with a Master's degree or higher, you are invited to voluntarily and anonymously participate in a <strong>Teachers’ Perceptions About Principal Leadership Qualities Survey</strong>, found at:</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="https://effectiveleadership.questionpro.com/">https://effectiveleadership.questionpro.com</a> </p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">This completely anonymous survey taxes approximately 6 minutes to complete.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>My doctoral dissertation will use the results of this survey to identify and promote the leadership qualities teachers value most for effective school building leadership.</strong></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Thank you so much for your support of my study.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;"> </p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Sincerely,</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Theresa Curry</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Doctoral Candidate, LIU Post</p> Six Ways to Separate Lies From Statistics By Betsey Stevenson & Justin Wolferstag:schoolleadership20.com,2013-05-14:1990010:Topic:1529622013-05-14T13:38:16.014ZMichael Keanyhttps://schoolleadership20.com/profile/MichaelKeany91
<p>Just added to the discussion section of our group's page.</p>
<p>Just added to the discussion section of our group's page.</p> Six Ways to Separate Lies From Statistics By Betsey Stevenson & Justin Wolferstag:schoolleadership20.com,2013-05-14:1990010:Topic:1528802013-05-14T13:37:14.047ZMichael Keanyhttps://schoolleadership20.com/profile/MichaelKeany91
<div class="clearfix" id="story_head"><div id="disqus_title"><h1>Six Ways to Separate Lies From Statistics</h1>
</div>
<div class="bview_story_meta"><cite class="byline">By <a class="author" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/view/bios/wolfers-stevenson/">Betsey Stevenson & Justin Wolfers</a> </cite><cite class="byline story_time"><span class="datestamp">May 1, 2013 …</span></cite></div>
</div>
<div class="clearfix" id="story_content"></div>
<div id="story_head" class="clearfix"><div id="disqus_title"><h1>Six Ways to Separate Lies From Statistics</h1>
</div>
<div class="bview_story_meta"><cite class="byline">By <a class="author" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/view/bios/wolfers-stevenson/">Betsey Stevenson & Justin Wolfers</a> </cite><cite class="byline story_time"><span class="datestamp">May 1, 2013 </span></cite></div>
</div>
<div id="story_content" class="clearfix"><div id="story_social_toolbar_top_container" class="clearfix"><ul id="story_social_toolbar_top" class="social_toolbar clearfix clear">
<li class="custom_fb_image icon"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbloom.bg%2F103FU4l&t=Six+Ways+to+Separate+Lies+From+Statistics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Share this on Facebook">B</a>loomberg News</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div id="story_display"><p>The discovery of a spreadsheet error in an influential <a href="http://scholar.harvard.edu/rogoff/publications/growth-time-debt" title="Open Web Site" rel="external">study</a> by Harvard University economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff inevitably raises a troubling question: To what extent can we trust what any researcher claims to be true?</p>
<p>The unfortunate reality is that mistakes much more serious than the one committed by Reinhart and Rogoff are far too common. Superfast computers and fancy statistical models can’t save us from human frailty. But that doesn’t mean empirical research has nothing to offer.</p>
<div class="story_inline assets clearfix"><div class="author clearfix"><img alt="Betsey Stevenson & Justin Wolfers" src="http://cdn.gotraffic.net/v/20130510_133829/images/bview/columnists/60x80/stevenson_wolfers.jpg"/><div class="bio"><h4>About <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/view/bios/wolfers-stevenson/">Betsey Stevenson & Justin Wolfers»</a></h4>
<p>Betsey Stevenson is an associate professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. Justin Wolfers is an ... <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/view/bios/wolfers-stevenson/">MORE</a></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="related"></div>
</div>
<p>The Reinhart-Rogoff incident -- in which they accidentally excluded five countries from a calculation of the average relationship between government debt and economic growth -- is in some sense the wrong launching point for a discussion about modern empirical economics. It’s the perfect <a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/425748/april-23-2013/austerity-s-spreadsheet-error" title="Open Web Site" rel="external">made-for-TV</a> mistake: It involved a simple error in a commonly used spreadsheet program that can be explained with <a href="http://www.nextnewdeal.net/rortybomb/researchers-finally-replicated-reinhart-rogoff-and-there-are-serious-problems" title="Open Web Site" rel="external">screen shots</a> and laughed about with friends. Moreover, it barely affected their findings, and it isn’t representative of the challenges empirical research presents.</p>
