Current and Recent Project Descriptions

Teacher education and professional development | School improvement | Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics | Public policy | Human services

Teacher education and professional development

Development of K-8 Teachers’ Knowledge and the Transition from University Student to Professional

Steve Fifield, DERDC Project Director, NSF Co-Principal Investigator

Funder: National Science Foundation, Teacher Professional Continuum grant

This five-year project is examining changes in prospective K-8 teachers’ understandings of science, pedagogy, and self across an inquiry-based professional development continuum. The goal of this research is to enhance STEM teacher education by better appreciating the interwoven intellectual and personal dimensions of the challenging transition to inquiry teaching and learning.

The context of this study is a sequence of inquiry-based science and education courses for prospective K-8 teachers intended to help them experience and conceptualize learning as collaborative knowledge creation. These learning experiences challenge students’ understandings of science, pedagogy and self, and we are interested in how students negotiate these challenges. Using pedagogical context knowledge (PCxK) as a framework, our team of science and education faculty is using a variety of methods, including science concept essays, autobiographical writing and interviews, to examine transformations in prospective teachers’ understandings.

Evaluation of Delaware’s Reading First Initiative

Linda Grusenmeyer, DERDC project director

Funder: Delaware Department of Education and United States Department of Education (USDOE)

This project examines the effects of implementation of Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBRR) practices in 12 Delaware elementary schools. The five year project was undertaken by the DE Department of Education (DOE) in 2003, and is designed to impact change at several levels of the educational system—at the student, the teacher, the school, and the system levels. The clients propose to effect reading instruction and K-3 student achievement in some of the state’s lowest performing elementary schools.

Evaluation of Historical Literacy Project

Cheryl Ackerman, DERDC project director

Funder: The Delaware Center for Teacher Education, funded through the United States Department of Education’s Teaching American History grant

The project aims to improve American history education by providing professional development to teachers of grades 3-12. This three-year project includes approximately 50 participants in two cohorts. Each cohort focuses on a different time period in American history.

The evaluation purposes are both formative and summative and focus on the project’s five goals: increased quality of instructional resources, increased teacher content knowledge in American history, improved lesson plans, improved instruction, and increased student achievement in American history. The data collection instruments include a survey of instructional resources, rubrics for teacher lesson plans and classroom observations, and tests for student and teacher content knowledge of American history.

Evaluation of Powerful Pedagogical Practices

Ximena Uribe-Zarain, DERDC project director

Funders: United States Department of Education, the Mathematics & Science Education Resource Center, and the Delaware Mathematics Coalition

The P-cubed Project aims to improve mathematics pedagogical practices by providing professional development to high school teachers in the state of Delaware. The goal of the project is to have teachers reflect on their own teaching and to develop awareness of the way students think. More specifically, teachers learn to pay greater attention to incoming students’ algebraic knowledge.

The evaluation has three major components. We will conduct classroom observations of 20 project teachers and 20 non-project teachers once a year for three years and interview participants and school administrators about the project experience. Finally, the Delaware Education R & D Center will work with the Delaware Mathematics Coalition to develop a guidebook to help teachers reflect on their own teaching through the use of video.

Evaluation of Singapore Math Project

Ximena Uribe-Zarain, DERDC project director

Funder: Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education

This three-year project evaluates the adoption of the “Primary Mathematics Series,” a mathematics curriculum first developed for the Singapore Ministry of Education, in three elementary schools in Delaware. The series’ main characteristics are (1) an approach that builds upon succeeding levels, and assumes that what was taught need not be taught again; (2) frequent use of word problems, and the strategies towards solving them, rather than repetitive drilling; and (3) the use of bar-models in teaching problem-solving (a form of pre-algebra). The curricula are designed for 140 days plus time for challenging problems and afterschool time.

The evaluation will survey teacher satisfaction with the program’s professional development sessions and also examine any gains in teachers’ mathematical content knowledge. Also during the first year of the pilot, the Delaware Education R & D Center will help develop an instrument to assess teachers’ practices that will be used in the second and third year. One of the claims of the Singapore method is that teacher and student attitudes towards mathematics will improve, so a short survey about attitudes is included in the evaluation. Finally, mathematics scores from students in the pilot will be compared to scores from a control group.

