School Improvement: Student Success

SRI's education researchers examine and identify external and in-school strategies that enhance the student achievement and readiness of traditionally underserved youth and young adult populations as they transition from one stage of the education system to the next. We focus on interventions that lead to student success in school, college, and career and technical education.

Projects

teenage girl student doing her homework
Impact Evaluation of Michigan’s Striving Readers Program

SRI is evaluating the effectiveness of a program for struggling adolescent readers.

Topics: Educational Impact Evaluation Policy Analysis Reading, Writing and Humanities School Improvement School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success Special Education/Disability
teenage students in a classroom
Bridging the Divide: High School and College Dual Enrollment

SRI studied programs across several states that offer college enrollment to high school-age students, and recommended improvements.

Topics: Community College: Transitions School Improvement School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success
three teenage students working on a laboratory activity
Evaluation of the California Linked Learning District Initiative

SRI is examining the impact of this program that combines strong academics with real-world experience. Its goal: to help students build a strong foundation for success in college and careers—and life.

Topics: 21st Century Skills Educational Impact Evaluation Evaluation Planning and Design Extant Data Analysis Randomized Controlled Trials and Quasi-Experimental Designs Research into Practice and Scale-up School Improvement School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success
Young male teacher smiling at camera with students behind him
Study of the Rio Grande Valley Center for Teaching and Leading Excellence

SRI is analyzing the impact of the Center's efforts to recruit, support, and train effective teachers in Texas.

Topics: School Improvement School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success Teacher Quality and Learning
six young children looking up at camera
Evaluation of the Illinois Early Childhood Block Grant Programs

SRI conducted a statewide evaluation of this program that provides home visiting, parenting education, and preschool programs to improve children's school readiness and other outcomes.

Topics: Educational Impact Evaluation School and Community Partnerships School Improvement: Student Success
mother holding young son in her arms
ENHANCE

SRI is studying the quality of child outcomes data reported by states to the federal government under Part C and Part B Preschool services of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Topics: Assessment Design and Evaluation Early Childhood Educational Impact Evaluation Extant Data Analysis Policy Analysis School Improvement: Student Success
girl standing at blackboard with diploma and graduation cap drawn on it
Program Evaluation Services for College Bound

SRI analyzed this program that offers resources for high school students to prepare for and succeed in college.

Topics: Early Childhood School Improvement: Student Success
teacher with young students in classroom
Evaluation of Massachusetts' Human Capital Management Initiatives

Across the U.S., policymakers are experimenting with various strategies for improving educator quality and student achievement. SRI leads an evaluation of three closely related human capital management initiatives in Massachusetts.

Topics: School Improvement: Student Success Teacher Quality and Learning
teacher with young students in classroom
Right Start: Study of Teacher Early Career Policies in California

A collaborative study of California state policies that frame the first two years of a teacher’s career to better understand how these policies actually work.

Topics: Policy Analysis School Improvement: Student Success Teacher Quality and Learning
Library of Congress' reading room, seen from above
Evaluation of the Library of Congress' Teaching with Primary Sources Program

The Library of Congress asked SRI International to conduct an evaluation of its Teaching with Primary Sources program, using a series of surveys and project case studies.

Topics: School Improvement: Student Success Teacher Quality and Learning

Press Releases

School Children
Helios Partners with SRI International to Create Center for Digital Learning

Helios Education Foundation is partnering with SRI by investing $1 million to seed a Center for Digital Learning in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Center will create a portfolio of digital learning projects to enhance student achievement in STEM subjects.

Topics: 21st Century Skills School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education
middle school children in a classroom with teacher looking on
No Clear Path to Mathematics Learning in California

New research makes clear that students doing well in seventh grade math are more likely to succeed in advanced math classes when they reach high school.

Topics: 21st Century Skills Large-Scale Surveys Research on Learning School Improvement: Student Success Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education
AP science class
National Science Foundation-funded Study to Examine if New AP Science Courses Advance Student Progress onto Science and Engineering Career Track

New research study will provide the first experimental evidence on the effects of high school students taking an inquiry-based AP science course and whether it impacts educational progress and success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Topics: 21st Century Skills Educational Impact Evaluation School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education
Teacher with young students
Department of Education Funds SRI’s Evaluation of Early Childhood Intervention Program in the Midwest

SRI researchers are beginning an evaluation of the Midwest Expansion of the Child-Parent Center (CPC) program, an intervention that provides comprehensive educational and family-support services to at-risk pre-kindergarten through third-grade children.

