Kansas City Area Education Research Consortium (KC-AERC)

Math Matters: Transition from K-12 to Post-secondary Education

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:29:07 +0000

Principal investigators Jackie Spears (K State), Tamera Murdock (UMKC), and Carolyn Barber (UMKC) are exploring factors influencing students who were proficient in high school math courses being enrolled in remedial college math classes. The project, funded by the NSF, employes Kansas statewide databases and a case study of Olathe Unified School District and Johnson County Community College.

Kansas City Teen Plaza Issues

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:28:42 +0000

Principal investigators Hyunjin Seo (KU) and Brian Houston (MU) are researching flash mobs: definitions, causes, implications, and results. The research, funded by the Kauffman Foundation and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, involves focus groups and a survey of Kansas City youth aged 13-24 who are demographically representative of the populations that have participated in the past Kansas City flash mobs.

KC STEM Alliance Evaluation – October 2011

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:28:27 +0000

Researchers Tamera Murdock (UMKC), Carolyn Barber (UMKC), and Leigh Anne Taylor Knight (KC-AERC) are developing methods for evaluating the effect of the Kansas City STEM Alliance on constituent communities. Specifically the team will:

work with the KC STEM Alliance to develop a logic model for the evaluation;
in collaboration with the KC STEM Alliance and KC-AERC, create a plan to jointly obtain the necessary data for evaluation;
provide data analyses of archival data from the KC STEM Alliance and KC-AERC;
submit a report summarizing the findings based on data provided by the KC STEM Alliance and KC-AERC.

SySTEMic Innovations

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:28:00 +0000

Researchers Leigh Anne Taylor Knight (KC-AERC) and Sarah Frazelle (KC-AERC) have partnered with SySTEMic Innovations to achieve the following objectives:

Design a model to test academic and attitudinal changes in students in classrooms of teachers using science kits after professional development with SySTEMic;
Select instruments to pre-assess and post-assess science academic skills and attitudes of identified students participating in the program 2011-12 school year;
Design a model to test academic and attitudinal changes of teachers using science kits after professional development with SySTEMic;
Select instruments to pre-assess and post-assess science academic skills and attitudes of identified teachers participating in the program 2011-12 school year;
Assist SySTEMic Innovations with identifying the demographic characteristics of students and teachers to be collected for purposes of the study;
Convert assessment instruments for students and teachers to electronic format;
Deliver a summary report of the pre- and post-assessments to SySTEMic Innovations.

REL Projects

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:27:17 +0000

These projects were an all-hands-on-deck KC-AERC undertaking. Contributing researchers included Mark Ehlert (MU), Mike Podgursky (MU), Sarah Frazelle (KU), Tamera Murdock (UMKC), Jackie Spears (K State), and Leigh Anne Taylor Knight (KC-AERC). Final reports, delivered 12/31/11 from KC-AERC to REL Central of McREL, covered three topics:

Research design for a report on mobility in the Kansas City metropolitan area;
Research design for a report on transition to higher education for students in the Kansas City metropolitan area;
Research design to estimate how specific colleges and universities impact K-12 student achievement through participation of leaders and teachers in their professional education programs.

Kansas City Freedom Schools Initiative

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:07:24 +0000

In the spring of 2011 the Kansas City Freedom Schools Initiative (KCFSI) contracted with the Kansas City Area Education Research Consortium (KC-‐AERC) to assess whether the Freedom Schools summer program had a positive impact on its scholars, both academically and socially. The leadership of Freedom Schools and KC-‐AERC identified the following objectives for the Freedom Schools Assessment and Evaluation:

Design and facilitate the administration of instruments to pre -‐assess attitudes and behavior of scholars participating in the program in summer of 2011
Design and facilitate the administration of instruments to post-‐assess attitudes and behavior of scholars participating in the program in summer of 2011
Design a model to test academic and behavioral changes in scholars using a treatment group and comparison group based on participation in the program in summer of 2011

The first report was submitted to Freedom Schools Leadership in August 2011. The final report on the project is expected to be completed in July 2012.

Read Kansas City Freedom Schools Initiative: Evaluation of Summer 2011 (.pdf)

KC STEM Alliance Report

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:10:05 +0000

Between January 1 and June 30 of 2011, the research team will work to develop methodologies that will enable the KC-STEM Alliance to (1) examine the impact of Project Lead The Way (PLTW), First Robotics and other STEM programs on high school and college outcomes and (2) identify process variables that might be contributing to variability in the overall impact of these programs such as barriers to student participation and variability in the quality of program implementation.

Preparing More Students to Enter STEM Careers: What Does the Research Say? (6 pages, PDF), presented 01/27/11 by KC-AERC
KC-AERC Presentation to KC STEM Alliance (3 pages, PDF), presented 01/01/11 by KC-AERC
Methods for Evaluating Kansas City Area Project Lead the Way and FIRST Robotics for KC STEM Alliance (58 pages, PDF), presented 6/30/11 by KC-AERC

Kansas City P20 Asset Mapping

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:07:02 +0000

Contracted by the Kansas City Regional P20 Council, KC-AERC undertook the task of identifying and surveying the educational entities providing services to students from pre-school aged to 20 years of formal schooling in the nine-county region of the Kansas City metropolitan area. KC-AERC’s report provided an assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the P20 education network of the KC metro area. The report also raised critical questions about P20 education. These questions were intended to identify areas where improvement and further planning are needed. They may also provide fodder for future research studies. In addition, the report provided a focal point for the KC-AERC, P20 Council and REL Central hosted conference, “Helping Students Navigate the Path to College” conference on March 7, 2011.

P-20 Asset Mapping Project (19 pages, PDF), presented 10/18/10 by KC-AERC
Read the Report to P20 Regional Council: Kansas City P20 Asset Mapping Project (5 pages, PDF), prepared by KC-AERC

KC-AERC Path To College

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:05:06 +0000

KC-AERC Path To College (49 pages, PDF), presented 03/07/11 by KC-AERC

Executive Report of the Stakeholder Groups

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:57:09 +0000

Cypress Research Associates, LLC conducted research with key stakeholders on behalf of The Kansas City Area Education Research Consortium (KC-AERC). The goal of the research was determine stakeholder perceptions regarding:

Data of interest regarding school district performance and function
The value of the consortium
Gathering input regarding the research agenda, and
Effective methods of communication among all stakeholders and the consortium.

Read the Executive Report of the Stakeholder Groups (4 pages, PDF), prepared by Cypress Research Associates, LLC.