Senior Education Researcher, SRI Education
Rebecca Schmidt has more than 10 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 are at-risk, minority, and rural populations; inequality in educational experiences; and teacher quality.
Schmidt is a principal investigator on two randomized controlled trials evaluating new teacher induction supports in seven large districts. She also has led studies describing the implementation of federal programs to support migratory youth and rural populations, summarizing the research on nonacademic supports for postsecondary success in high-poverty rural locales, and comparing student outcomes for virtual and place-based courses.
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 project Middle School Math in the Institutional Setting of Teaching (MIST), examining district supports for middle school mathematics 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 a master’s degree in social work and social policy from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and psychology from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Key projects
- 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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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 serving high proportions of students of color and students from low-income households.
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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 classroom practice.
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The Study of Implementation of the ESEA Title I – Part C Migrant Education Program
SRI conducted a study to examine how state MEP grantees and local/regional subgrantees implemented the program’s central components to achieve its longer-term goals of reducing barriers to migratory children’s school success.