Topics: 21st Century Skills Assessment Design and Evaluation Early Childhood School and Community Partnerships School Improvement School Improvement: Student Success
Seventh-graders at laptop
Department of Education Funds Four-Year Research Evaluation of Mathematics Online Tutoring System

Research team to study seventh-grade mathematics students and teachers in more than 50 schools throughout Maine.

Topics: 21st Century Skills Out-of-School Learning Research on Learning School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education
two students working at a computer
SRI Report Compares the Global Use of Technology in Education

A new report from SRI International's Center for Technology in Learning compares the use of educational technology for K-12 students in 21 countries.

Topics: Early Childhood Higher Education and Workforce Development International Education Reform School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success

Publications

Special Education Services Received by Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders from Preschool Through High School

Using three national data sets, this study examined the age trends in special education services received by students with Autism Spectrum Disorders from preschool through high school.

Topics: Behavioral Health Policy Analysis Research on Learning School Improvement School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Special Education/Disability Statistical Analysis
Characterizing Disability in Head Start Programs: Not So Clearcut

Head Start programs are required to set aside at least 10% of program slots for children with disabilities, but the percentage of children with disabilities served varies depending on the criteria used and source of the information.

Topics: Early Childhood Educational Impact Evaluation Extant Data Analysis Large-Scale Surveys Policy Analysis Research on Learning School Improvement: Student Success Special Education/Disability Statistical Analysis
Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) Teacher Characteristics

A summary of findings about the characteristics of teachers involved in the Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) program evaluation conducted by Erikson Institute and SRI.

Topics: Educational Impact Evaluation School and Community Partnerships School Improvement: Student Success
Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) Family Involvement

This fact sheet summarizes findings about family involvement in the Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) program evaluation conducted by Erikson Institute and SRI.

Topics: Educational Impact Evaluation School and Community Partnerships School Improvement: Student Success
Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) Program Evaluation

A summary of findings and implications for policy and practice of an Erikson Institute-led, SRI-supported evaluation of the Illinois Preschool for All program.

Topics: Educational Impact Evaluation School and Community Partnerships School Improvement: Student Success
Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) Child Outcomes

This fact sheet summarizes findings on child incomes from the Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) program evaluation conducted by Erikson Institute and SRI.

Topics: Educational Impact Evaluation School and Community Partnerships School Improvement: Student Success
Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) Evaluation Overview

This fact sheet summarizes an evaluation of the Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) program evaluation conducted by Erikson Institute and SRI.

Topics: Educational Impact Evaluation School and Community Partnerships School Improvement: Student Success
Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) Program Quality

This fact sheet summarizes findings about the quality of the Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) program that was evaluated by Erikson Institute and SRI International.

Topics: Educational Impact Evaluation School and Community Partnerships School Improvement: Student Success
Evaluation of the California Linked Learning District Initiative: Year-Two Report, Executive Summary

Two years into an initiative designed to embed and test this approach within nine California school districts, SRI's evaluation findings reveal signs of progress, areas for improvement, and promise for positive student outcomes.

Topics: 21st Century Skills Educational Impact Evaluation Evaluation Planning and Design Extant Data Analysis Randomized Controlled Trials and Quasi-Experimental Designs Research into Practice and Scale-up School Improvement School Improvement: Curriculum and Instruction School Improvement: Student Success
Domain-specific Assessment: What Foundational Concepts and Reasoning Skills are Community College Students Learning?

The Domain-Specific Assessment project developed a set of tools and assessment items that measure students’ capacity to apply knowledge rather than simply memorize vast amounts of it. An overview of the approach to the methodology is presented in this paper.

Topics: Assessment Design and Evaluation Community College: Reform to Support Real-World Learning Community College: Transitions School Improvement: Student Success

Divisions, Centers & Labs