School improvement

Correlates of Achievement: A Data-based Indicator System for Delaware’s Schools

Members: Audrey J Noble, Kelly Sherretz, Madhuri Gattupalli

Correlates of Achievement is a research & development initiative supported by Delaware’s Achievement Gap Action Group, the Delaware Department of Education, the University of Delaware Education Research & Development Center, the Delaware Academy for School Leadership, and the Delaware State Board of Education

The Correlates of Achievement Database is a relational, user-friendly, query-driven data system that integrates school-level data available in E-School Plus with data systems currently available within the Delaware Department of Education’s Data Warehouse. The system uses the Educational Testing Service’s report Parsing the Achievement Gap as a research-based framework. The Correlates of Achievement database is designed to:

Assist school and district level decision makers in their efforts toward school improvement;
Provide an integrated data system that would focus school-level decision makers beyond outcome data (Delaware State Testing Program) and achievement gaps and on important research-based processes that contribute to these outcomes and gaps;
Help close the achievement gap in Delaware schools by empowering school leaders to use data effectively;
Make better use of the state’s wealth of data; and,
Level the playing field across the state among schools and districts in regards to data usage and access.

This system is available to all public middle and high schools in Delaware. The school-level data system currently includes information about what courses students take, teachers’ years of experience and preparation, class size, suspension rates, and college preparation data.

Evaluation of Delaware Reading First

Linda Grusenmeyer, DERDC project director

Funder: Delaware Department of Education and United States Department of Education (USDOE)

Evaluation of Delaware’s State Improvement Grant

Funder: Delaware Dept. of Education and United States Department of Education (USDOE)

The evaluation focused on the two major goals of the State Improvement Grant. Terms in parentheses ( ) reflect the evaluation focus of each goal.

Improved literacy and reading skills for children with disabilities in three age groups: preschool, kindergarten through 3rd grade, and grades 4 through 12. (Impact on Student Achievement)
All students with mild or moderate disabilities will gain access to and progress in the general curriculum. (Impact on Access to the General Education Environment and Curriculum)

Study of Distributed Leadership in Delaware Schools

Joan Buttram, DERDC project director

Funder: Delaware Academy for School Leadership, with funds from the Wallace Foundation

Distributed leadership is a key strategy used by the Delaware Academy for School Leadership in working with schools to improve middle and secondary schools in Delaware. The R&D Center is conducting a study to determine how leadership roles and responsibilities were redesigned and carried out by administrators and teachers to improve operations in their schools as well as increase positive student outcomes. The study will conduct interviews in three middle schools and three high schools. Based on the findings of these interviews, all teachers in these schools will be surveyed to extend and confirm findings. Particular emphasis will be given to describing the actions taken in these schools to build consensus and trust between administrators and teachers as well as the accomplishments of the distributed leadership efforts.

Study of Vision 2015 Thought Partners

Joan Buttram, DERDC project director

Funder: Delaware Academy for School Leadership

Each of the superintendents and principals of Vision 2015 districts and schools were assigned a retired educator to serve as a thought partner. Thought partners are individuals with similar experiences who can serve as a sounding board to superintendents and principals as they problem-solve and reflect on their district or school issues. Retired educators file monthly reports describing their contacts with their thought partners; these are periodically analyzed to determine the focus, scope, and outcomes of these interactions. In addition, annual interviews are conducted with superintendents, principals, and retired educators about their experiences, factors that contributed or detracted from these relationships, and recommendations for future interactions.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

Development of K-8 Teachers’ Knowledge and the Transition from University Student to Professional

Steve Fifield, DERDC Project Director, NSF Co-Principal Investigator

Funder: National Science Foundation, Teacher Professional Continuum grant

Evaluation of Nature Inspired Engineering Research Experience for Teachers (NISE-RET)

Linda Grusenmeyer, DERDC project director

Funder: University of Delaware College of Engineering, Office of Engineering Outreach and National Science Foundation (NSF)

Three year, NSF-funded project providing engineering research experience and professional development for middle and secondary math and science teachers. Teachers participate in a six-week summer program to build their own knowledge base and develop tools to bring their experiences and knowledge into the classroom. Networking opportunities enable them to become members of an ongoing research and collaboration community. The evaluation examines participant satisfaction and modes of collaboration, as well as changes in classroom environment and student attitudes toward STEM education and careers.

Internal evaluation of the Delaware EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII-2) project

Steve Fifield, DERDC Project Director

Funder: National Science Foundation

The goal of the Delaware EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII-2) project is to build a globally competitive capability in environmental research, education and outreach to strengthen Delaware’s ability to compete for large, multi-investigator funding opportunities, and to enhance the State’s continuum of science and technology education. The National Science Foundation is funding this five-year project.