<p>Today’s empirical analyses are more likely to be based on a mash-up of huge data sets containing millions of observations, which are processed using specialized statistical software. As a result, errors can be a lot more insidious. Often they can be found only through sophisticated forensics.</p>
<h2>Old Aphorism</h2>
<p>In one important case, one of us (Wolfers) found an <a href="http://users.nber.org/~jwolfers/policy/DeathPenalty(BEPress).pdf" title="Open Web Site" rel="external">error</a> in research on the effects of the death penalty buried deep in lines of code in the statistical program Stata. It turned out to make all the difference, shifting the conclusion from one that the death penalty saves lives to an inference that it may cost lives. In another case, one of us (Stevenson) found that the raw data released by the Census Bureau was flawed, a victim of a complicated program designed to preserve people’s anonymity.</p>
<p>Given the complexity, it’s understandable that people might fall for the old aphorism that “liars figure and figures lie,” that you can say anything with statistics. But this is silly. You can say anything in English, too. Indeed, our nation’s opinion pages are filled with slanted nonsense written entirely in English.</p>
<p>So how can non-experts and policy makers separate the useful research from the dross? Allow us to offer six rules.</p>
<p>1. Focus on how robust a finding is, meaning that different ways of looking at the evidence point to the same conclusion. Do the same patterns repeat in many data sets, in different countries, industries or eras? Are the findings fragile, changing as one makes small changes in how phenomena are measured, and do the results depend on whether particularly influential observations are included? Thanks to Moore’s Law of increasing computing power, it has never been easier or cheaper to assess, test and retest an interesting finding. If the author hasn’t made a convincing case, then don’t be convinced.</p>
<p>2. Data mavens often make a big deal of their results being statistically significant, which is a statement that it’s unlikely their findings simply reflect chance. Don’t <a href="http://www.deirdremccloskey.com/docs/jsm.pdf" title="Open Web Site" rel="external">confuse</a> this with something actually mattering. With huge data sets, almost everything is statistically significant. On the flip side, tests of statistical significance sometimes tell us that the evidence is weak, rather than that an effect is nonexistent. Remember, results can be useful even if they don’t meet significance tests. Sometimes questions are so important that we need to glean whatever meaning we can from available data. The best bad evidence is still more informative than no evidence.</p>
<p>3. Be wary of scholars using high-powered statistical techniques as a <a href="http://www.nextnewdeal.net/rortybomb/guest-post-time-series-high-debt-and-growth-italy-japan-and-united-states" title="Open Web Site" rel="external">bludgeon</a> to silence critics who are not specialists. If the author can’t explain what they’re doing in terms you can understand, then you shouldn’t be convinced. You wouldn’t be convinced by an analysis just because it was written in ancient Latin, so why be impressed by an abundance of Greek letters? Sophisticated statistical methods can be helpful, but they can also hide more than they reveal.</p>
<p>4. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking about an empirical finding as “right” or “wrong.” At best, data provide an imperfect guide. Evidence should always shift your thinking on an issue; the question is how far.</p>
<p>5. Don’t mistake correlation for causation. For instance, even after revisions and corrections, Reinhart and Rogoff have demonstrated that economic growth is typically slower when government debt is higher. But does high debt <a href="http://www.nextnewdeal.net/rortybomb/guest-post-reinhartrogoff-and-growth-time-debt" title="Open Web Site" rel="external">cause</a> slow growth, or is slow growth in gross domestic product the cause of higher debt-to-GDP ratios? Or are there other important determinants, such as populist spending by a government looking to get re-elected, which is more likely when growth is slow and typically drives debt up?</p>
<p>6. Always ask “so what?” Are the factors that drove the observed negative correlation between debt and GDP likely to exist today, in the U.S.? Does it even make sense to speak of “the” relationship between debt and economic growth, when there are surely many such relationships: Governments borrowing simply to fund their re-election are likely harming growth, while those investing in much-needed public works can provide the foundation for growth. The “so what” question is about moving beyond the internal validity of a finding to asking about its external usefulness.</p>
