Senior Education Researcher, DATA SERVICES, SRI Education
Rebecca Schmidt, PhD, has more than 15 years of quantitative research experience in education. Schmidt has expertise in research design, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and descriptive studies. Her research interests include students experiencing educational disadvantage, students from historically marginalized and rural communities, inequality in educational experiences, and teacher quality.
At SRI, Schmidt serves as the senior manager for the Education Division’s Data Services group, overseeing data collection, processing, cleaning, management, and analysis for the division. She also leads impact and descriptive studies of a variety of education programs, including teacher professional development, literacy initiatives, and tutoring.
Schmidt earned her PhD in K–12 education policy from the Peabody School of Education at Vanderbilt University. In her dissertation research, she examined the relationships between ability grouping, teacher practices and beliefs, and student outcomes. At Vanderbilt, Schmidt also worked on the Middle-school Mathematics and the Institutional Setting of Teaching (MIST) project, examining district supports for middle school math teachers to improve their instructional practice. Before entering Vanderbilt, Schmidt was a research analyst in the Chicago Public Schools Department of Applied Research. She evaluated programs and policies in Chicago and their impact on student achievement.
Schmidt also holds an MA in social work and social policy from the University of Chicago and a BA in creative writing and psychology from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Key projects
- Reading Apprenticeship for Academic Literacy Learning (RA4ALL)
- Reading Apprenticeship for Academic Literacy – Tutoring
- Evaluation of the Urban District Literacy Collaborative (UDLC)
- Reading Apprenticeship North Carolina
- iCoachTEAM
- National Council of Teaching Residencies
- NSF Noyce Teacher Scholarship Evaluation
- OpenSciEd Impact Evaluation
- New Teacher Center Scale Up i3 Grant
- New Teacher Center Preservice SEED Grant
- Initial Efficacy Study of Data Wise
- The Study of Implementation of the ESEA Title I — Part C Migrant Education Program Serving Children of Agricultural Workers and Fishers
- Study of Experiences and Needs of Rural Education Achievement Program Grantees
Recent publications
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Measuring Data Use for Instructional Improvement: Development and Initial Testing of a Teacher Survey and Instructional Team Meeting Log
This report describes the development and initial validation of instruments to measure collaborative data inquiry practices within school-based teams.
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Scaling Up Teacher Induction: Implementation and Impact on Teachers and Students
With funding from a U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) scale-up grant, NTC tested strategies for scaling its validated induction model to 301 schools in five school districts…
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Shining a Light on Algebra I Access and Success: Embracing Equity at All Levels
This REL Appalachia blog summarizes a recent IES report, examining Algebra I course taking pathways and outcomes based on students’ performance on Virginia’s grade 5 statewide math test.
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Evaluation of the New Teacher Center (NTC) i3 scale-up grant: Cohort 1 preliminary teacher and student impact
SRI is conducting an independent five-year evaluation of the New Teacher Center’s federally funded Investing in Innovation Scale-up grant.
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Comparing the Achievement of Students in Virtual Virginia and Face-to-Face Courses
The department partnered with REL Appalachia to examine the relationship between students’ participation in online courses and their performance on end-of-course exams.
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Evaluation of the New Teacher Center (NTC) i3 Scale-up grant: Teacher practice impacts
SRI’s analysis of outcomes for teachers participating in the scale-up of the New Teacher Center’s intensive program for beginning teachers found that NTC induction had a positive impact on teacher…
Selected publications
- Nonacademic interventions for postsecondary enrollment and success in rural high-poverty schools: A systematic evidence review
- Comparing the achievement of students in Virtual Virginia and face-to-face courses
- Algebra I and college preparatory diploma outcomes among Virginia students who completed Algebra I in grades 7–9 (REL 2021–038)
- Study of the implementation of the ESEA Title I — Part C Migrant Education Program
- Issue brief: Academic support classes
- Study of experiences and needs of Rural Education Achievement Program grantees