By 2013, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had adopted college- and career-ready standards in English language arts and mathematics, placing a greater emphasis on argument writing to prepare students for life after high school. Solving the specific problem of how to help teachers teach to new standards for argument writing as well as the broader problem of improving teaching and learning requires continued efforts to understand how to support teachers in making substantial changes in instruction. This paper reports on a district-randomized controlled trial of the National Writing Project’s College-Ready Writers Program (CRWP), implemented in high-need rural districts in 10 states, testing one instance of professional development paired with supporting curricular resources and a formative assessment tool designed to shift instruction to align with the new college- and career-ready standards in English language arts classes in grades 7–10. Researchers randomly assigned 44 rural districts either to receive 2 years of CRWP or to be in a business-as-usual control group and found positive impacts on teacher practice and student source-based argument writing.
Pathway Schools Initiative Developmental Evaluation-Learning Brief 3 (February 2017)
To support its Pathway Schools Initiative, The McKnight Foundation has engaged initiative leaders in a developmental evaluation (DE) led by SRI International and Child Trends. A collaborative effort, DE begins with identification of high-priority questions of practical interest. It supports continuous improvement through data gathering and provision of rapid, relevant feedback to the initiative leaders who develop action plans based on the implications of the findings.
Improving early literacy in PreK–3: Lessons learned (August 2016)
In 2011, The McKnight Foundation partnered on a preK–3 literacy initiative with a set of districts and schools in the Twin Cities area, all serving high-needs students. The Pathway Schools Initiative aims to dramatically increase the number of students who reach the critical milestone of grade 3 reading proficiency, an indicator predictive of later academic outcomes and high school graduation. This report presents findings from Phase I of the Pathway Schools Initiative (2011–15).
Pathway Schools Initiative Developmental Evaluation-Learning Brief 2 (July 2016)
To support its Pathway Schools Initiative, The McKnight Foundation has engaged initiative leaders in a developmental evaluation (DE) led by SRI International and Child Trends. DE is a collaborative effort that begins with identification of high-priority questions of practical interest and then supports continuous improvement through data gathering and provision of rapid, relevant feedback to the initiative leaders who develop action plans based on the implications of the findings.
Pathway Schools Initiative Developmental Evaluation-Learning Brief 1 (January 2016)
To support its Pathway Schools Initiative, The McKnight Foundation has engaged initiative leaders in a developmental evaluation (DE) led by SRI International and Child Trends. DE is a collaborative effort that begins with identification of high-priority questions of practical interest and then supports continuous improvement through data gathering and provision of rapid, relevant feedback to the initiative leaders who develop action plans based on the implications of the findings.
Research Brief: Impact of the National Writing Project’s College-Ready Writers Program on Teachers and Students
SRI’s two-year random assignment evaluation found consistent program implementation and positive impacts of the National Writing Project’s College-Ready Writers Program (CRWP).
International Baccalaureate national trends for low-income students 2008–2014
This study examines the postsecondary trajectories of low-income International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) candidates and course takers from public schools in the United States from 2008–2014.
Evaluating the Impact of Professional Development to Meet Challenging Writing Standards in High-Need Elementary Schools
The adoption of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA) has brought a new prominence to writing instruction. Additionally, the CCSS-ELA increase the focus on argument and informational/explanatory writing. To facilitate elementary teachers’ transition to this new emphasis on writing in general, and argument and informational writing specifically, the National Writing Project was awarded a 1-year U.S. Department of Education Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant. This grant enabled the National Writing Project to provide intensive, sustained in-service professional development to high-need elementary schools focused on CCSS-ELA implementation in third, fourth, and fifth grades. SRI conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to estimate the effects of the SEED professional development on teachers’ writing instruction and student argument writing, while documenting the implementation of the SEED program and the contexts in which the program was executed. This report describes SRI’s findings.
Evaluating the Impact of Professional Development to Meet Challenging Writing Standards in High-Need Elementary Schools: Executive Summary
The adoption of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA) has brought a new prominence to writing instruction. Additionally, the CCSS-ELA increase the focus on argument and informational/explanatory writing. To facilitate elementary teachers’ transition to this new emphasis on writing in general, and argument and informational writing specifically, the National Writing Project was awarded a 1-year U.S. Department of Education Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant. This grant enabled the National Writing Project to provide intensive, sustained in-service professional development to high-need elementary schools focused on CCSS-ELA implementation in third, fourth, and fifth grades. SRI conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to estimate the effects of the SEED professional development on teachers’ writing instruction and student argument writing, while documenting the implementation of the SEED program and the contexts in which the program was executed. This executive summary describes SRI’s findings.