<p>You might be tempted to conclude that extracting meaning from data is a hopelessly difficult task. It’s difficult, but it’s not hopeless. The only alternative to facts is intuition, which is not only flawed but also, according to psychologists, more flawed than we think it is. Far better to base policy on imperfect analyses than on the fact-free bloviating of the ideologues, charlatans and political hucksters who would take their place.</p>
<p>(Betsey Stevenson is an associate professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. Justin Wolfers is a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan, and a nonresident senior fellow of the Brookings Institution. Both are Bloomberg View columnists. This is the second in a series of articles related to the Reinhart-Rogoff research. Read <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-28/refereeing-the-reinhart-rogoff-debate.html" title="Open Web Site" rel="external">part</a>one. The opinions expressed are their own.)</p>
<p>To contact the writers of this article: Justin Wolfers at <span>jwolfers@umich.edu</span> and Betsey Stevenson at <span>betseys@umich.edu</span>.</p>
<p>To contact the editor responsible for this article: Mark Whitehouse at<a href="mailto:mwhitehouse1@bloomberg.net" title="Send E-mail">mwhitehouse1@bloomberg.net</a>.</p>
</div>
</div> The Ed.D. Dilemma - Why Harvard's decision could harm the quest for teacher professionalismtag:schoolleadership20.com,2012-05-15:1990010:Topic:1061262012-05-15T16:22:13.458ZMichael Keanyhttps://schoolleadership20.com/profile/MichaelKeany91
<h1>The Ed.D. Dilemma</h1>
<h2 class="subtitle">Why Harvard's decision could harm the quest for teacher professionalism</h2>
<div class="byline">By Ted Purinton</div>
<div class="usertoolbox-top"><div class="welcome-box" id="divWelcomeBox"><div>Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.</div>
<div class="free-link">Ed Week</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>In the world of traditional American universities, it is often assumed that radical reform is not possible—or at least not acceptable to faculty…</p>
<h1>The Ed.D. Dilemma</h1>
<h2 class="subtitle">Why Harvard's decision could harm the quest for teacher professionalism</h2>
<div class="byline">By Ted Purinton</div>
<div class="usertoolbox-top"><div class="welcome-box" id="divWelcomeBox"><div>Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.</div>
<div class="free-link">Ed Week</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>In the world of traditional American universities, it is often assumed that radical reform is not possible—or at least not acceptable to faculty members—unless the top-tier universities do it first. Too often, professors say they can pursue such reforms if, and only if, the Harvards of the world are the originators. If lower-tier institutions move first, those who follow their lead may look less rigorous, they say. But once an Ivy League university does it, then an innovative practice can be validated. Perhaps online instruction did not look so hot to many professors until MITx, the university's new online learning program, came along.</p>
<p>Within the field of education, Ed.D. programs had for a long time been assumed to be inferior to Ph.D. programs, and only marginally useful to the improvement of educational practice, policy, and administration. That is, until Vanderbilt University, the University of Southern California, Harvard University, and a few other institutions revamped their doctor in education, or Ed.D., programs within the past decade (with Harvard creating an Ed.L.D. in educational leadership), emphasizing practice over scholarship and school-based improvement over university-level teaching.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Ed.D. programs looked pretty good. Invigorated by the innovations of the top-tier universities, as well as the potential tuition boost (as practitioners are more plentiful and better paid than scholars), colleges of education across the United States quickly revamped their Ed.D. programs, focusing on data-driven decisionmaking more than empirical research methods, best practices more than theoretical debates, and so forth. Dissertations were transformed into practice-based capstone assessments that better evaluated the extent to which Ed.D. candidates had what it took to be transformative educators and school leaders. And many began to require intensive internships under the supervision of notable leaders and teachers.</p>
<p>And at the same time, education scholars were producing more and more research that directly influenced educational practice. Within the past decade, coincidentally or not, as Ed.D. programs were transformed, so, too, was the nature of educational research.</p>