Continuing a collaboration that started with the first Delaware EPSCoR R-II, internal evaluation of the RII-2 is a joint effort of the Delaware RII-2 leadership team and the Delaware Education Research and Development Center. The internal evaluation 1) supports adaptable management of this complex project, 2) furthers sustainability through evaluation capacity building, and 3) documents the merits of the project and its value to NSF, Delaware, and the nation.

Internal evaluation of the Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)

Cheryl M. Ackerman and Steve Fifield, DERDC project directors

Funder: National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health (NIH-NCRR)

The Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) is a five-year program established in July 2004 with funding provided by the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health (NIH-NCRR). The purpose of the Delaware INBRE is to deliver a statewide pipeline of capable and competitive medical research personnel who can compete for and win NIH-funded research grants. It is a collaborative effort involving several institutions of higher education and health care institutions. The primary goals of the Delaware INBRE are to (1) support junior and early career faculty in mentored biomedical research; (2) involve undergraduate institutions and their students in the research process; (3) strengthen the existing biomedical research infrastructure; and (4) improve biomedical workforce development.

The internal evaluation of INBRE is a joint effort of the Delaware INBRE leadership team and the Delaware Education Research and Development Center. It supports adaptable management of this complex project, furthers sustainability through evaluation capacity building, and documents the merits of the project and its value to NIH, Delaware, and the nation.

Evaluation Math Partnership

Ximena Uribe-Zarain, DERDC project director

Funder: Mathematics & Science Education Resource Center of the University of Delaware

A large number of middle schools and high schools in Delaware are using top-rated math texts and curriculum materials. But, are these materials being utilized in ways that are most beneficial to students? Researchers at Mathematics & Science Education Resource Center (MSERC) at the University of Delaware developed a five-year project to observe and evaluate middle and high school math teachers as they work with selected series of textbooks and curriculum materials.

Three major components of instruction are examined: lesson design and implementation, mathematics content, and classroom culture. Observers from the Delaware Education R & D Center observe math instruction twice a year in approximately 35 classrooms, using an observation protocol that was collaboratively created by staff members from MSERC, the Delaware Education R & D Center, the Delaware Department of Education, and several Delaware school districts.

The Social Ecology of Participation Customs: Competition and Cooperation in Multidisciplinary Research Centers

Steve Fifield, DERDC Project Director, NSF Principal Investigator

Funder: National Science Foundation, Innovation and Organizational Sciences grant

This is a two-year ethnographic case study of innovation and organizational change in two multipurpose, multidiscipline, university-based science research centers. By applying and extending the concepts of participation customs, boundary work, and boundary objects this study is exploring the relationship between competition and cooperation in research initiatives that intend to build collaborative networks across disciplines and institutions. The study integrates ethnography and social network analysis to examine how social ties and scientific cultures are related to the dynamics of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Public policy

Achievement Gap Series

Delaware data from the 2003 administration of the NAEP reading assessment revealed that 4th and 8th grade minority students were a little more than two years behind their non-minority peers. Documenting achievement gaps that currently exist in Delaware does not mean that this situation is inevitable. Many groups across the state, both inside and outside of education, are actively pursuing strategies to address these disparities. This report is an attempt to exhibit the progress of each Delaware school in regards to the achievement gap. It contains district and school portrayals of comparative achievement in reading and mathematics. The authors hope that this report will spark further dialogue within the school community that will help improve understanding and ultimately lead to effective strategies for closing the existing gaps in Delaware schools.

Policy Brief Series

Funder: State of Delaware

This annual series of publications is designed to inform Delaware elected officials of research on current, important education topics (e.g., Full Day Kindergarten, Charter Schools, and Discipline). Each policy brief provides a straightforward synthesis of research, information about how the particular issue is reflected in the policies and practices in Delaware education system, and questions for Delaware policymakers as they consider these issues. All members of the Delaware General Assembly receive these publications and each policy brief is posted on the center’s website http://dspace.udel.edu:8080/dspace/handle/19716/243.

Strategies Used by Four Delaware Schools to Beat the Odds

Joan Buttram, DERDC project director

Funder: Delaware State Board of Education

Analyses of 2007 and 2008 Delaware State Testing Program scores were conducted to identify schools that were outperforming expectations given their student demographic characteristics. Twenty-nine schools were identified in 2007 and 18 schools in 2008.

