Projects

(Last update on May 22, 2019)

Brazil’s National Common Curricular Base (BNCC): CPRE is engaged in a five-year study of the implementation of Brazil’s National Common Core Curricular Base (BNCC). Our initial work is focused on understanding the national landscape of BNCC design and implementation through document analysis and interviews with policymakers, practitioners, and politicians across multiple sectors and governmental levels. In addition to ongoing stakeholder interviews, subsequent years will include qualitative fieldwork in 18 elementary schools across three states to better understand how the BNCC is being interpreted, perceived, and implemented in practice. This work is supported by Fundação Lemann and Itaú Social.

Cignition’s FogStone Isle: CPRE is conducting a randomized control trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of Cignition’s FogStone Isle, a game-based platform focused on mathematics instruction for grades 4-8. The study, which will take place in 10 schools during the 2018-19 school year, is being funded by the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation.

Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund’s Blended Literacy Program: The Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund seeks to leverage the potential benefits of a content-rich literacy strategy with a technology-enhanced blended learning approach that also personalizes student learning. The program will be implemented in 15-20 New York City schools serving substantial proportions of low-income students. CPRE-TC will document the processes schools develop in service to the blended literacy framework, the instructional approaches that evolve from those processes, and the impact these processes and approaches ultimately have on student outcomes. The study is funded by the Robin Hood Foundation, the Overdeck Family Foundation, and the Siegel Family Endowment.

Teach to One: Math: New Classrooms Innovation Partners was awarded an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand its Teach to One: Math model in grades 5-8 in three schools and grades 6-8 in two schools in Elizabeth, NJ. CPRE is engaged in a four-year evaluation of these efforts. The evaluation has two primary strands: (1) a methodologically rigorous quantitative study of Teach to One’s causal impact on student mathematics performance and (2) a systematic qualitative analysis of Teach to One’s implementation processes, combined with staff interviews and classroom observations in each of the five Teach to One schools. This work is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Click here to read the final impact results.

Teacher Residency at Teachers College: Teacher Residency at Teachers College is an 18-month graduate-level teaching residency program that aims to recruit academically talented individuals from diverse backgrounds and prepares them to teach children and youth attending high-needs, urban schools in New York City. CPRE is conducting an independent evaluation of the program to document and evaluate its effects on teacher retention and classroom practice. This work is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Chevron Enjoy Science Project: CPRE is a partner in the STEM Capacity Building component of the Kenan Institute Asia’s Enjoy Science Project. The project is a five-year, public-private partnership to strengthen Thailand’s competitiveness by improving STEM and technical vocational education and training for workforce development across the country. Experts from CPRE and the Enjoy Science Project are conducting trainings in mathematics and science instruction in Samut Prakan, Khon Kean, and Songkhla. This work is funded by Chevron.

Breakthrough Charter Schools’ Performance-Based Compensation Program: Breakthrough Charter Schools in Cleveland, Ohio was awarded a five-year Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) Grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2012. Through these funds, BCS designed and implemented the “GRO” Program (Growth, Recognition, Opportunities) which aimed to increase teacher retention rates through four avenues: improved performance evaluation processes, performance-based compensation, differentiated career pathways, and improved professional development. The mixed-methods study combines an analysis of administrative data, responses to an online survey of former and current teachers, and qualitative interviews to explore four key outcomes: (1) GRO implementation, (2) relationships between GRO and teacher retention, (3) relationships between GRO and the teaching and learning environment, and (4) other non-GRO factors influencing teacher satisfaction and retention. The study is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Teacher Incentive Fund.

American Museum of Natural History Pilot Measurement Study: CPRE is assisting the Museum in its efforts to understand the socio-demographic characteristics of the students and schools it serves via its education programs. The partnership between the Museum and CPRE is particularly interested in whether this programming reaches audiences that are typically underserved by New York City educational and cultural institutions.