<p>Multiple studies on the influence of pedagogical content knowledge came out, as did handfuls of papers on specific successful school leadership behaviors. All of this together, despite some policy and rhetoric to the contrary, has increased the potential of education as a genuine profession in the United States. With more research to guide practice, and commensurate practice-based doctoral programs (similar to the M.D., the J.D., and so on) to ensure fidelity to the research within practice, teachers and school leaders were finally starting to see their prospects for attaining the status and professional development they long desired. And ultimately, this has been good for the entire system: While there is still far to go, teaching and leadership practice is undergoing a transformation.</p>
<p>Just recently, however, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, home to one of the most influential Doctor of Education programs in the nation, was granted permission by the university to offer its first Ph.D.; further, its Ed.D. will eventually be eliminated. For many decades, the university did not see the field of education as worthy of the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Times have changed, of course; the Ph.D. appears to look better to Harvard applicants, and the university has recognized the need for and the interdisciplinary nature of educational research.</p>
<div class="right"><div class="pullquote"><div class="quote">"What impact does the elimination of a practice-related doctoral degree have on the prospects of educational professionalism?"</div>
<div class="source"></div>
<div class="source-description"></div>
</div>
</div>
<p>To be fair, as the school states, its particular Ed.D. has always been more of a scholarly degree, and so this change mirrors that reality. Yet, the implications of this are far-reaching. Most universities have felt fairly confident in continuing the Ed.D., particularly after this decade of reform, as Harvard, Teachers College, Vanderbilt, and the University of Southern California have demonstrated what genuine reform of the degree could accomplish. Will other schools be so confident now that Harvard is eliminating its Ed.D.? Only time will tell.</p>
<p>In the meantime, as we wait to find out, it is important to ask a simple question: What impact does the elimination of a practice-related doctoral degree have on the prospects of educational professionalism? After all, the fields of medicine, law, divinity, and others have coalesced around core, evidence-based practices, adding to the reliability in outcomes. To be sure, a practitioner doctoral degree has not made all practice perfect within these fields, but it has increased the output of research meant for practice, provided core standards for expert-based performance, and proved a distinguishing marker of field-acknowledged expertise.</p>
<p>Harvard's decision, within the field of education, will undoubtedly sway the offerings of other universities. Even though Harvard has always produced researchers even within its Ed.D. program, such a decision will further highlight, symbolically, the perceived superiority of conducting research within education (or tackling policy, entrepreneurship, etc.) over practice. As most people within the field know, moving out of the classroom into other positions is far too tempting, and the classroom-turnover trend is a genuine impediment in building a profession with teaching as the core task. Other fields have noted this by increasing opportunities for practitioner doctoral work, rather than undermining it.</p>
<p>While many universities still offer the Ed.D., how long will the degree last if Harvard sends the message that practice is less important in the field than research? Undoubtedly, in medicine, research is critical, but it is intended primarily to inform practice, and thus it is conducted alongside practitioners, who themselves have been "certified" with a degree announcing their expertise. In medicine, the message is clear: Medical research is one method of contributing to the field, while medical practice is another—and both are equally recognized.</p>
<p>Certainly, Ed.D. programs—even highly ranked ones—have a long way to go in establishing their indispensable value; by far, such degrees have still not lived up to the standards set by other professional doctoral programs.</p>
<p>But the field is at a pivotal point, creating and disseminating significant amounts of new knowledge that will soon provide a core of practice competency and ultimately be expected of all teachers. We are on the edge of a unique time in the research history of education; the worst possible thing that could happen to the movement of teacher professionalization would be the dismantling of structures that foster attainment of professional knowledge.</p>
