News

Article published that highlights the work of the Strategic Data Project, and includes interviews with Sarah Glover, SDP Executive Director, and SDP Fellows Nathan Kuder and Tom Tomberlin.

School districts around the country have more data available to them than ever before, but figuring out what to do with all that information isn’t always easy.  David McKay Wilson tackles this issue in the article Statistical Significance from the Winter 2012 edition of Ed. Magazine. 

Link to online version: www.gse.harvard.edu/news-impact/2012/01/statistical-significance
PDF version: Statistical Significance PDF

Center researchers investigate the effectiveness of the Boston Teacher Residency.

Center researchers John Papay, Martin West, Jon Fullerton, and Thomas Kane investigate the effectiveness of the Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) in their working paper Does Practice-Based Teacher Preparation Increase Student Achievement? Early Evidence from the Boston Teacher Residency.  BTR is an innovative practice-based preparation program in which candidates work alongside a mentor teacher for a year before becoming a teacher of record in Boston Public Schools.  EdWeek has also taken note of the study in the article Teacher Residents Seen Outpacing Peers in Later Years. 

Working Paper:  Does Practice-Based Teacher Preparation Increase Student Achievement? Early Evidence from the Boston Teacher Residency
Full EdWeek article:  Teacher Residents Seen Outpacing Peers in Later Years

Strategic Data Project releases Fort Worth Independent School District College-Going Diagnostic Report.

The Strategic Data Project has released the next installment in its series of college-going diagnostic reports.  SDP has teamed up with one of its partner agencies, Forth Worth Independent School District (FWISD), to examine the district’s college-going enrollment and persistence rates.  The diagnostic is designed to identify potential areas for action to increase students’ levels of academic achievement, preparedness for college, and postsecondary attainment.

Fort Worth Independent School District College-Going Diagnostic Report

NCTE leaders Heather Hill and Corinne Herlihy publish article on systems of teacher evaluation

National Center for Teacher Effectiveness (NCTE) leaders Heather Hill and Corinne Herlihy are published in the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research Outlook Series. The article, Prioritizing Teacher Quality in a New System of Teacher Evaluation, emphasizes the importance of focusing on the quality of teaching, and not “teacher quality.” The researchers make a case for establishing systems of teacher evaluation that provide teacher scores that accurately represent their skill and capacity in teaching and helping students learn.
Full article:  Prioritizing Teacher Quality in a New System of Teacher Evaluation

SDP Data Fellows Richard Bowman’s and Sade Bonilla’s work in Albuquerque Public Schools highlighted in the Albuquerque Journal.

The two articles are here: Pilot Program To Test Merit Pay for Teachers and Mixed Reviews on School Grading Plan.

The Education Gadfly reviews Student Achievement in Massachusetts’ Charter Schools.

Researchers said to have taken a step in the right direction with the CEPR study Student Achievement in Massachusetts’ Charter Schools, according to The Education Gadfly.

Strategic Data Project examines College-Going and Human Capital Diagnostics for the Fulton County Schools.

As part of the Center’s Strategic Data Project (SDP), Center researchers are working with school districts to gather their administrative data and examine the human capital system and post-secondary outcomes for students.  SDP partnered with the Fulton County Schools (FCS) to produce College-Going and Human Capital diagnostic reports, which are meant to demonstrate how districts can capitalize on existing data to understand its current performance, set future goals, and strategically plan responses.  The College-Going diagnostic report illuminates students’ enrollment over time and compares these patterns across a variety of student characteristics and academic experiences.  The Human Capital diagnostic report investigates teacher effectiveness with the intention of informing district leaders about patterns of teacher effectiveness and identifying areas for policy change that could leverage teacher effectiveness to improve student achievement.

Fulton County Schools College-Going Diagnostic Report
Fulton County Schools Human Capital Diagnostic Report

A video of the SDP presentation to the Fulton County Board of Education is available on their website under the “February 15, 2011 Board Meeting”.  “1.01 Harvard Strategic Data Project” is the first item on the agenda. 

