Author: Katrina Woodworth
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Progress and Potential: School System Approaches to Strengthening Literacy Instruction
Abstract In 2024, Schusterman commissioned SRI to conduct an independent study of four districts receiving support from Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies (Schusterman) to build upon and improve their literacy programs. The study examines Schusterman’s theory that strengthening and aligning district and school supports, providing focused professional learning, and increasing the consistent and skillful…
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Beyond the Surface: Leveraging High-Quality Instructional Materials for Robust Reading Comprehension
Abstract Inspired by the increased national attention on literacy, more districts are implementing high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) to support students’ reading comprehension. In implementing comprehension HQIM, a critical distinction is whether instruction facilitates the development of students’ surface-level or robust comprehension. This brief examines the extent to which teachers in districts using comprehension HQIM implemented…
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California Arts Education Landscape 2025
Abstract Commissioned by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and conducted in collaboration with Education First, this report examines how new funding and policy shifts—especially the 2022 Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Act—are reshaping arts education in California. Drawing on a document review, interviews, and a convening of Hewlett grantees, the report identifies seven…
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UC Irvine Writing Project’s Pathway to Academic Success Program: An Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Expansion Grant Evaluation
SRI researchers measured student outcomes on the Analytic Writing Continuum for Literary Analysis (AWC-LA). Despite disruptions to program implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study found positive effects on student writing quality, conventions, and productivity.
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What the California Arts and Music in Schools Act Means for the Arts Teacher Workforce
SRI estimate of the number of new arts teachers required to fulfill the promise of California’s Arts and Music in Schools Act by region and county.
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The Pathway to Academic Success Project Leads to Improved Student Writing
SRI study finds that the University of California, Irvine Writing Project’s Pathway to Academic Success project leads to improved students’ academic writing through professional development for secondary English language arts and advanced English language development teachers.
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Creativity Challenge: Arts Education in California’s Court and Community Schools
This study examines arts education access for students served by California’s district community day schools, county community schools, and juvenile court schools; which we collectively refer to as court and community schools (CCS).
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Creativity Challenge: The State of Arts Education in California – Full Report
Our goal was to assess schools’ arts programs relative to state goals, examine the systems of support for these programs, and identify ways in which state and local policymakers might improve conditions for young people to experience arts education in schools.
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Creativity Challenge: The State of Arts Education in California – Summary Report
We found that, while much remained the same in 2020 as in 2006, some aspects of arts education in California’s K–12 schools had improved.
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The Role of California’s County Offices of Education and Implications for Arts Education
This study describes the COE role in arts education, examines how COE activities have shifted in response to California’s Local Control Funding Formula, and examines how these changes may affect access, participation, quality, and equity in arts education in K-12 schools.
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The Pathway to Academic Success: Scaling Up a Text-Based Analytical Writing Intervention for Latinos and English Learners in Secondary School
This study reports findings from a randomized trial designed to validate and scale up a professional development program that uses a cognitive strategies approach to text-based analytical writing.
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Postsecondary Outcomes of IB Diploma Programme Graduates in the U.S.
The International Baccalaureate’s 2-year Diploma Programme includes courses in six subject groups that emphasize interdisciplinary understanding and critical thinking skills.