<p>Harvard has made its decision, and really, it's an appropriate one for what its graduate school aims to accomplish. But the fallout from this decision should be seen as an invitation to bolster the reputation of educational practice—through Ed.D. programs, as well as through many other measures—rather than to shy away from it in fear that educational practice (and a degree that seeks to signify such expertise) continues to maintain its low status, not only among other professions, but within the field of education itself.</p>
<div class="byline-bio"><p>Ted Purinton is an assistant professor and chair for international and comparative education at the American University in Cairo. Previously, he chaired the department of educational leadership at National-Louis University in Chicago. His most recent book is<span>Six Degrees of School Improvement: Empowering a New Profession of Teaching</span>(Information Age Publishing, 2011).</p>
</div> The Trials and Tribulations of a Dissertationtag:schoolleadership20.com,2012-01-30:1990010:Topic:901972012-01-30T15:05:29.498ZMichael Keanyhttps://schoolleadership20.com/profile/MichaelKeany91
<div class="asset-header"><h1 class="asset-name entry-title" id="page-title">The Trials and Tribulations of a Dissertation</h1>
<div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline">By <span class="vcard author"><a class="fn url" href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/LeaderTalk/">LeaderTalk Contributor</a></span> on <abbr class="published" title="2012-01-28T08:59:10-05:00">January 28, 2012 </abbr></span></div>
<div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline">Ed Week…</span></div>
<div class="asset-meta"></div>
</div>
<div class="asset-header"><h1 id="page-title" class="asset-name entry-title">The Trials and Tribulations of a Dissertation</h1>
<div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline">By <span class="vcard author"><a class="fn url" href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/LeaderTalk/">LeaderTalk Contributor</a></span> on <abbr class="published" title="2012-01-28T08:59:10-05:00">January 28, 2012 </abbr></span></div>
<div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline">Ed Week</span></div>
<div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline"><br/></span></div>
</div>
<div class="asset-content entry-content"><div class="asset-body"><p>Deciding to go back to school for your doctorate is a life-altering decision. There are so many unknowns that come along with returning to school for such a degree, which is something that keeps many people from pursuing this personal challenge and goal. Five years ago, I could not get rid of the nagging thought that it was time for me to seriously consider applying to schools for a doctorate in educational leadership. I applied, was accepted, and am in the final stages of dissertation writing...closing in on my last weeks without the title of Dr. Throughout the process of taking classes, writing, writing, writing, and then revising, revising, revising, people have shared their own desires to return to school; however, with those desires come all the fears of the unknown. In short, going back to school to obtain this degree has been well-worth the time, energy, and money; in long, you need to have stamina, perseverance, patience, emotional support, understanding family and friends, and really thick skin.</p>
<p><strong>Time. </strong>Upon interviewing for admission, a professor on the committee said, “If you want to start and finish this program, do not change jobs; do not get married; do not get pregnant.” At first, I thought the advice was a little extreme, but I soon realized that it was the best advice anyone could give to potential students. Doctoral programs require all of your attention. If you are lucky, you will be part of a small cohort, and this cohort will become your life support. Your peers and professors are truly the only ones who understand the time and energy--the mental exhaustion--that is part of the commitment of returning to school. Family and friends, no matter how understanding and supportive they may be, will feel like you have abandoned them. It is imperative to practice good time management and to plan out short and long-term schedules that include time for work and play.</p>
<p><strong>Stamina.</strong> Completing weekly school assignments after a 12 hour day at work is exhausting. What’s more exhausting? Completing the five chapters of the dissertation in a timely manner that does not make your research old and your bank account dry. Once you begin writing about your topic, the clock starts ticking. Once again, managing time is the best approach to get you through these steps. Each chapter follows a specific format, and you should be prepared to review and revise each section of each chapter a number of times. The research process, qualitative in my case, required knocking on many doors until I found participants willing to share their stories. I was ready to give up on more than occasion, but in the end, I met some of the most enthusiastic, caring, and inspirational educators. Each “completed” chapter is another step closer to the end goal, which helps build stamina to pick up the pen (or laptop!) and start writing again.</p>