Fulton County Schools College-Going Board of Education PowerPoint Presentation
Fulton County Schools Human Capital Board of Education PowerPoint Presentation

CEPR releases new study of student achievement in Massachusetts’ charter schools.

Researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, MIT and the University of Michigan have released the results of a new study that suggests that urban charter schools in Massachusetts have large positive effects on student achievement at both the middle and high school levels. Results for nonurban charter schools were less clear; some analyses indicated positive effects on student achievement at the high school level, while results for middle school students were much less encouraging.
Press Release:  New study of Massachusetts’ charter schools
Full report:  Student Achievement in Massachusetts’ Charter Schools
Powerpoint Presentation:  Student Achievement in Massachusetts’ Charter Schools Powerpoint Presentation

The findings of this study were presented and discussed at release event, Examining Student Achievement in Massachusetts Charter Schools, on February 7, 2011 at 7PM in Askwith Hall.

Thomas Kane featured in Harvard Gazette on changing how teachers improve.

Thomas Kane talks about the Measures of Effective Teaching Project and how there should be emphasis on bettering performance rather than simply rating success in the Harvard Gazette article, “Changing how teachers improve”.

The Strategic Data Project at Harvard partners with 5 education agencies to use data to transform policy making.

Press Release:  The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard and the Strategic Data Project select 5 new education agencies to focus on using data to transform policy making

Thomas Kane discusses new research with StudentsFirst.org.

StudentsFirst Article: Researcher Thomas Kane explains the link between good teachers and good test scores

Strategic Data Project article included in EdWeek’s “Inside School Research” Top 10 Research Blog list

EdWeek’s “Inside School Research” blog includes the article Teachers Hired Late Never Catch Up, Data Show in its What Made Research Relevant in 2010 Top 10 list, which was compiled based on the posts that had generated the most views.  The article features CEPR Executive Director Jon Fullerton’s presentation on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Human Capital Diagnostic at the EdWeek forum on educational data.

Sarah Glover voices the importance of data in EdWeek Letter to the Editor.

SDP Executive Director Sarah Glover emphasizes the importance of data collection for professional development in EdWeek Letter to the Editor, Professional Learning:  Collect the Right Data.

Thomas Kane Testifies Before Senate Committee.

On April 15, Professor Thomas Kane testified before the Senate Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions as part of the fourth hearing on the Elementary Secondary Education Act’s Reauthorization. The roundtable hearing focused on how to attract and retain teachers and leaders for schools, as well as how to best prepare leaders, and support and evaluate their work. Kane discussed his current research with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on the Measures of Effective Teaching project where he emphasized the importance of better teacher evaluation systems to achieve success in education reform. The hearing can be viewed here. To read Kane’s testimony, go here. 

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Human Capital Diagnostic presented at Edweek forum on educational data.

Edweek’s ”Inside School Research” article, Teachers Hired Late Never Catch Up, Data Show, recounts CEPR Executive Director Jon Fullerton’s presentation on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Human Capital Diagnostic at the Edweek forum on educational data.  Fullerton states that it is a research study that “traces the district’s human capital chain”.  The profile uncovered that teachers hired after the school year began performed worse than other teachers and never caught up, even after five years.

Strategic Data Project presents analysis about teacher effectiveness to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.

The full presentation to the Board is available on the CMS website here.  Click on the link, and then click on item “B. Report from researchers at Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research...” under the “All Items” list to skip forward to the CEPR presentation.

Media coverage includes:
Sarah Glover and Sarah Cohodes discussed the report and responded to questions on a hour-long radio program, Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins, which is available on WFAE.org here
Study: Teachers sink or soar early The Charlotte Observer
Harvard Study Details Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Effectiveness WSOCTV
CMS Report Shows Education, Experience Not Top Factors News 14 Carolina
CMS Board Gets Report On What Makes Teachers Effective WBTV
CMS: Weak Students Get Weak Teachers The Charlotte Observer
Study Findings Give Gorman Momentum to Link Teacher Pay with Performance WFAE 90.7 FM
Who Should Teach Kids Who Need Most Help? The Charlotte Observer
On Education, What Are We Prepared To Do? The Charlotte Observer Opinion Section
New Harvard Research On Teacher Effectiveness The Washington Post, “The Answer Sheet”
Research on Effective Teaching Presented to Board of Education Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Press Release
CEPR’s media briefing Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Media Room

Strategic Data Project Lands Grant

EdWeek article, ‘Strategic Data Project’ Lands Grant, highlights the $15 million grant provided to the Strategic Data Project by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Strategic Data Project is announced.