Case studies were conducted in four elementary schools that were identified in both years to identify strategies that contributed to their success; case study methodology included on-line teacher surveys and administrator and teacher interviews. Eight strategies were identified, including 1) setting specific goals by grade level for student performance on the state test, 2) building a common language and framework for instruction, 3) requiring quarterly assessments across all schools, 4) conducting quarterly promotion and review meetings with teachers, 5) expecting principals to conduct weekly walk-throughs in all classrooms, 6) supporting professional learning communities at each grade, 7) providing instructional interventions to support struggling students, and 8) scheduling a day at the end of the school year to review all student data and plan for the coming year. These strategies could not have been taken without strong school and district leadership and support.

Statewide Poll on the Condition of Education in Delaware

Joan Buttram, DERDC project director

Funder: State of Delaware

The Statewide Public Poll on the Condition of Education in Delaware addresses one major aspect of the R&D Center’s mission, to provide the citizens of Delaware with trustworthy information about the condition of education in the state. The R&D Center began annual public surveys on the condition of education in Delaware in 1994. Core survey items have been repeated regularly since then, with the addition of new questions probing attitudes and opinions of particular interest at each administration of the poll.

The original survey was developed by the R&D Center with input from a review panel with representatives of educational, governmental, and business organizations in Delaware. Each year the survey is revised to address timely issues sought by various constituents. The Public Poll typically contains four to eight major educational topics. Data from at least 900 adults living in Delaware is collected via telephone interviews. The sample is weighted to reflect the statewide population as needed. Frequency analyses and some analyses for statistical significance are performed. The findings are distributed to the major constituents in Delaware and available on the R&D Center’s website.

Human services

Evaluation of Delaware Gear Up

Funders: Delaware Center for Teacher Education and USDOE

As one component of the annual evaluation, the Delaware Education Research and Development Center at the University of Delaware surveyed the project’s youth participants and their parents. These surveys were designed to gather information about the programs primary goals:

to engage students, parents, families, and community members in an organized program which results in student academic achievement and post-secondary planning,
to engage school personnel in professional development services that lead to sustainable improvements in practice, and
to engage and focus financial aid resources.

The evaluation of the Delaware Gear Up projects preceded along two lines of activity: 1) formative evaluation to provide relevant information to the project staff, and 2) evaluation of the impact of the initiative on students and parents related to student achievement and post-secondary planning.

Evaluation of Project CLIMB to Employment

Funder: Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and was funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration.

Project CLIMB (Consortium Leadership and Independence through Managing Benefits is offered through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and was funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration. The CLIMB to Employment project targets youth and adults with disabilities throughout Delaware who are working, or interested in working, and are receiving any type of public support benefits. The CLIMB program provides benefits counseling by trained Benefits Specialists. The counseling sessions include information on the impact of earnings on benefits, management of benefits when becoming employed, and reducing barriers to employment encountered by public support programs. DVR’s commitment is to help people with disabilities increase their independence through employment.

The formative and summative evaluation focused on three goals set forth by the project: (1) To improve the ability of individuals with disabilities to make informed choices during the employment process, (2) recommend changes to rules and regulations which have a negative impact on employment outcomes, and (3) improve the ability of individuals with disabilities to decrease their reliance on state or federal benefits and increase their reliance on employment income. Methods included surveys, interviews, and database analysis.

Evaluation support for Arts Across the Curriculum (AATC)

Cheryl M. Ackerman, DERDC project director

Funder: Delaware Division of the Arts.

The AATC was a collaborative arts education program between the Delaware Theatre Company and the Ferris School for Boys, a maximum security facility for 72 males for the purpose of integrating a program that will uses visual and performing arts as a way to enhance Ferris’s core curriculum, as well as increase student exposure and appreciation of the arts.

The Delaware Education Research and Development Center (The R&D Center) provided capacity building and technical assistance services to facilitate the development and execution of an evaluation plan for the AATC. The extent and type of support was directly related to the evaluation plan the AATC assessment team developed and the specific services they team requested. The evaluation support included professional development workshops on evaluation, guidance in creating an evaluation plan, guidance, feedback, and technical support on selecting appropriate methods and instrumentation, instrumentation development, data management, analysis, and interpretation, and reporting. Support ultimately included the actual conduct, analysis, and reporting of focus groups and student test scores.