<p><strong>Mentorship.</strong> Another approach is finding a mentor with whom you have a good working relationship. The respect the mentor and the mentee have for one another should not be underestimated. Conflicting ideas about research topics, work ethic, and writing styles may create tension and impede progress. Luckily, this was not the case for me, but I have heard stories from people outside of my program who have had to scrap all of their work and start new because of issues with mentors.</p>
<p><strong>Celebration. </strong>The coursework and dissertation process is a grueling one, and rewarding yourself for every success can help ease the mental pain. While taking classes, I promised myself a massage for each course I completed. While writing, I celebrate(d) by allowing myself a free weekend with no dissertation talk or dissertation writing... just a relaxed, think and work-free weekend. I also kept my close friends and family up to date with my achievements. In turn, they provided me with words of encouragement, inspiring me to continue striving toward my goal.</p>
<p>Teresa Ivey</p>
</div>
</div> Gold-Standard Program Evaluations, on a Shoestring Budgettag:schoolleadership20.com,2011-10-06:1990010:Topic:743302011-10-06T15:09:47.894ZMichael Keanyhttps://schoolleadership20.com/profile/MichaelKeany91
<div class="asset-header"><h1 class="asset-name entry-title" id="page-title">Gold-Standard Program Evaluations, on a Shoestring Budget</h1>
<div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline">By <span class="vcard author"><a class="fn url" href="http://twitter.com/RobertSlavin">Robert Slavin</a></span> on <abbr class="published" title="2011-10-05T07:31:32-05:00">October 5, 2011 </abbr></span></div>
</div>
<div class="asset-content entry-content"><div class="asset-body"><p><em>Note: This is a guest…</em></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="asset-header"><h1 id="page-title" class="asset-name entry-title">Gold-Standard Program Evaluations, on a Shoestring Budget</h1>
<div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline">By <span class="vcard author"><a class="fn url" href="http://twitter.com/RobertSlavin">Robert Slavin</a></span> on <abbr class="published" title="2011-10-05T07:31:32-05:00">October 5, 2011 </abbr></span></div>
</div>
<div class="asset-content entry-content"><div class="asset-body"><p><em>Note: This is a guest post by Jon Baron, President of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, and Chairman of the National Board for Education Sciences</em></p>
<p>In today's tough economic climate, quality evaluations of education reforms - to determine which are truly effective in improving student achievement, graduation rates, and other key outcomes - are especially important. They enable us to focus our limited resources on strategies that have been proven to work.</p>
<p>Well-conducted randomized controlled trials are generally recognized as the most reliable method (the "gold standard") for evaluating a program's effectiveness. However, widespread misconceptions about what such studies involve - including their cost - have often limited their use by education officials.</p>
<p>In plain language: Randomized controlled trials in education are studies that randomly assign a sample of students, teachers, or schools to a group that participates in the program ("the program group") or to a group that does not ("the control group"). With a sufficiently large sample, this process helps ensure that the two groups are equivalent, so that any difference in their outcomes over time - such as student achievement - can be attributed to the program, and not to other factors.</p>
<p>Such studies are often perceived as being too costly and administratively burdensome to be practical in most educational settings. In fact, however, it is often possible to conduct such a study at low cost and burden if the study can measure outcomes using state test scores or other administrative data that are already collected for other purposes. Costs are reduced by eliminating what is typically the study's most labor-intensive and costly component: locating the individual sample members at various points in time after program completion, and administering tests or interviews to obtain their outcome data. In some cases, the only remaining cost is the researcher's time to analyze the data.</p>
<p>For example, the following are two recent randomized trials that were conducted at low cost, yet produced findings of policy and practical importance:</p>