Harvard Graduate School of Education and Center for Education Policy Research Release: Harvard Graduate School of Education announces new grant to support data analysis partnerships with states, school districts and school networks

The Boston Charter study is featured in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed.

Paul Peterson’s Op-Ed: Charter Schools and Student Performance

Tom Kane comments on Mayor Menino’s proposal for district charter schools.

Harvard Graduate School of Education Release:  Professor Kane Comments on Mayor Menino’s Charter School Initiative

WBUR mentions the Boston schools study in a story on Boston’s Mayor Menino’s stance on charter schools.

WBUR Story: Boston Mayor Switches Course On Charter Schools

NECN reported on Boston schools study.  Interview with CEPR Faculty Director Tom Kane was part of the segment.



NECN Story: “Study offers progress report on alternative education”

An op-ed in The Boston Globe commented on CEPR study on Boston charter, pilot, and traditional schools.

Globe columnist Scott Lehigh comments on findings from a CEPR study released January 6, 2009.

CEPR study on Boston charter, pilot, and traditional schools feature story in The Boston Globe

“Charter Schools Grade Highest” summarizes findings of examination of charter, pilot, and traditional schools in Boston.

Faculty Director Thomas Kane’s research highlighted in a recent Ray Fisman article for Slate

Fisman’s article Hot for the Wrong Teachers: Why are Public Schools so Bad at Hiring Good Instructors? discusses Kane’s examination of teachers hired in Los Angeles following the state-mandated reduction in class size.

Education Week discusses CEPR research on National Board Certification

A new Education Week article discusses including a teacher’s student gains in the National Board Certification process. The article Study Urges National Board to Weigh Student Gains draws on a recent paper by Faculty Director Thomas Kane, Executive Director Jon Fullerton, and co-authors: National Board Certification and Teacher Effectiveness: Evidence from a Random Assignment Experiment.

Faculty Director Thomas Kane paper discussed by Alan Greenspan

In chapter 21 “Education and Inequality (pp. 450-451) of The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, Alan Greenspan discusses the results of The Hamilton Project paper “ Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job,” which was coauthored by CEPR Faculty Director Thomas Kane.

Faculty Director Thomas Kane quoted by New York Times columnist Bob Herbert

In the op-ed piece “Our Schools Must Do Better,” October 2, 2007, columnist Bob Herbert refers to an interview with CEPR Faculty Director Thomas Kane.  Go to New York Times Opinion page for the full piece.

Data Partnerships for Policy Innovation Conference

On May 3rd and 4th, CEPR’s inaugural Data Partnerships for Policy Innovation Conference took place in Cambridge, MA.  Key staff from school districts from across the country collaborated with researchers from Harvard and other institutions to develop research projects with practical implications for improving student achievement.  Prospective projects discussed included designing performance-based evaluations for teachers, developing and validating school quality measures, and evaluating methods for principal and school leadership.

Faculty Director Thomas Kane on NPR’s “On Point with Tom Ashbrook”

In a segment entitled “Teachers and Education Politics,” CEPR’s faculty director Tom Kane joined host Tom Ashbrook to talk about teacher preparation, tenure, and quality. Eli Broad, founder of The Broad Foundation, and Antonia Cortese, Executive Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers, joined the discussion.  To listen to the show or download a transcript, go to On Point Radio Show archives.

Faculty Director Thomas Kane “Up Front” in Ed. Magazine

Ed. Magazine, The Magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, featured CEPR Faculty Director Tom Kane and his research on teacher certification.  To read the full article, go to Ed. Magazine’s Up Front.