A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Other R&D Efforts

The Institute supports a wide range of research and development activities designed to promote student achievement. Recent and on-going work includes:

• State Education Improvement Partnership: The five state-based organizations dealing with education issues - the Council of Chief State School Officers, Education Commission of the States, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Conference of State Legislatures, and National Governors' Association- have created the State Education Improvement Partnership to provide technical assistance services to states on systemic education improvements and Goals 2000 Partnership activities. Partnership activities, which began in March 1995, are being funded by the U.S. Department of Education. (Office of Educational Research and Improvement contact: Margaret McNeely).

• Charter Schools. The Student Achievement Institute, in cooperation with the Governance and Finance Institute and the National Institute for the Education of At-Risk Students, is sponsoring a Study of Charter Schools. The four-year study will include an annual survey of all charter schools, site visits to a sample of charter schools, and a study of student achievement. The contractor for the study is RPP International of Berkeley, California. The first year report, A Study of Charter Schools: First-Year Report; the second year report, A National Study of Charter Schools: Second Year Report (along with its Executive Summary); and the third year report, The State of Charter Schools Third-Year Report, are available.

• International Education Exchange. This program supports international education exchange activities between the United States and eligible countries in civics and government education and economics education.
  (Civics Education contact: Rita Foy; Economics contact: Ram Singh)

• National Writing Project. This program supports a grant to the National Writing Project, a nonprofit educational organization that offers training program in the effective teaching of writing. (Media and Information Services contact: Cynthia Dorfman)

• Business Coalition for Education Reform. The Business Coalition for Education Reform, which is managed by the National Alliance of Business is a coalition of 12 national business organizations joined together to help strengthen American's schools. The Coalition works to increase academic achievement for all students by supporting and expanding business involvement in education at the national, state, and local levels. (Institute contact: Margaret McNeely)

• Educational Research Priorities: OERI developed a research priorities plan to help guide educational research and ensure that it meets national needs. Over the last 2 years, we engaged in a dialog with researchers, teachers, principals, parents, policymakers, employers, and community members about which areas of research reflect the greatest need and show the greatest promise. At the end of the process, we produced a set of research priorities that we hope will guide the national investment in educational research. The priorities can be found in the publication Building Knowledge for a Nation of Learners, which is available on line. (Office of Educational Research and Improvement contact: Joseph Conaty .)

• Developments in the Science of Learning. OERI has made an award of $600,000 to the National Academy of Sciences to undertake a study entitled "Developments in the Science of Learning". Under this grant, the Academy has established a committee to synthesize research on recent developments in the science of learning and to explore their implications for classroom instruction. The knowledge base to be synthesized includes research on cognition, cognitive neuroscience, learning theory and the design of educational environments that foster effective learning. The work will result in a variety of products to be completed September 1, 1997 including: (1) a scholarly synthesis of the research literature; (2) a research agenda to guide OERI in developing future program directions and funding priorities; and (3) through funding made available from other sources, some examples of practical products that illustrate how principles from research on learning can be brought to life in applied settings. (Contact: Judy Segal)

• Board of Testing and Assessment. Psychological testing has been heralded as one of the greatest contributions of social science to human affairs. And because testing and assessment can have profound consequences on individuals and society, controversy often swirls around issues of "validity," reliability, fairness and the legal consequences of tests. As State, local and Federal agencies and other interested parties confront such issues in the context of ongoing programs and proposals for future activities, they can benefit greatly by having access to the very best scientific evidence available. Under this agreement, the Board of Testing and Assessment (BOTA) will provide assistance to public and private interested parties in obtaining and interpreting such evidence. Analysis will be provided on a range of questions that include, but will not be limited to, the following: (1) understanding the nature of the underlying constructs that various tests and assessments are intended to measure; (2) analyzing the technical properties of instruments; and (3) analyzing equity issues associated with the use of various approaches to testing an assessment.(Institute contact: Judy Segal)

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National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum and Assessment

This page last modified on May 24, 1999 (saw)