<p>• <u>Roland Fryer, recent winner of the <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2011/09/education_economist_roland_fry.html?qs=fryer">MacArthur "Genius"</a> Award, conducted an evaluation of New York City's <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w16850">$75 million Teacher Incentive Program </a></u>in which 396 of the city's lowest-performing public schools were randomly assigned to an incentive group, which could receive an annual bonus of up to $3000 per teacher if the school increased student achievement and other key outcomes, or a control group. Three years after random assignment, the study found that the incentives had no effect on student achievement, attendance, graduation rates, behavior, GPA, or other outcomes. Based in part on these results, the city recently ended the program, freeing up resources for other efforts to improve student outcomes.</p>
<u>The study's cost: Approximately $50,000.</u> The low cost was possible because the study measured all outcomes using state test scores and other administrative records already collected for other purposes.<br />
<p><br/>•<a href="http://cepa.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/bettinger_baker_030711.pdf"><u>Eric Bettinger and Rachel Baker conducted an evaluation of InsideTrack college coaching</u></a> - a widely-implemented mentoring program for college students designed to prevent them from dropping out of school. This was a well-conducted trial, which randomized more than 13,000 students at eight colleges. The study found that the program produced a 14 percent increase in college persistence for at least two years, and a 13 percent increase in likelihood of graduating college.</p>
<u>The study's cost: Less than $20,000.</u> The low cost was possible because the study measured its key outcomes using administrative data that the colleges already collected for other purposes - i.e., their enrollment and graduation records - rather than by collecting new data through individual surveys.<br />
<p><br/>In recent years, federal and state policy, as well as improvements in information technology, have greatly increased the availability of high-quality administrative data on student achievement and other key educational outcomes. Thus, it has become more feasible than ever before to conduct gold-standard randomized evaluations on a shoestring budget. Equipped with reliable evidence, education officials can have much greater confidence that their spending decisions will produce important improvements in student outcomes.</p>
<p>-Jon Baron</p>
<p><em><a href="http://coalition4evidence.org/wordpress/">The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy </a>is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to increase government effectiveness through the use of rigorous evidence about "what works."</em></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="asset-footer"></div> Study of Learning and the Braintag:schoolleadership20.com,2011-10-04:1990010:Topic:738302011-10-04T01:39:55.563ZBlanca Duarte Martinihttps://schoolleadership20.com/profile/BlancaEDuarte
<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I'm very encouraged by all the wonderful comments and support in this forum. I'm looking for advice and a good school to get my doctorate in the field of neuroscience. I've looked online and found several programs that may suit my needs but I'm looking for someone who has gone through the process to ask some more in depth questions. Can anyone help or direct me to someone? Thank you in advance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I'm very encouraged by all the wonderful comments and support in this forum. I'm looking for advice and a good school to get my doctorate in the field of neuroscience. I've looked online and found several programs that may suit my needs but I'm looking for someone who has gone through the process to ask some more in depth questions. Can anyone help or direct me to someone? Thank you in advance.</p>
<p> </p> Communities of Practice/ Learning Communitiestag:schoolleadership20.com,2011-09-27:1990010:Topic:726112011-09-27T15:30:43.494ZMillie Marchesehttps://schoolleadership20.com/profile/MillieMarchese
Hello All,<br></br> <br></br> I'm really in the VERY early stages of starting my dissertation research and<br></br> do not have a finalized proposal yet. At this point I just want to throw<br></br> the question out there to see what kind of response I get so I can formalize<br></br> what I will be studying.<br></br> <br></br> "What school districts are using Learning Communities or Communities of<br></br> Practice in their districts as a professional development model?<br></br> <br></br> I appreciate any info you can share. Thank…
Hello All,<br/> <br/> I'm really in the VERY early stages of starting my dissertation research and<br/> do not have a finalized proposal yet. At this point I just want to throw<br/> the question out there to see what kind of response I get so I can formalize<br/> what I will be studying.<br/> <br/> "What school districts are using Learning Communities or Communities of<br/> Practice in their districts as a professional development model?<br/> <br/> I appreciate any info you can share. Thank you.<br/> <br/> Millie Marchese